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| Michael Gongora appears to be reaching for a gun...or maybe a comb. With the reputation of Miami Beach Cops, I hope it is a comb. Philip Levine is smiling because he has so much money to spend on commercials. |
Levine has already loaned his campaign $100,000 and has said he will self-fund like Rick Scott and Michael Bloomberg.
Also running is Michael Gongora (raised $125,813, $25,000 is a loan), David P. Hundley (raised $395) and Jerry Libbin (raised $45,920).
Judging by funds, I would suppose the race is between Gongora and Levine. Levine is positioning himself as the outsider who is "one of us." Not quite, I can't afford to buy U.S. Century Bank (while screwing the government out of the repayment of millions of Tarp Funds). Miami Pop calls Levine a "real estate mogul" that certainly isn't any of our readers. Levine has those Fresenesque whitened teeth. I guess that means he will win so I will vote for Hundley in protest. I like David Hundley because he has big hands (the City of Miami Beach is a handful) and he is outdoorsy looking.
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| David Hundley |
Anyone care about this election? Who are you voting for?
26 comments:
I think Hundley is who I'll vote for as well. We don't need the LBA/US Century destroyers in Miami Beach. And, to Levine/Perez and his buddy's buying US Century, how hard is it to pay back the taxpayers? Now this guy want our check books in Miami Beach? No thank you.
A gun? A comb? No, it's a ... wait... here it comes... a checkbook!
Levine made his money marketing for corporations that don't even pay US taxes. Yes he was a successful businessman. So what?
Hundley looks like Dexter in that photo.
It was the photo he put on his Facebook page running for Mayor. Odd choice because he is wearing sunglasses.
I think the number one quality Miami Beach voters should be looking for is honesty.
It is for sure not called a democracy when regular people like teachers, college professors, house wives, young people and retirees cannot afford to run for office.
I agree with your post on Phil Levine. I saw him speak at a neighborhood gathering. He was a good talker and had the locals enthralled. Always easy to talk in some nice generalities when you have no track record to defend. I am also skeptical of an individual who has lived in this community for over 25 years, has never been involved in civic issues, but now decides to descend from Mount Olympus and honor us by being our Mayor....
Most corrupt and pro-union get my vote.
Levine has weasel eyes. Money can't fix that.
Dexter for Mayor of Miami Beach!
I have never seen Philip Levine attend any Miami Beach meetings. No Planning Board meetings, no Commission meetings,... He is a total novice. That means he will be controlled by his campaign consultants and other lobbyists.
However gets elected needs to direct Jimmy Morales to reduce the excessive pay and benefit packages.
It is wrong to dislike someone because of money. It is wrong to think that we need to follow a certain path to get into politics. It is wrong especially since what we've elected so far, those who've followed that path, have been terrible! Look at the corruption alone. Look at our bloated bureaucracy. Look at our break-the-bank pension obligations. Maybe Phil Levine was too busy running a company to get involved in Miami's civic life which is more like a schmooze fest with Boards that get nothing done except the land use ones.
If you don't like the fact Phil Levine can run unencumbered because he has money and the other candidates will owe favors because they've had to solicit donations, then blame the system. Get involved in changing the campaign funding laws, the ethics laws and repeal Citizen's United.
One problem with carpet bagger candidates and with rich candidates who fund their own campaigns is that once elected they are such novices that they depend on sleazy advisors. They hire their campaign consultants and sleazy lobbyists who give them bad advice. Since they have never attended any meetings they do not even know when they are being scammed. Since they never attended any meetings they do not even know the issues.
I'm voting for the candidate with a 30 year track record of real experience solving problems in Miami Beach.
Jerry Libbin 4 Mayor all the way!!
Was there ever really another candidate truly qualified to be our next Mayor of Miami Beach? I don't see one.
Jerry has demonstrated leadership on so many local issues of importance to the community. From advocating and advancing our schools, children and seniors to protecting our beaches, expanding the arts and leading the way on sustainability in our city.
I prefer a successful business person to a career politician.
So perhaps Mr. Levine was busy running a company that provided gainful employment to hundreds...this is very noble and should be applauded and rewarded.
I think we all pay too much taxes...I am tired of being a tax slave...I thought slavery had been abolished years ago...so stop bashing success or discriminating against rich people...fair-minded people make no difference between rich or poor...our constitution speaks of equal treatment or opportunities...not equal outcomes.
I support getting rid of the current progressive tax system or policies which punish success and rewards laziness. Maybe it is time to eliminate the IRS....we have many many other taxes: consumption taxes, energy taxes, sewer taxes, property taxes, liquor taxes, cigarette taxes, gas taxes, permit taxes, property taxes, water taxes, phone taxes, road taxes, toll taxes, travel taxes, and list goes on...so we can raise revenues by increasing a few of the hundreds of other taxes that exist.
