In the race for Coral Gables mayor, Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick is outraising her sole declared oppponent, former Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli, almost two to one.

According to the latest campaign finance reports filed last week, Slesnick raised $45,350 in January, compared to $24,800 raised by Valdes-Fauli. She also raised $9,950 in December, while the former mayor raised $2,345.

The gap is much bigger, though, because Slesnick has loaned herself $100,000 to Valdes-Fauli’s $10K, giving her a total that is three times as big at $156,300.

Both of them has spent about the same amount, however, leaving Slesnick with a much bigger kitty eight weeks before the election.

Slesnick’s biggest expense is $13,490 in consulting for a phone bank and data to a Missouri company called TJP Strategies. She also paid $6,000 for printed campaign materials, $5,550 on yardsigns, bumper stickers, ads and mailers and $900 on postage.

Ladra looked but couldn’t find any expenses listed for the sickly produced video ad that was aired during Channel 10s This Week in South Florida last weekend. Sure, the media buy will be reported in February and I guess production will be, too. There’s even a version in Spanish narrated by her daughter in law, Cecilia Slesnick.

Read related story: Coral Gables mayoral race — Slesnick vs. Valdes-Fauli, Vol. II

Valdes-Fauli has spent roughly half of his $45,145 total with the biggest item being bumper stickers at $6,300. He spent nearly as much on kick-off expenses (catering was $4,926 and parking was $1,000), $3,800 on postage, $1,256 on door hangers and $1,630 on a video we haven’t seen.

His expenses and contributions also include $4,000 donated and then returned to Mansfield USA, a property development company in Coconut Grove. It was likely returned because it was over the $1,000 limit and was really meant for a political action committee or, worse, 501c4 organization with less public scrutiny.

So, really, Valdes-Fauli only raised $20,800 in January. Slesnick outraised him more than 2 to 1.

The saddest part about Friday’s Miami-Dade Commission meeting wasn’t that commissioners ignored the fearful cries and pleas of more than 100 people who urged them to reject Mayor Carlos Gimenez‘s directive to hold illegal immigrants arrested in Miami-Dade for an additional 48 hours so they can be picked up by federal authorities.

It was pretty sad as speaker after speaker got emotional when they told their own similar story about coming here as a child or of parents or siblings who came here as children fearing persecution by the government or criminals elsewhere. It was a real tear-jerker when they heard from children whose parents have been deported and who can speak about having families ripped apart, even though Chairman Esteban Bovo systematically cut them off when they reached the one minute mark and barked aggressively at them.

But no. What’s even sadder was seeing how stupid some of our commissioners are.

Ladra is not using that word loosely. I know it’s charged. I hate the word. I’ve always told my daughter there are no stupid people, only stupid acts.

But then I saw the commission meeting Friday and there is no other word that would better describe them. Clueless is not strong enough. Dumb is too innocent. They’re happily, blatantly stupid. Either that, or they’re complicit with Gimenez for other reasons and simply don’t care about the consequences of their punitive actions. Because why else would they ignore the facts?

Read related story: Miami-Dade Esteban Bovo cuts public speech on i-word

Let’s go one by one more slowly on the facts they chose to ignore and show why their rationalizations are silly, shall we?

Fact one: The county attorney told them that we were already complying with the federal law. The county already shares information with ICE — names, photos, fingerprints, arrest forms – to comply with the Safer Communities regulations. Commissioners read this sentence slowly: We were already complying with the federal law. That means there was no need for Gimenez to make the change within 24 hours of the president’s executive order in defiance of your very own resolution. Obviously, this quickness concerned the commissioners who voted to keep the 2013 resolution: Jean Monestime, Daniella Levine Cava and Xavier Suarez each said that the mayor’s move was at best premature. Why don’t the others question the motivation for that lickety split speed? We were already compying with federal law and had reason to challenge any designation as a sanctuary county.

Fact two: The very definition of sanctuary city or county or region has not been established and several other municipalities are challenging it as well. 

Fact three: This order isn’t going to just affect criminals. And, by the way, we were already honoring detainer requests on the worst criminals so Rebeca Sosa saying she didn’t want rapists back on the street was fear mongering at its worst.

Deputy County Attorney Michael Valdes said that detainer requests are issued when ICE has probable cause “that the individual has committed a violation that allows them to commence deportation proceedings.” When Joe Martinez asked, the deputy county attorney said it again. “ICE can issue detainers when they say they have probable cause that this individual is subject to removal proceedings, they’ve violated immigration laws.”

Well, that includes every single illegal immigrant, doesn’t it? Every illegal immigrant, by virtue of being here illegally — having crossed over without documents or overstaying a visa — has commited a violation of immigration law. Let’s repeat that for you slow commissioners: Every illegal immigrant could feasibly have detainers put on them because they violated federal immigration law or laws. Including these moms, photographed left, who told commissioners they worry about who will care for their children.

