Here is a little article timed before the election, but for those that didn't know, it outlines the career path of Mayor Manny Diaz and hints on what we can expect for his next term. I think apart from the glaring contributions; improving the image, returning stability and trust to those that would invest, and improving the tax base while cutting tax rates, he has done an exceptional job of including citizens in the processes of moving forward. Neighborhood Enhancement Teams, the Miami21 meetings/website, and the parks meetings that are open and inclusive.

Manny Diaz's goal: `A great city'
Mayor Manny Diaz, who has presided over Miami's growth boom, advocates long-term approaches to problems, such as poverty, while he seeks a second term.
Full Story (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/12974071.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_local)

When do you think he will run for higher office?

When do you think he will run for higher office?Who knows? Maybe after his next term. This guy really loves Miami, my guess is that he takes some type of Federal Appointment where he can continue to be Miami based. Just a hunch.

Let's not ruin the guy. Keep him in Miami where he seems to be doing a bang-up job.

I wanted to keep Rudy in NYC, but they had a law against that. Does Miami have a term limit rule?

hopefully hell pull a daley and be mayor here for years and years to come... guiding miami to greatness and taking over new york as the biggest and tallest (already the best of course) city in the us... and then... THE WORLD!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

hopefully hell pull a daley and be mayor here for years and years to come... guiding miami to greatness and taking over new york as the biggest and tallest (already the best of course) city in the us... and then... THE WORLD!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I just dont see it Nimby, people like him usually move up. Success always leads to higher office. Cool evil laugh :cheers:
Hey I picked up the book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree because of what you quoted from it. I just started reading it though so I dont have an impression of it yet.

Well, Manny disavowed the Democrats after the Elian Gonzales debacle. And I don't know that that translates to Republican. So I guess my question would be just how far can you really go as an Independent ?

Well, Manny disavowed the Democrats after the Elian Gonzales debacle. And I don't know that that translates to Republican. So I guess my question would be just how far can you really go as an Independent ?

I was thinking the same thing about his future. He is a pro-development and pro-business interest "Miami Democrat" (like Alex Penelas) and as such he wont get much help from the national Democratic party and not from Republicans because he is technically a democrat.

I'll say it again...he'll serve his next term, then look for a Federal Appointment where he can stay in Miami.

so the elections 2moro,i expect diaz shouldn't have a problem beating the crap out of santos but knowing people in miami i wouldn't be surprised seeing it go the other way.

i'm more intrested in seeing what happens with the city commisioners,which are the ones who make the final decisions on development projects...

ok so as expected

manny is not even having a challenge
diaz 70%
santos 21%
a bunch of losers with 1 and 2 %

Hatter, I love you man...
It's great that you are paying attention! Everyone should. The Miami Beach election was pretty hillarious...not a lot to vote on though.
This forum is loaded up with people that are paying attention and could make a difference in the community!!! Average people aren't paying attention like Hatter is.... :applause:

Posted on Wed, Nov. 16, 2005

BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ
mrvasquez@herald.com

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz -- a low-key leader who has presided over four years of relative stability at City Hall while ushering in a historic building boom -- won easy reelection Tuesday evening.

With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, Diaz had captured more than 65 percent of the votes cast. His closest challenger, Spanish-language radio personality Enrique Santos, had garnered just over 26 percent.

''We want to talk about where our city is going,'' a jubilant Diaz said during a post-election celebration at Maximo Gomez Park. ``This city is destined to become the greatest city in America and probably the greatest city in the world.''

In other city voting, incumbent Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez won reelection to his Third District seat; and a former mayoral aide, Michelle Spence-Jones, led a crowded field for the commission's Fifth District seat. She faces a runoff against former Commissioner Richard P. Dunn II later this month.

Elsewhere in Miami-Dade County, Hialeah voters chose a new mayor for the first time in 24 years as City Council President Julio Robaina defeated five others with about 60 percent of the vote. Robaina, a protégé of longtime Mayor Raul Martinez, had served on the city council since 1997.

The voting, originally scheduled for Nov. 1, was postponed after Hurricane Wilma knocked out power to much of Miami-Dade County. The postponement may have hurt turnout, which was just over 20 percent for all races, and about 18 percent in the Miami mayor's race.

