He is the "strong" mayor of Miami-Dade County. She is the de facto chair of the County Commission, filling the role of manager for the lobbying class, representing developers like Sergio Pino, Rodney Barreto, Chris Korge, Courtney Cunningham, Miguel de Grandy and a model of economic growth that is bankrupt.
In the past, I have questioned why the unions would ever endorse Seijas, whose support for suburban sprawl is the clearest manifestation of government and unions gone wrong. The growth at any cost policies Seijas epitomizes have devasted the lower and middle class of Miami-Dade: yet voters appear incapable of making the connection or holding the perpetrators accountable.
The unions have myopically refused to engage their members on either the issue or the impoverished leadership of a permanent incumbency. Permanent incumbency, except where term limited out--as Mayor Alvarez will be when his second term is over.
Alvarez is unchallenged in this election cycle: a fact that may be accounted for, by the decision of the underlying power structure to hold back from encouraging an opponent to emerge.
Alvarez has demonstrated the capacity to cut across ethnic lines with his appeal as a tough but empathetic former top cop. She rules her district like the wicked witch of the west over fortress Hialeah. Miami Dade voters know which counts more; Hialeah, the stronghold for builders and developers who live in gated communities in Coral Gables and Pinecrest. From that fortress, Seijas has held county government and contracts under her thumb, enforcing order in county agencies through her staff.
So what is in it, for Alvarez to support someone who has thwarted the "strong" mayor?
It is hard to know. Alvarez is smart enough to understand the harsh politics of the unreformable majority of the county commission that put the health, welfare and safety of Miami-Dade citizens at the mercy of an utterly dysfunctional county commission.
But for his part, Alvarez has been boxed in or boxed out by a commission that appears to hold all the high cards.
For their part, the campaign contributors know that the economy is in shambles. They will continue with lobbying trips to DC and Congress. Happily sending Seijas on junkets to far-flung places in the world, like Poland, where she will be treated like royalty. They will go through their zoning and permitting cycles, urging changes even where there is no economic benefit (ie. Parkland DRI, rock mines in South Dade), like taking a stick to the dog to show who is boss.
It is sad and disconcerting that the editorial staff of The Miami Herald will not engage on these matters. Their absence speaks to a certain hopelessness, like network news focusing on what exactly Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do only after these entities blow up with trillions in debt that undergird the failed growth model our county commission and Natacha Seijas represent.
Perhaps our readers have some additional thoughts to share: why did he do it?
9 comments:
The "Fat One" as she is called here in Hialeah, has been our Queen far too long. She doesn't even live here, she moved to Miami Lakes.
Remember: Even Castro stepped down.
He did it because he was afraid of Rubio.
When the unions supported Alvarez, I knew right away that he in turn was going to support Vile Natacha because the unions act as Natacha's lap dogs who wag their tails according to her orders. Another sign were the string of donations doled out by developers, lobbyists and former ENEMIES to Alvarez' campaign. The sudden love affair with Jose Cancela, his former challenger, also raised my suspicions.
We can say with certainty that Carlos Alvarez SOLD himself very well. But when he leaves office due to term limits, he will join the ranks of the inane former mayors only remembered by their disastrous management styles-except that Alvarez hasn't even attempted to manage leaving the pesky task to Burgess (the Cardinal Richelieu of Dade County).
Maybe Seijas threatened to investigate him. Hey, it always works for her.
When are we going to learn that Alvarez was not the "good" guy everyone thought he was. He is more beholden to lobbyists than many think. He passed his strong-mayor intitiative with the urging of the closest lobbyist to him, Jorge Luis Lopez, who now is running for State House against Dem. Luis Garcia. Wake up people! Lobbyist rather deal with one person in the Mayor, rather than the 13 sitting on the Commission dais. Alvarez has been 100% predictable in his actions since he began his tenure... Public profile of reformer, with no real reform, other than those to benefit the "lobbyists". This man is a sham!
You have to scroll down through the other days to see the post that this refers to.
Funny Picture.
This is very interesting. From the point of view of a Miami Laker who hears of the hatred between Pizzi and Seijas, and the so-called friendship he has with Mayor Alvarez who even swore Pizzi in at his 2006 council election. This must be a slap in the face for Pizzi who waged war against Seijas with his recall effort and is rumored to have been the catalyst behind Seijas' recent challenger for Commissioner. This looks like it's going to make for one doozy of an election year.
Politics makes strange bed fellows.
Pizzi is not the only one betrayed by Alvarez. I busted my ass for his strong mayor campaign stupidly thinking he might actually clean house. He fired a couple of bad apples, yea, them went to bed with Seijas. Not what I had hoped for.
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