Martinez said that they someone needs to commit a criminal violation to be arrested. Sure, okay. But, fact four: It can be for a traffic violation or having a driver’s license suspended or something as minor as shoplifting. He also said that the arresting officer doesn’t know the shoplifter is an illegal immigrant, but is he thick or what? Nobody was saying we don’t want the shoplifter to be arrested. We just don’t think the shoplifter should be deported if there is a detainer on her/him. The shoplifter should be processed like any shoplifter and released on bond or on his or her own recognizance. We have already honored a detainer on someone who was arrested for panhandling. Commissioner Martinez, fact five: panhandling now can get you deported.

Read related story: Carlos Gimenez will be grilled on sanctuary cities decision

The few speakers in favor of the change understand this. They want all illegal immigrants deported. That is their end game. They supported Trump because of that. They support this change in policy because it deports everybody.

Gimenez said repeatedly that “law abiding immigrants, legal or illegal, have nothing to fear.” But that’s just not true. He is lying, surprise surprise. Fact six: Law-abiding illegal immigrants — even though they may have abided by every other law — could, logically, have detainer requests issued for them. Certainly, people who have missed hearings have had detainer requests issued. And under this new administration it is quite logical to think that more people will be detained to fill the increasingly privatized federal prisons that get fed our federal dollars, per bed or illegal head, which is what Ladra suspects this is really about.

Let’s provide a real, live example: A Venezuelan single mother who works at a restaurant in Doral could get pulled over for a traffic offense or even a broken tail light. She may have a suspended driver’s license because she overstayed her visa or she has no license at all. She gets arrested for that minor traffic offense. Miami-Dade County Corrections officers send her information — name, fingerprints, photograph — to all the other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and ICE. Immigration is the one that says “hold that person please.” They don’t have to give us a reason. All they have to do is give us a form that has a box checked that says they have probable cause. 

Worse, if she hears the neighbor next door being beaten by her husband, she won’t call the police. “What for? So they ask me for my papers?” Fact seven: It doesn’t matter that Gimenez and several commissioners promised over and over that police officers would not act as ICE agents. What matters is the climate of fear that is created is one where people are not about to take that chance. Perception is all that matters here. Law enforcement experts and more than 40 legal experts who have written the mayor and urged him to rescind his order all agree: This change makes us less safe, not more, as it drives a bigger wedge between the immigrant community and law enforcement. No matter how many times you say that police will not be rounding immigrants up, people are just not comfortable with that staying true.

Read related story: Protesters have demands for Carlos Gimenez on sanctuary

Plus, there’s the little fact eight: Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez volunteered to be on a committee that would define the role of local law enforcement agencies in the federal pursuit of illegal immigrants. He said so in a Miami Herald story after attending a Washington D.C. conference of police chiefs where Donald Trump spoke.

“You know the illegals. You know them by their first name. You know them by their nicknames,” Trump was quoted as saying at the Major Cities Chiefs Association and Major County Sheriff’s Association conference. “You’re in the neighborhoods: You know the bad ones, you know the good ones. I want you to turn in the bad ones.”

Perez was quoted as saying: “It’s clear that they haven’t established any policies yet. It’s still too soon.” But he added that he volunteered to serve on a committee to help define whatever that federal-local cooperation would look like. It won’t always be “too soon,” after all.

Ladra sure wishes someone would have mentioned that at Friday’s meeting. Because what exactly does that mean? Gimenez and several commissioners said they wouldn’t allow our local cops to start asking us for papers. But what happens if (read: when) the federal government threatens to take federal funding away if our local law enforcement agencies refuse to cooperate in the way they deem fit? Why is Perez playing a role in framing that cooperation?

Here’s fact nine, whichwas lost on Commissioners Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Joe Martinez and Rebeca Sosa — who each pathetically fought for the my-exile-story-is-better-than-your-story prize — while they said over and over again that we were talking about criminals: Our county was already honoring detainer requests on the most dangerous criminals under the 2013 resolution. That resolution still provided for the continued transfer to ICE of anyone charged with a forceable felony — such as homicide, rape, battery, assault, armed robbery — and anyone charged with a non bondable offense, such as murder. 

By the way, fact 10: the people charged with murder won’t go to ICE and be deported right away. No. They get tried for their crime here. They do their time here. And only then are they deported afterwards. In other words, there’s time for ICE to get the worst of the worst. This change by Carlos Gimenez only allows people who are arrested for shoplifting or panhandling to be held 48 hours past their bond or release so they can be picked up and deported.

Who is going to take care of their children? Expect the Department of Children and Families to be flooded with a new crop of children who are orphaned by this county commission’s actions.

