The tiny margin that mattered

The high-priced consultants and image brokers, communicators and veteran political advisers to our new mayor Carlos Gimenez certainly helped him win that narrow victory last week against the one-time front runner with three times the bankroll. But, in the end, despite what some 1A stories may say, the win came down to Hialeah’s own team […]

Gimenez officially mayor Friday

In a quick and private, informal ceremony, Carlos Gimenez is expected to be sworn in this afternoon in front of his wife, his parents, his mother-in-law, his sister-in-law — all the retirees, essentially — and Judge Ivan Fernandez, who will administer the oath and make him the mayor. Photographed here at his victory party with […]

‘Neutral’ activist worked for mayor

The chairwoman of the Miami Voice recall PAC, Vanessa Brito, has repeatedly said she was going to stay neutral in the mayoral race and has been made a media darling — including a Best Local Activist nod from New Times, which apparently does not vet its best candidates — for her role (read: paid Norman […]

AB vote split is good for Gimenez

The absentee ballot count in the Miami-Dade mayoral race is in and the split is almost 50/50 — which bodes very well for former county commissioner Carlos Gimenez. Ladra is going to predict now that Mayor Gimenez wins by more than five points. Former Hialeah mayor Julio Robaina, and his expensive absenteel ballot machinery, had […]

Two hours more hours to vote

The biggest problem in the Carlos Gimenez mayoral campaign came right before noon today: rain. The wet weather is expected to affect the small “rush” of voters who typically go to their Election Day precincts to vote. And turnout has never been more important in a race than it is today. Of course it’s desireable […]

Radio to retract race reprimands

Univision Radio is going to have to eat some cuervo on Election Day. And front-running candidate Carlos Gimenez couldn’t buy better advertising. After being accused of having a slant for Julio Robaina, the station will have to admit that two of it’s veteran talkers, Oscar Haza and Roberto Rodriguez-Tejera, basically lied live on their programs […]

Another cool $1 mil in mayoral race

The campaign finance reports were finally posted online by the elections department late Monday afternoon and it shows that at least another cool million was raised between both candidates in the heated Miami-Dade mayoral race. Julio Robaina is up to $1.7 million, raising $400,000 in the last three weeks. Former county commissioner Carlos Gimenez is […]

Uncle Luke: His man buys ballots

When the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office questions Luther Campbell about his endorement-for-a-favor , they should ask him what he knows about Julio Robaina‘s absentee ballot operation. Uncle Luke, who came in fourth in the May 24 primary and later endorsed Robaina because Carlos Gimenez would not give his friend a job, went on twitter today […]

EV + AB = 117,000 votes so far

Almost 40,000 early voters cast ballots in the county mayoral race, about 5,000 more than those who went to the early voting sites in the May 24 election. Like the 77,500 absentee ballots, the majority of which Ladra thinks will still go to the machinery paid for by former Hialeah mayor Julio Robaina (though with […]

AB machine has "turbo" in Hialeah

More absentee voters have cast ballots in the June 28 mayoral runoff than in the May 24 primary already, with six days left for people to return them. As of today, the Miami-Dade Elections Department reports that 75,471 absentee ballots returned of the 126,980 requested. That’s almost 60 percent. And it could top 80,000 by […]