One of the biggest 2017 political questions in the 305 is will she or won’t she?

We’re speaking, of course, about former Miami-Dade School Board Member Raquel Regalado, who lost a bid to unseat Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez in November. She has been dogged for more than a year by rumors that the county campaign was nothing more than a precursor to a run for the city’s mayoral seat, where her father sits now.

But that makes such little sense. Why would she risk getting $8 million worth of attack ads to do a preview campaign in a city where Raquelita’s name recognition can hardly be improved?

Don’t ask Ladra. While we were on Team Raquel last year, something happened and she doesn’t return my calls anymore. Hardly returns my texts. Maybe she blames me for her loss but she is the one who cut me out of her inner circle in September. After several attempts to reach her, last month I finally sent a final text message saying that Ladra would have to say she did not respond to multiple attempts to reach her. Electeds hate that. Former electeds who want to be elected again hate that, too.

Her texted answer: “I’m considering my options and will announce my decision in January.”

Me: “Hmmmm…No details on what options those might be. LOL.”

Raquel Regalado: “Nope.”

Read related story: Raquel Regalado’s message: ‘I can be a better mayor’

It’s January. So, folks, we will soon find out together if she is going to run for city of Miami mayor, as many are whispering. After much reconsideration, Ladra would bet she will. After all, wouldn’t she just say she wasn’t if she wasn’t? Why would she just let it keep being a mystery? Unless it’s just to make Commissioner Francis Suarez, who has already opened his mayoral campaign account, sweat it out. And that is not completely unfathomable.

But if she does finally throw her hat into the ring for that race, Ladra doesn’t think that this was the plan all along. Not everybody did, but Raquel Regalado truly thought she could beat Gimenez and be a better county mayor. She spent hundreds of hours poring over the county budget information and studying transit information and learing about solid waste management operations — stuff that is not going to necessarily serve her as mayor of Miami.

But maybe, since she lost, it’s become a consolation prize. Because nobody can imagine Raquelita would actually just sit and wait and do nothing more than a weekday afternoon radio show — even if she gets to go to Tallahassee every now and then — for four years before running again countywide. That girl is antsy! And patience is not one of her virtues.

Ladra always thought she would do some policy-driven or issue-oriented thing — like the courtroom referendum tax she campaigned against all by herself (which helped to put her on the county map). Maybe she’ll take on courthouse reconstruction reform. Or some kind of referendum on the county’s transit dollars, since she knows they are being misspent. She did talk on the night of her defeat about working to pass campaign finance reform and having a supervisor of elections that is elected rather than appointed by the mayor. It is not beyond Raquelita’s reach to create a PAC on either one of those items and start to deliver for us even if she is not an elected. She’s very, um, driven that way.

Read related story: Raquel Regalado set to fight anew for charter change, reform

There’s always a state seat. Regalado’s ideas and policy issues are more suited for a legislator at the state or federal level — even if she doesn’t realize it yet. The newly elected Rep. Nick Duran, who won an open seat, is not unbeatable in two years and the Regalados endorsed another candidate in that race. So that’s not impossible. 

Others have speculated that she would run for city commission in District 4 once Suarez resigns to run. But it is doubtful that she would go up against longtime family friend Manolo Reyes, who has already filed paperwork for that seat and who is being endorsed by her father, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado. And that would kinda be a step down, no? Not at all in her character. She’s too big for a commission seat.

But a mayoral run, justified by the excuse that no other candidate is really ready or qualified (and, yes, Baby X should take it personally), might just be the right size. And it fits in her character. I heard there was even a poll where she was cast as one of the potential candidates (more on that later). And a credible source tells Ladra that a couple of lobbyists have told him they have to “give to everybody” for this mayoral race: Suarez, Commissioner Frank Carollo — who is termed out and expected to make a run for the office — and Raquelita.

So maybe they know something we don’t. As usual.

Or maybe the money she is raising is for a PAC?

Stay tuned. There are only 26 and a half days left in January.