Getting rid of the IRS would be very refreshing...and will save lives....many have committed suicide rather than face the IRS.
Before the IRS act 1913, you would only get reported to the authorities if you committed a crime BUT MAKING A LIVING, SAVING OR INVESTING IS NOT A CRIME..YET SINCE THE IRS ACT YOUR EMPLOYER, BANKS, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS MUST REPORT AND/OR SPY ON ALL YOUR ECONOMIC ACTIVITY TO THE AUTHORITIES...THE IRS ACT TOOK AWAY YOUR RIGHT TO A PRIVATE LIFE AND THE BEGINNING OF A POLICE STATE...END IT...WE DO NOT NEED IRS...WE CAN RAISE TAX REVENUES A ZILLION OTHER WAYS...SALES TAXES OR USER TAXES DO NOT REQUIRE THE REPORTING OF INDIVIDUAL AND THEREFORE NOT INTRUSIVE INTO OUR PERSONAL OR PRIVATE LIVES...YOU DO NOT GET REPORTED TO THE GOVERNMENT.
Any liberal who would like to pay more taxes or their fair share can voluntarily send all the taxes they want to the government...no one will stop them...hey Mr. Warren Buffet go ahead...stop the talk...man up....volunteer more taxes if you wish...talk is cheap...put up the taxes...or pay all the taxes for your secretary.
I wish to pay what you pay 15%, maybe I could become rich as you is I did but since I labor for my income and I am force to surrender over 50% of my income to the government...I can never get ahead.
Do you ever wonder why usury laws do not apply to our government? If it is excessive or wrong for any bank to charge 20% interest on a loan...then it should be illegal for the government to impose taxes in excess of 20%. On the one hand...the bank is charging you for money they lend...but the government is not giving you a loan but confiscating your income.
We need more/better jobs...no more taxes. The more you tax the less there is for the private sector, individuals, or families.
Good people do not want hands out....they want a good job!
Vote for those who have a record of creating jobs...whether they voted in past elections or not...is irrelevant...THE REAL ISSUE IS WHAT REAL TALENT OR RECORD DO THEY HAVE TO BETTER THE COMMUNITY. WE NEED EFFICIENT AND RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT. GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE RUN LIKE A BUSINESS NOT A CHARITY.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZER LIKE MATTI DOES NOT CUT IT FOR ME. I VOTED X CRUZ,I EVEN VOTED FOR THE COMEDIAN BUT THE UNIONS GOT MATTI ELECTED...IT IS TIME FOR THE UNIONS TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE TAXPAYERS
Coming off a continuing series of public mismanagement and corruption incidents in Miami Beach, the city should shed its existing leadership which followed like lemmings during the last few years.
Neither Libbin nor Gongora have anything to say about the city budget, pay rates and benefits, and why they do not admit the "buck stops here."
Everything seems to be status quo and a personality battle between the two. If we had a third commission incumbent running for mayor, we could literally call them the famous three monkeys: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
Let's clean house and keep these perpetrators of the city's shameful past out of the mayor's seat. Voting for them is like patting them on the back for the fine police investigation of the Memorial Day massacre 2011.
Oh, after two years we still don't have a completed investigation? Blame some underling for being unsupervised by another underling.
Apparently that leaves us with a rich man with the proper platitudes and a guy who loves Miami Beach and has not demonstrated the necessary expertise to clean up the city government and its police department.
Jimmy Morales is a great start, but he needs strong leadership from ethical individuals who can capture the voter frustration with the status quo. Any ideas?
Philip Levine is smart but any elected official needs a base of local knowledge. Look what happened with another rich guy, Rick Scott? He spent millions of his own money but he had no depth of knowledge. Scott still is tone deaf to the issues and his approval numbers approach single digits. Levine needs to attend more Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club Meetings. Maybe a few Design Review or Planning Board meetings.
I'm wary of candidate who never attended one commission meeting. But, Libbin and Gongora have gone to the dark side,keep voting to remove all parking spots from the beach. Recently, they consistantly favor developers (who I guess give more campaign donations than little ol me).
Wow, sounds like Philip Levine is making some lifelong politicians nervous--what will they do when special interests stop coming to them with handouts? Let the negative e-mail blasts and blogging begin! Bravo Mr. Levine, you are officially relevant in this campaign.
From what i've read and heard this man is no Rick Scott, he's our Michael Bloomberg. New York City seems to be doing okay these days. I am so sick of the corruption/backroom deals/phony same old stuff politicians getting fat off my hard-earned tax dollars. Philip Levine doesnt need my money and he already has my vote. Adios, status quo--you will not be missed.
