In an ugly, backstabbing move, Miami Commissioners Alex Diaz de la Portilla and Joe Carollo, at the very last minute last week, snatched the last commission meeting from outgoing Commissioner Ken Russell by postponing the Dec. 8 agenda to January.

This would be after Russell’s resignation is effective on Jan. 3.

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By GRANT STERN, Special Guest Columnist

Miami Commissioner Ken Russell is running for Congress for the third time in just five years since he got elected to his present office just six and a half years ago. 

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The phone call came in Monday afternoon. “Jaime,” if that is her real name, was surprised that the person who answered was not just willing but happy to participate in a survey about “important issues in Florida.” Ladra just loves these calls.

Turned out to be one of many recent polls for the congressional primary in District 27, testing message points on both Miami Commissioner Ken Russell and State Sen. Annette Taddeo, both of whom jumped into this race from another contest (U.S. senator and Florida governor, respectively), to go against Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar.

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The first mailer of the Election 2022 season to hit Ladra’s mailbox arrived Saturday. It’s a piece for Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar and, predictably, it touts her as “a freedom fighter” who is keeping socialism out of the United States.

And it comes within days of Sen. Annette Taddeo‘s announcement that she switched races from the governor’s bid to this congressional contest.

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Miami Commissioner Ken Russell lost the U.S. Senate race Thursday.

No, the election didn’t come early. It’s still in November. And maybe he would have lost anyway. But Russell’s sudden and unjustifiable switch on the Miami Freedom Park lease agreement — even with amendments made on the fly — is going to haunt him in the race. Or any future election.

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District 2 could be kept whole under new Miami redistricting map

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