Will County Commissioner Joe Martinez Run for Congress? By Geniusofdespair

One can only hope that Joe Martinez will run for Congress and actually win. The Miami Herald said today he is leading in name recognition in the district. Plastering his face all over buses and bus shelters, on our tax dime, sure helped. And, doesn't his district also have that giant retrofitted RV?

Here is my take on the Congressional District 25 race. The voters there will most probably put in someone I don't like. After all, they kept Mario Diaz-Balart there all those years. So why not get an added benefit: It will open up a County Commission seat in District 11. Yes, we might get another ass in the County seat but I don't think we could do worse. I believe Martinez can do less damage in Congress (many others to dilute his votes) and it will be the ego boost he craves. It is rumored he will run for County Mayor to fill this craving and that would be a disaster, he could win. Here is an example of the devious mind of Joe Martinez:


From Miami New Times April 7, 2009:
Joe Martinez seems a forthright and resolute guy. He was the first Hispanic elected by his peers to be county commission chairman. He publicly supported the highly unpopular John McCain for president. And he pushed to strip Jose Canseco's name from a stretch of SW 16th Street after the slugger admitted to juicing.

So it was exceedingly odd when, on March 23, he voted against the new $636 million ballpark for the Florida Marlins and then minutes later cast a ballot to award a no-bid stadium construction contract to a joint venture called Hunt/Moss.

How to explain that flip-flop?

"I was against the stadium funding," Martinez says. "But Hunt/Moss... seemed very qualified to me."

Here's what Martinez doesn't mention: He has accepted thousands of dollars in donations from half of the joint venture -- Fort Lauderdale's Moss & Associates -- a company with a history of violating campaign finance laws and a record of complaints about shoddy work.

Now taxpayers are on the hook for more than $2 billion in long-term debt, tying the local economy into a construction deal with Hunt/Moss that could have dire consequences if the project comes in late, over budget, or poorly built. That reality has plan opponents fuming.

"This whole deal has taught me... how our system really works," says Michael Burnstine, an insurance salesman who founded a grassroots group to fight the stadium plan. "It's not about protecting the taxpayers; it's about getting re-elected."

With his 'NO' vote on the stadium, Martinez gained the brownie points he needed to put in his bank to become Mayor, but in a stealth move, pushed a contract we all could have done without, for which he got campaign funding. This earns an 'ick' which brings my Ick Folder up to 44 posts.