Thank you for generating interest about my campaign for Mayor of Miami Beach. The blogpost you wrote about me and my campaign and the facts why I am running deserve a response. In fact, your followers should know that from me, you will get the absolute truth and candid response, not the typical political rhetoric that characterizes several sitting members of the current City Commission, especially my two main opponents.
It is true that I have not participated actively in our municipal elections. The reason is because I have been disappointed with our electoral options and lack of leadership on the City Commission (just like a majority of Miami Beach voters). Now, rather than complain about the wrong direction of the city and its lack of forward thinking, I've chosen to do something about it. I made the decision earlier this year that I could not sit on the sidelines anymore so I decided to make investments in my community by running for Mayor. What does that mean for our voters? I am putting my resources into my campaign and capped contributions to my campaign at $100.
This means that the days of special interests controlling the dialogue and decisions of City Hall are gone because my only interest is making Miami Beach a better and stronger place. I believe that this is a critical time for us and as Mayor, I intend to fix what’s wrong and strengthen what’s right.
There is no question that I have to prove myself to the voters and that’s what I’m doing; going door to door to introduce myself to residents and hear their concerns. What I’ve learned has confirmed my decision to run and my confidence that I can deliver the change our community is expecting.
I encourage your followers, for those many not have done so, to please visit my web site www.levineformayor.com and join our movement for positive change for our city government. Through open dialogue we will achieve the results our community so desperately needs and deserves.
Philip Levine
Political advertisement paid for and approved by Philip Levine for Mayor of Miami Beach. A public servant.
Did anyone get that this was suppose to be a funny blog post? I just got an irate email about this post. I don't know beans about Miami Beach...I picked the guy with big hands over the guy with white teeth for crying out loud.
The only good thing about writing this is I got A LOT OF TRAFFIC to my blog. Hey Levine, I'll endorse you if you take me out to dinner!
the spike in traffic is from another blog, citydebate.com, which sent out this email and link to your blog, under Screaming Eagle byline.
i find it HYSTERICAL that mr. levine is trying to spin himself as the outsider on the white horse, riding into town to clean up a mess his own drinking and yachting buddies made. he's an insider's insider. u.s. century bank is just the most visible part of the sl
ime trail.
Mayoral Candidate Phil Levine Deems Miami Beach Worthy of His Attention!
by: Screaming Eagle
Miami Beach, Fla. June 2013 -- Election season in Miami Beach is upon us, and candidates are popping up all over town. In the mayor's race, developer and bon vivant Phil Levine has jumped into the fray.
We at Screaming Eagle always welcome spirited elections, especially for the top spot on the Miami Beach Commission dais. So we extend a heart-felt, "Welcome to Miami Beach" to Mr. Levine and applaud his sudden interest in our city's civic affairs.
Mr. Levine seems like a well-meaning - and dashing - candidate. He's also quite wealthy, from what's been reported about him.
We are merely wondering why someone who doesn't even vote regularly would awake one day and decide to run for mayor of Miami Beach.
According to official Miami-Dade Elections Department records, Mr. Levine didn't bother to vote in the 2011 Miami Beach municipal election. Nor did he vote in the 2011 Miami-Dade Recall election, or the two special Miami-Dade mayoral elections that year.
So, he was zero for four in exactly the kinds of loq-turnout elections that really determine our community's future. What's more, Mr. Levine didn't vote in the 2012 Presidential Primary election or the Primary election. He did, however, grace the polls by voting in the 2012 Presidential election.
Guess that was interesting enough -- or he had the time during his busy schedule -- to prod him into action.
We hope Mr. Levine is not just running because he's bored, or to stroke his own ego. We hope he actually has something to offer.
Meantime, see what others are writing about Mr. Levine.
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2013/06/phiip-levine-guy-with-money-to-burn-by.html#links
Watch out for this sheisting opportunist. I know several people that worked for him at On-Board media that were consistently screwed over by his predatory tactics.
If he screwed his own employees, God knows what this guy is capable of.
Clearly a power mongering self adulating oligarch-wannabe.
Do we need another one of these in government?
Let us talk "about the record", the "record" in Miami Beach City documents show Mr. Levine in partnership with a previous partner of a "public-private partnership" on leased City land who made millions on the resale of the project (s) made millions on one, the "Sunset Harbour Shops". Mr. Gongora is a lawyer, who "could be" classified as a lobbyist but does not lobby in Miami Beach. Based on this it would appear that Mr. Levine has a serious potential conflict of interest in that he does have an interest in one public/private partnership with the city and potential others his current partner is looking at.
Steve Berke is the man with the plan.
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