Diaz's outright election Tuesday night marked the first time in nine years that a Miami mayoral election had not resulted in a runoff.

Throughout the mayoral campaign, Diaz had boasted of a track record that included an improved city bond rating, unemployment rates that had dropped to historic lows, and significant reductions in the city's tax rate.

''The bond rating is your Good Housekeeping seal of approval,'' said Coconut Grove voter Rhoda Levitt, a Diaz supporter. She called it a sign of Miami's overall good financial health.

The mayor's strong ties to Miami's business community helped him amass a campaign war chest topping $1 million -- far more than any of his challengers.

Many high-profile potential candidates viewed Diaz as unbeatable, and thus stayed out of his way. A field of four lesser-known challengers stepped up to run against Diaz at the last minute, but struggled to slow the mayor's fast train to victory.

Diaz said his victory showed that Miami voters were tired of negative campaigning. On the day before the election, he said his opponents had spent plenty of time pointing out his flaws but offered few initiatives .

Diaz critics had united behind Santos, who pledged to restore integrity to spending that he said had been hijacked by special interests and Diaz cronies. Santos also vowed to be a force for more sensible development.

In the days leading up to Tuesday's vote, Santos supporters circulated an e-mail highlighting 10 reasons he deserved the mayor's post. Among them: 'Enrique Santos is not part of the real estate industry's political machine, the Concrete Mafia, whose motto could easily be `no condo left behind.' Manny Diaz is the head of that snake.''

Voter Anibal Gonzalez, a Santos supporter, said the gleaming high-rises that are fast remaking the city's skyline cost far more than he can afford working as a window cleaner. Gonzalez said Diaz ``is a mayor for the rich, not for the poor.''

Ultimately, though, Santos, -- a 30-year-old radio shock jock known for once prank-calling Cuban leader Fidel Castro -- had trouble mustering enough serious consideration among voters to give Diaz a competitive race. His morning comedic hijinks on El Zol 95.7 FM endeared him to the 18-34 age demographic coveted by marketers -- but older voters typically decide Miami elections.

''He seems a little inexperienced to me,'' voter Gerardo Brenes, 47, said of Santos. Brenes voted for Diaz.

''I won a million friends,'' Santos said Tuesday night. ``I did not lose in this election. The city of Miami lost.''

The other challengers were Charles Cutler, an activist in the predominantly black Overtown neighborhood; Evaristo ''Ever'' Marina, a perennial candidate and local newspaper editor, and Omari Musa, a Socialist Workers' Party candidate.

Aside from Diaz's accomplishments while in office, other reasons voters chose to stick with him included his calm demeanor -- a marked departure from past city leaders -- and the relatively obscure alternatives on the ballot. ''I know him,'' Model City voter Mary Hollis explained when asked why she chose Diaz.

I wonder what it says about the City that a radio shock-jock got 26% of the vote against a mayor who has basically saved the City of Miami from financial ruin.

The leaders in Miami Beach really have it together! MB won the Great American City contest a couple years ago for good reason. They really did a great job with communications (they dialed every citizens phone to with hurricane updates), and here is another example. The Miami Beach e-mail newsletter is excellent.
In this issue, the city is surveying their customers!!!! Hallejuah!!!
Fill out our online survey (www.miamibeachfl.gov)

Our Mission
"We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community."

I wonder what it says about the City that a radio shock-jock got 26% of the vote against a mayor who has basically saved the City of Miami from financial ruin.

