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We are going to need a  couple of clown cars this summer for the debates in both primaries for Congressional District 27.
Add Spanish language journalist Maria Elena Salazar (Republican) and Donna Shalala (Democrat) to the other 15 candidates from both parties that have made known their intentions to run for the seat vacated by the retirement of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who has understandably grown tired of having to defend her party.
Both women announced their candidacy in recent days, adding to an already interesting mix that includes another journalist, two state legislators, two city commissioners from two different cities, a former city commissioner, a county commissioner, an alien abduction survivor, a Latin Grammy winner and a former federal judge.
Here, let’s list them alphabetically so nobody gets offended. Everybody’s website is also linked (only one couldn’t be found):

Former Miami Commissioner Marvin Dunn
Former federal Judge Mary Barzee Flores 
Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez 
Award-winning journalist and community activist Matt Haggman
Non profit VP and UM academic advisor Michael Hepburn
Mark Anthony Person (couldn’t find anything on him)
State Rep. David Richardson
State Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez
Miami Commissioner Ken Russell

The Republican half of the ballot is almost as long and — save for the one candidate who was abducted by aliens and the daughter of a Cuban American musical idol — not as exciting and, so far, pretty much a done deal:

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Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernández may be on the verge of another backroom deal — unless the Miami-Dade School Board stops him.
Last year, Hernández sent a letter to School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho with an idea: Let’s rezone the vacant 12 acres of land adjacent to Hialeah Middle School — a vacant field that was used for football and soccer programs for decades — so it can be redeveloped into more absentee voting centers, er, we mean public housing.
But neighbors are opposed, collecting at least 600 signatures so far against any rezoning.
“I’ve lived across the street from that field my whole life,” said Michael Horgan, 47. “That field was always a football and soccer field for groups and for all of us to use.”
Then, suddenly, about three years ago, a chain link fence and no trespassing signs appeared from one day to the next. Now we know why. Ladra bets it took that long for Hernández and his hoodlum pals to get all their ducks in a row and figure out who gets what.  Even if it goes out to bid, like he said on Channel 23, the eventual winning bid will have “custom made” qualifications and other advantages that come with palanca. 
Las malas lenguas say its gonna go to the people who are building his new house in Coral Gables (yes, I am looking into that, too). But Ladra’s money is on former Mayor Julio Robaina, Hernández’s hero, and his real estate partners.
Hernández — an admitted loanshark suspected of insider deals with the reverse osmosis water plant and the privatization of solid waste collection –is a longtime friend and protege of Robaina’s. He wants this soooo bad, he said the city will waive $12,800 in application fees — how nice of him — to process the land use and zoning changes. It will still cost the school board (read: taxpayers) about $30,000 for assessments and what not. This is all spelled out in the unsolicited letter Hernández sent to Superintendent Carvalho sometime last year.
“I am reaching out to you to bring to your consideration an innovative approach to one of MDCPS sites within the city of Hiaeah,” Hernandez starts out. “I envision a residential development on the twelve acres owned by MDCPS on the northern portion of the site of the Hialeah Middle Community School, which will benefit the community, parents and students.”
He goes on to say new housing would attract young families and keep the schools filled with students.
“My vision at this site that is currently underutilized is a residential development with diverse unit types ranging from low to high density, designed to be compatible with the existing low density residential neighborhood to the west and scaling up as it extends east on Le Jeune Road,” and one can’t help but think that those are someone else’s words.
“To market the land at its highest and best use, the land would have to be re-platted, the land use changed to the maximum allowed density and rezoned consistently. The city of Hialeah is willing to take by initiating the land use changes and rezoning and facilitating the re-platting process,” the mayor wrote. “I look forward to working proactively together and in directing my staff to work with MDCPS staff, to ensure the successful implementation of this idea and make it a reality in the very near future.”
This letter was part of the October school board agenda at which the board recommended Carvalho “further explore a possible collaboration between the Board and the City of Hialeah, collectively the Parties, through which a Board-owned asset could be moneytized for the Parties’ mutual benefit and bring back an item to the Board at the appropriate time.”
How about never?
Board Member Lubby Navarro told Ladra she voted in favor because the property is not utilized and selling it would provide a source of revenue. But the secretive way this was started has tainted the process and the school board should put on the brakes, at least for now until a full study can be done on multiple options and best use of that land.
When Horgan learned what was going on, he and a group of neighbors went to the city council meeting Feb. 13 to ask questions and make their opposition to the housing development known. “Right before we spoke, the mayor left the chambers,” he said. “When I spoke not a single council member had a clue about what I was speaking about. They all wanted to see the mayor’s letter.”
Hmmm. Could it be the mayor was acting alone, without the authorization or even knowledge of the city council?
Interestingly, the undated letter is not on city letterhead — repeat, it is not on city letterhead — but rather letterhead that looks like it came directly from Carlos Hernández’s deep state office, his shadow office at City Hall. Instead of the city seal, it has a wheel with the mayor’s name on it and the words mayor and alcalde, which is mayor in Spanish.
Further proof that Hernández is doing this on his own behalf, as a businessman not as a city ambassador. Or, even less, as a public servant.
 

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