Local Democrats are stuck between a rock and a hard place in tonight’s vote for a new state committeeman, which would be a stepping stone for the Florida chair position the same year that the Democrats lost the traditionally blue state to a rabid Republican in a crazy presidential contest and a no-show Senator that spent most of the year campaigning for president.

In one corner, they have former Sen. Dwight Bullard, a longtime legislator who has had their back, someone who fights for the little people, whose family legacy is steeped in the Miami-Dade blue party but who couldn’t even win re-election in his own seat this year.

In the other corner, they have prominent developer Stephen Bittel, a proficient fundraiser who has likely raised millions for dozens of Democrats, who leaders have bent over backwards to put in the running because they say it’s a matter of life and death for the Florida party.

No pressure now.

The Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee will meet at 6 p.m. tonight to discuss the pros and cons and take a vote. But the campaigning has been fierce. Committeemen and women have been bombarded with phone calls — both live and recorded — and emails in the past week to sway them one way or another. Or mostly Bittel’s way.

In what seems like a dirty campaign move, there was an email sent out to recruit new committee members — so long as they promised to be available Tuesday to vote for Bittel. Who cares if they never show up again, right?

But, ladies and gentlemen, it’s all legal. As disgusting as it may seem. The process allows for this.

Read related story: Juan Cuba is back with Dade Dems in time for Hillary

A couple of low-level Democrat activiststs called Ladra over the past week, completely disgusted with what they see as a repeat of the national race — having a party-chosen candidate rammed down their throats. It’s Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton all over again for them. They say the rich man is trying to buy the position.

“Taking no credit away from Bittel. He seems like a great guy and he’s done a lot of good for the party,” said one of them. “But this makes the rest of us feel worthless. What does this say to the little old lady who gave $10? What does this say to the person who stands on the corner holding a sign for 12 hours? This tells them they are worthless, that they don’t matter.”

Well, certainly that they don’t matter as much as a guy who can leverage millions of dollars for blue candidates, a guy who has had President Barack Obama at his Coconut Grove home for a fundraiser.

Thats what some leaders, who also did not want to be identified, told Ladra was the justification for the convoluted process by which tomorrow’s vote came. First of all, Bittel was not even a precinct captain until earlier this month at some midnight hour vote with a questionable quorum that party leaders did not expect anybody to ask about (but grassroots Dems have) because it may have violated the party’s own bylaws. Then, almost immediately like a well choreographed dance, State Committeeman Bret Berlin resigned to pave the way for a special election so that Bittel, the newly appointed precinct captain, could run. All this so he can run for the chair of the Florida Democratic Party.

Some high-level Dems told Ladra that we want the Florida chair to be someone from the 305. That this would be good for the area and that we also need someone who can raise the money that will be necessary for Sen. Bill Nelson to hold onto his seat in 2018. That person, they say, is Stephen Bittel. Surrogates like newly-elected State Rep. Daisy Baez tell anyone who listens how Bittel’s advice and support was pivotal in her victory. 

But can’t Bittel do that without the chair title? Can’t he continue to raise funds for the Dems he deems deserving and keep his day job? Apparently, he’s been doing great so far. Certainly, he would still have the ear of young no-name Democrats running for open seats formerly held by Republicans. What does he get out of it?

Read related story: Annette Taddeo loses once again — and needs a new hobby

“People want to invest where they have complete trust in the leadership and know that the leadership has also invested first,” Bittel told Ladra in a telephone interview Monday. “I’ve had their trust for years. 

“This will enable me to marshall the resources of every Democratic organization in the state. We need to start working as a team, build a progressive infrastructure that will be our highway to successful campaigns. We need to plan together and right now we are too busy shooting at each other. This circular firing squad has to end.”

“My heart is broken after this election and I am tired of losing,” he said, adding that he wants to beef up the blue bench through the Sunshine State. “We need a significant investment of time, money and resources in training candidates and we need to be competitive in every county, city and school board race.