Commissioners who were too stupid to realize all these things were Bovo, Sosa, Martinez, Diaz — who barely escaped a DUI conviction in Key West last year — Audrey Edmonson, Javier Souto, Dennis Moss, Bruno Barreiro and Sally Heyman, who was the main person to introduce the 2013 resolution that protected immigrants. She said it was the right thing to do then. Friday she said that decision, like this one, had been financially motivated and she sponsored the resolution ratifying the mayor’s change in policy. What changed? 

Because they had every reason and political cover to do the right thing. Not only in 100+ people who spoke in favor of returning to the 2013 policy. But also when the county attorney said that we were already complying with federal mandates for the Safer Communities. And again when the deputy county attorney said any illegal immigrant was at risk. 

Are they not listening? Maybe they’re not too stupid to understand what they’ve done. Maybe they’re just not listening. 

Or do they just not care? 

And is any one of those choices better than another?

Miami seems to be a forgiving town, politically speaking.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Xaver Suarez is a respected leader and viable contender for the county mayor’s post in 2020 despite having been removed from his Miami mayoral seat in 2007 due to widespread absentee ballot fraud in the 2006 city election.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz continues to sit there on the dais and sites the law and champions law enforcement even though he clearly beat a legitimate DUI rap in Key West last year. He was acquitted, but we’ve seen the video.

Former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez was re-elected three times after he was indicted and convicted on eight counts of extortion and racketeering (he appealed and was acquitted in 1996). He’s so past that history that he recently hosted none other than presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in his home.

And Ladra’s favorite former Congressman, David “Nine Lives” Rivera was re-elected after that incident where he allegedly ran a mail truck off the road to keep his opponents’ negative mailers from hitting voters’ mailboxes and, despite an alleged investigation that has gone on longer than most federal mafia racketeering cases, is still running for office as recently as last year. And probably next year.

Read related story: Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz arrested on DUI charges in Key West

Now add political consultant Al Lorenzo to the political comebacks of the 305.

Lorenzo was the fall guy for the absentee ballot fraud scandal that engulfed the 2012 elections. Deisy Cabrera, the Hialeah boletera caught carrying ballots to and from Mayor Carlos Gimenez‘s Hialeah campaign office, had worked for Lorenzo in previous campaigns. Lorenzo (photographed right) claimed she wasn’t working for him in 2012, but he was fired from the mayoral campaign because the limelight exposed that he had hired an ex felon, Jerry Ramos, to work for him (read: he was fired for AB shenanigans but Gimenez didn’t want to admit that).

His other client, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle — who never saw an absentee ballot fraud case she couldn’t summarily dismiss or otherwise turn her head to — didn’t fire Lorenzo, but told him to take Ramos off her campaign that year. She was facing a real challenge that year and couldn’t afford to lose the ABs.

Well, Lorenzo has been quietly working under the radar. Mostly on judicial campaigns, where there is very little media attention. Several sources close to Gimenez told Ladra that Lorenzo was involved in the re-election campaign last year (maybe getting paid via the $6,000 a month to former Miami Mayor Joe Carollo?) But last year, las malas lenguas say he was also involved in the campaign of founding first and now newly (again) elected Doral Mayor J.C. Bermudez. He is not on the Bermudez campaign reports either, but the idea is that he is Diez’s partner.

Read related story: Sasha Tirador may be losing her touch with absentee ballots

And 2017 promises to be good, too, because it looks like Lorenzo willl work on the campaign for Miami Commission candidate Ralph Rosado (who is filed for 2019 but will move to this year once Commissioner Francis Suarez resigns to run for mayor).

At least that is what one must assume from this photograph (left) posted on Facebook Wednesday by political consultant Fernando Diez, who helped elect Miami Commissioner Ken Russell as well as Bermudez. Russell was also in the photograph. Maybe Al helped the yoyo man, too (Russell’s father invented the yo-yo). Lorenzo is seated third on the left, next to Rosado’s wife (in pink).

“Happy to have spent my birthday with my wife Mariana Parra and good friends Ken Russell, Ralph Rosado,” post Diez, who is sitting next to Russell on the right side of the table at Casa Juancho Restaurant.

Ladra loves Rosado’s comment:  “The gang! We were very happy to have spent the evening with you as well. Happy birthday, Fernando!”

The gang indeed. Should we call them the Absentee Ballot Raiders?

And does this mean that former Miami-Dade Commissioner Pedro Reboredo, who resigned in 2001 after he was caught paying ghost employees for work that wasn’t being done, could run for office again. Of course it does!

So far, only President Donald’s Trump executive orders on Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests have sparked protests and discussions about the impacts in Miami-Dade, where Mayor Carlos Gimenez ordered the corrections department to start holding illegal immigrants for 48 hours.