Well, I suppose I could hazard a guess as to what it says about 26% of the electorate.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13605571.htm

Vice to nice: Murders plummet in MiamiIn 2005, Miami logged 56 homicides -- a low not seen since the mid-1960s, authorities said.
BY DAVID OVALLEdovalle@MiamiHerald.com
Known then for its rampant crime amid political and racial turmoil, the city of Miami in 1980 logged a staggering 244 murders.
Times have changed.
Twenty-five years later, the homicide toll: 56, a low not marked since the mid-1960s, police brass said Wednesday.
In a city once labeled the murder capital of the United States, back in South Florida's Cocaine Cowboy heyday, the latest crime figures are reason to gloat.
''This is a good news story,'' said Miami Police Chief John Timoney, who took over the department three years ago.
Crime citywide dipped overall by 5 percent in 2005 from the previous year, according to preliminary statistics released Wednesday. And detectives solved 86 percent of last year's murders, while the national average of homicides cleared hovers about 63 percent, police said.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13605571.htm

Vice to nice: Murders plummet in MiamiIn 2005, Miami logged 56 homicides -- a low not seen since the mid-1960s, authorities said.
BY DAVID OVALLEdovalle@MiamiHerald.com
Known then for its rampant crime amid political and racial turmoil, the city of Miami in 1980 logged a staggering 244 murders.
Times have changed.
Twenty-five years later, the homicide toll: 56, a low not marked since the mid-1960s, police brass said Wednesday.
In a city once labeled the murder capital of the United States, back in South Florida's Cocaine Cowboy heyday, the latest crime figures are reason to gloat.
''This is a good news story,'' said Miami Police Chief John Timoney, who took over the department three years ago.
Crime citywide dipped overall by 5 percent in 2005 from the previous year, according to preliminary statistics released Wednesday. And detectives solved 86 percent of last year's murders, while the national average of homicides cleared hovers about 63 percent, police said.

This is great news. The quality of life skyrockets when you dont have to worry about getting killed all the time. I recall a story when I was there in 1986 (I think there were over 400 murders in Dade county then) that something like 25% of all crime in the county was caused by 400 people, and they had pictures in the paper of many of them. Sadly they were unable to keep those sob's in jail. They could have dropped the crime rate 25% by getting rid of those guys. I imagine many of them were killed by others like them.

ummm Wow. Sorenson is probably the best urban advocate we have in all of South Florida. Replacing her with Dennis Moss is a huge loss.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/13623575.htm

Sorenson yanked from planning council
Commissioner Katy Sorenson, an ardent environmentalist, was removed from a development advisory board just days after she voted to oppose new development beyond the urban line.
BY NOAKI SCHWARTZ AND CURTIS MORGAN
nschwartz@MiamiHerald.com

Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Joe Martinez has yanked a fellow commissioner off an influential regional planning board, just days after she voted against building more homes and offices closer to the Everglades.

Katy Sorenson, the ousted commissioner, called it ''retribution'' for her votes on the South Florida Regional Planning Council, which Monday roundly rebuffed efforts to move the county's urban development boundary.

The council voted against seven of nine proposals outside the line and against a proposal by the Latin Builders Association and the Builders Association of South Florida that critics say would make it easier to move it in the future.

Sorenson, who was just named council treasurer and was in line to chair the council in a year or two, voted against all nine proposals.

''It wouldn't surprise me if the developers gave the chair a hard time on the Regional Planning Council, and I'm sure they don't want my voice there,'' said Sorenson, who heard she would be replaced on Wednesday.

The 19-member council serves as an advisory panel to the Florida Department of Community Affairs in reviewing land-use changes in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties. The group is composed of elected officials from three counties and private individuals appointed by the governor.

Martinez's order left environmentalists bewildered.

''You're kidding me,'' said Cynthia Guerra, executive director of Tropical Aububon, which is part of a grass-roots ''Hold The Line'' campaign by environmentalists and other activists. It smacked of ''retaliation,'' Guerra said, but ``I am trying to conceive of some other remarkable circumstance to force him to do that.''

In a Thursday letter to Sorenson, Martinez denied the accusations, saying he was not even aware that the council had met this week. He said he removed Sorenson because she had served since 1994 and it was time to give others an opportunity.

''I am sorry you reacted so quickly in responding to my appointments as I am sure that if you had thought it through, you would not have even suggested that I took punitive action for a vote,'' he wrote.

Citing poor attendance records, Martinez told commissioners in October he would be making changes to committee assignments. Sorenson, however, missed only one council meeting this year -- to attend her father's funeral.