“The goal is to have Democrats win elections.”

Ladra told him she was skeptical. He can still stay involved and keep his day job. Florida Democratic Chair seems like a full-time gig, especially in the wake of 2016’s losses and Dem senators coming up with their own fundraising arm. Is Bittel going to retire as CEO at Terranova Corporation, where he leads “a team of professionals in the ownership and operation of a commercial real estate portfolio valued at nearly $1 billion,” according to the website?

“This is a full-time commitment but I have many full-time commitments. I work seven days a week. I’m a bad sleeper,” Bittel said.

He seems to be convincing everyone. He’s got the teachers behind him, other labor unions, and now Congressman Alcee Hastings. Bullard, who could not be reached for comment and may be out of town for Tuesday’s vote, is backed by Bernie Sanders and his revolution-minded Dems.

But by no means is it going to be easy. The #StandWithDwight group is still complaining loudly and will likely make their case Tuesday night. 

For his part, Bittel said he, too, was concerned about the convoluted steps he had to take to get here.

“We have a complicated set-up. I prefer to let people run and vote. I hate the process,” he said. “It’s how most of our party chairs have run in the last 10 years. And I gotta get in so I can change it.”

But Ladra is skeptical again. Why would he change the mechanism by which he got this far? Especially since Bittel believes the end justifies the means?

Newly elected Commissioner Joe Martinez is sort of on a war path. And there is no bigger casualty than former Commissioner Juan Zapata. Martinez has several items on Tuesday’s agenda to start to undo some of the things that Zapata is most proud of from the last four years.

Martinez will ask his colleauges to strip the “West End” name from county facilities — basically erase it from the map. He also wants to stop the North end Municipal Advisory Committee, which has been meeting to move forward on the incorporation process.

“It was my platform. It’s why I ran,” Martinez said though we know that he ran because he can’t stand not being in office. After all, he ran for mayor in 2012 and for Congress in 2014 but couldn’t get elected outside his district.

Read related story: ‘West End’ Kendall city would operate with $40 million

He says that the West End name was thrust upon the public without their consent or input. “People didn’t have a say. A lot of people didn’t like the way the name was just given to them.”

If approved, the West End Regional Library will go back to being the West Kendall Regional Library, the Miami-Dade Police Department’s West District Station will go back to being the Hammocks District Station and the West jEnd District Park will go back to being the West Kendall District Park.

“That’s fine,” Zapata told Ladra on Sunday, explaining that the West End moniker was intended to be a regional brand to bring together the communities of West Kendall, Bird Road, Country Walk, Kendale Lakes, Calusa and Hammocks, among others.

“You can self identify whatever you want, but you need a regional brand,” Zapata said, adding that he had sought the advice of marketing experts and had three town hall meetings about it. “They couldn’t market West Kendall. Everyone just thinks of it being ‘so far’ and ‘the traffic.’ I wanted to change that narrative. I couldn’t change the narrative without that name. I wanted people to look at this area differently. I wanted to change the vibe.”

Counters Martinez: “I’m not doing it to undo what he did. In the 12 years that I was commissioner, not once did anybody say let’s change the name.”

Read related story: Juan Zapata’s ‘West End’ is criticized — with poetry

But while he says Martinez is doing the same thing that he accuses Zapata of — making the name change arbitrarily without input from the community, the former commissioner and state rep is more concerned with the rescinding of the MAC, which has met for about two years to put together its incorporation application.

“All I did was allow a process, start a conversation,” Zapata said. “I can’t understand why anybody would be against neighbors getting together to discuss the future of this community.”

Zapata and incorporation supporters say that the district provides $16 million in revenue to the county through property taxes but does not get it’s fair share of unicorporated municipal services.

“We’ve actually been waiting fo the county to do a public hearing” said Joe Rodriguez, a member of the North side MAC. “It’s very feasible to do a city out here. The county’s own consultant told us we’re getting raped out here by the county. We give millions in taxes but you never see a cop out here, or very rarely.