But on Wednesday, the talk turns to the Muslim Ban.

That’s when the Miami-Dade Community Relations Board meets to hear from the Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations and discuss the impact on local residents of the recent presidential executive order restricting travel from seven majority-Muslim countries.

Read related story: Looming face off at County Hall over sanctuary switch 

Even though a court has put a stay on the order to keep visitors from those countries out — an order that returned seven legal U.S. residents traveling back from those countries — the Muslim community is on edge because that could change again, and, furthermore, it indicates a federal administration that has put a target on their backs.

“This sends out a wave of fear and insecurity within a community that is already insecure and feels unsafe because of global terrorism and the lack of understanding on the part of the local community who cannot distinguish between local Muslims and global Muslims,” said Mohammad Shakir, a spokesman for the Coalition, known as COSMOS.

“We want to help people understand the difference between the global Muslim and the local American Muslims in our community,” said Shakir. “A lot of people suffer as a result of this hodgepodge, insensible act by our president.”

Part of the discussion Wednesday will be a call for the community relations board “to keep an eye on the events that take place,” said Shakir, who is apparently expecting some more Muslim backlash either from the government or from the community.

“We are remaining in contact with major support organizations like the ACLU and other groups that deal with civil rights. It’s a watch and see situation.”

The meeting begins at 2 p.m. at Masjid Miami Gardens, 4305 Northwest 183^rd St. in Miami Gardens and it is open to the public.

Unfortunately, it looks like Commissioner Barbara Jordan — whose district includes the Muslim enclaves of Miami Gardens and Opa-Locka — won’t be unable to attend the board meeting because there is a Public Safety and Health Committee, on which she serves, meeting at 1:30 p.m.

Maybe Shakir should have made his presentation there?

Here’s another suggestion: Go to the commission meeting this Friday where the immigrant community is going to speak against another part of Donald Trump‘s “hodgepode and insensible” immigration policy and the county mayor’s knee-jerk reaction to his threats — which, by the way, doesn’t bode well for the Muslim community. Build an alliance with the immigrants.

After all, you both have targets on your backs.

Looks like developers saw the Coral Gables Commission pass the controversial Paseo de la Riviera development and started salivating at the mouth.

Because now, Coral Gables city officials are working with an architectural firm to develop a South Dixie Corridor Master Plan for existing and potential future redevelopment opportunities along 2.5 miles of U.S. 1 that goes through the City Beautiful. Key word: Potential. The idea, the city says, is to creat a new “Coral Gables Corridor” with a “unique experience” for drivers, transit users, pedestrians and cyclists — all along one of the most traversed and congested thoroughfares in Miami-Dade.

And the Riviera Neighborhood Association — whose members have sued to stop the Paseo project — is back up in arms. Because they know that the idea really is to build more projects like the hotel and apartment complex planned for the Holiday Inn property that was passed by the commission in 2015.

Read related story: Coral Gables Paseo project up for final approval

Most members will be at tonight’s meeting, even though the community was split in half for two meetings, “whether by accident or design,” according to an email from the RNA. “Whether by accident or design, the meeting invitations split the Riviera Neighborhood into two separate meetings,” said the email sent Sunday, with copious use of exclamation marks. “We stand together to have our united voice heard and tomorrow night, our voice will be heard!”

The group wants the city to stick to its current zoning codes and land use designations, without any of the overlays like “multi-use” or “transit oriented development,” which they correctly identify as code words for upzoning.

“The developers love the ‘overlays’  because they allow them to build whatever they want and give cover to our commissioners who love the developers!”

The Riviera Neighborhood Association wasn’t able to stop the Paseo project (rendering to the right) from getting approved 4-1, with Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick being the only no in December of 2013. But their lawsuit certainly has kept developers from breaking ground. Paseo attorneys tried to have the court dismiss the case, which says that the changes made are inconsistent with the city’s master plan, but the circuit court judge denied their motion. Now, they are appealing that decision.

And, apparently, the city is changing that master plan. 

Tonight’s meeting at 6 p.m. is the first of three community meetings the city planned for residents and “stake holders” to chime in on this new Master Plan. It’s at the Holiday Inn where the Paseo project is supposed to be, 1350 South Dixie Hwyd. Expect some developers and lobbyists to be there. They’ll be the quiet ones.

Ladra guesses the city is looking at the south side of U.S. 1 because the north side is where the county is planning to develop the Underline, a linear park and bikepath from Dadeland Station to Brickell.

Wednesday, the meeting starts at 6 p.m. at Shannon Rolle Center, 3750 S. Dixie Highway and Thursday it’s back at the Holiday Inn.

For questions, contact the City of Coral Gables Economic Development Department at 305-460-5311 or visit: www.coralgables.com/US1MasterPlan.