Martinez left Commissioner Sally Heyman, who missed three meetings last year, on the board and appointed two others: Commissioners Carlos Gimenez and Dennis Moss. While Heyman and Gimenez have largely opposed moving the development boundary westward, all three supported sending the controversial development applications to the state for further review. The commission is expected to take a final vote on the issue in April.

The Urban Development Boundary, established in 1975, restricts any development outside the line to one dwelling per five acres. The line, which runs mainly along the southern and western edges of the county, is considered by many to be a crucial defense against urban sprawl.

There are currently nine applications to allow warehouses, homes and offices on more than 1,000 acres of land currently off-limits to development.

Sorenson has been the commission's most vocal opponent of moving the boundary. She was also the only commissioner to uphold a veto by County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, who tried to torpedo the applications.

Alvarez questioned the decision to remove a commissioner so passionate about the environment from the council.

''To remove her doesn't make any sense whatsoever, and it makes you wonder if her position on the UDB had something to do with her removal, which would be very troubling,'' he said.

Developers and lobbyists pushing to move the boundary would not speculate on the possible political motivation behind Sorenson's removal.

''I would guess the chairman has determined she has served her time,'' said attorney Jeffrey Bercow, who has three clients applying for zoning changes within the boundary. ``He probably wants to see new blood in there.''

Ilene Lieberman, a Broward commissioner who chaired this week's Planning Council meeting, called Martinez's decision ``incredibly shortsighted.''

As chair, Lieberman said, Sorenson would have had the opportunity to focus work on matters critical to Miami-Dade's future, not just the development boundary, but issues such as mass transit and affordable housing.

''I hope he will rethink his position,'' Lieberman said. ``Whatever their difference on the issues, you don't remove someone from the executive committee.''

great news about the murder rate...Miami is not the city it was in the 1980s that's for sure....as for Sorenson that really sucks what was done to her...I used to live in her district...she is a very good commissioner..I can't believe they would do that because she voted against extending the UGB.

Brickell/Roads charter shool vote by Miami City Commission Dec. 16
I received this letter that may be of importance to those living or involved in the Brickell Area.

Dear Friends,
On December 16th, the City of Miami Commission will be making a decision of utmost importance to the future of the downtown/Brickell corridor. It is a decision that involves public school education.
As you may know, before our City leaders is a motion to approve construction of the Brickell Preparatory Academy, a publicly funded charter school that would serve students from Kindergarten to 12th grade.
Plans for the school, which would be located at SW 2nd Avenue between 17th Road and I-95, were approved by The City of Miami’s Zoning Board earlier this year. A group of area residents have objected to the school, and the process has brought us to a final decision from the City of Miami Commission on December 16th. To say that there is a need for public school education in the Brickell/downtown corridor is an understatement.
A recent newspaper article noted a study commissioned by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) which reveals that the population of what is known as the DDA District grew by 81 percent, to nearly 71,000 residents, between 2000 and 2010. Most of these individuals reside within the 23,000 new residential units built in the area since 2003.
The number of public schools built within the area to serve this growing population?...Zero! Not one new public school has been built, or is planned to be built. While private schools certainly offer an alternative,
they are out-of-reach financially of many families, and many of those schools are at capacity themselves.
There is no doubt that for Miami to continue on a path towards becoming one of the world’s great international cities, education in the key urban corridor needs to be addressed.
Good schools are not an option, they are a necessity to attract – and maintain – professionals and families in the area. The literally hundreds of names on the waiting list for this school is indicative of the critical
need for strong, viable public schools. Without schools, our ability to recruit and draw families to the downtown corridor is severely hampered, something our economic development organizations battle every day.
So what can you do to help? Write or call the City of Miami Mayor and Commissioners, or join us at the commission meeting on December 16th and support the new school. Become a Fan of Brickell Preparatory
on Facebook, and we will consistently provide additional information.
While we respect every citizen’s right to be heard and convey their thoughts, there is a significant amount of misinformation that has been communicated about our plans. We have spent literally hundreds of
hours working through every imaginable scenario to ensure that we are good neighbors, and that our school is a positive to the community.
We thank you for your support and encouragement, and look forward to communicating additional information about this process.
Sincerely,
Ray De La Cabada
President, Brickell Prep Parents Association