“We’re almost at the end of the process. We’re not finished because the county has been dragging their feet,” Rodriguez said, adding that Martinez never even went to the group to tell them what he was doing.

Read related story: ‘West End’ has fewer cops per capita, needs more

“We’re at the end of the process,” he told Ladra last week. “All we’re asking is to let this go to a vote of the people If it passes, it’s the will of the people. If it fails, it fails.”

Martinez counters that very few people attend the MAC meetings. “If there were 200 people who show up, or 150. But I don’t remember many people being in favor of it.” He says he campaigned against the incorporation because voters told him they were against it.

“They do not want another layer of government,” he told Ladra, “and the people who show up to vote are just the eople in favor.”

He says he’s open to getting it started again — “if that’s what the people want.”

Asked how he would pay for the changing of the signs — which Zapata paid for out of his office funds — Martinez said he had not thought about that yet. He wanted to see if the old signs were still around somewhere. But he might seek private sponsors to make donations.

But won’t he owe someone a favor then?

The Coradito Calendar is getting fatter already, just in its third week. And it is thanks to many of you readers who emailed me and messaged me with events that you think should be included. So they are.

Please keep ’em coming. Government meetings are easier to find and politicians promoting themselves at holiday basket giveaways are a dime a dozen but not what I had in mind.

However, if you have a homeowners association meeting and invited your county district commissioner to address traffic and infrastructure issues, I want to know. If your school board member is visiting your PTA, please tell me. If even your neighbors are getting together for coffee to talk about government inaction, like Palm Springs North residents discussing quarry blasting and the effects on their homes and quality of life (more on that later), please tell Ladra.

Because other people should know about these happenings. There is more strength in numbers.

So, again, the email to send any events you think should be featured here is edevalle@gmail.com.

And thank you for the great response.

MONDAY — Dec. 19

9:30 a.m. — A talk about the haves and have-nots: Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Jean Monestime‘s Council for Prosperity Initiatives will meet to discuss “racial wealth divide in Miami” and  the “summary review of the Council for Prosperity Initiatives.”

TUESDAY — Dec. 20

8:30 a.m. — The $600 million renovation of the convention center will be the topic at this week’s Miami Beach Breakfast Club meeting. The city Project Manager Maria Hernandez, on behalf of City Manager Jimmy Morales, will bring the audience up to speed on the progress of improvements. The helical parking ramp and grand ballroom are well underway on the north end of the property. And Hernandez is expected to announce an end soon to any bookings for a period of several months. This image to the right is a rendering of what it should look like when it’s done. There is no charge for the meeting, but you’re buying if you want breakfast at Manolo’s Restaurant, 685 Washington Ave.

9:30 a.m. — Miami-Dade Commissioners have their last meeting of the year. New Chairman Steve Bovo is expected to lay out his committees and committee members — or, at the very least, will get recommendations from the old chairman, Commissioner Jean Monestime. Mayor Carlos Gimenez will present his final report on the “assessment of available tools to create a resilient transit system” — which could mean that they found expanding MetroRail and MetroMover is going to be less expensive than starting several new independent light rail lines. Among the other topics of discussion: criteria for appointments to the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority, a $1.65 million renovation of the Dade County Auditorium, the creation of a workforce housing program and a $9.7 million gift (financial incentive bond funds) to a company that wants to build a custom boat manufacturer on the Miami River. Also: Commissioner Joe Martinez begins to undo everything that former Commissioner Juan Zapata had done in the last couple of years.

6 p.m. — Newly-elected Doral Mayor J.C. Bermudez and Councilwomen Christy Fraga and Claudia Mariaca will be sworn in at Doral City Hall, 8401 NW 53rd Terrace. Fraga, the only incumbent, was re-elected Nov. 8. Bermudez and Mariaca won their races in runoffs on Tuesday.

7:30 p.m. — Local Democrats will meet for some convoluted meeting in which they will choose the next chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party. The race is between developer and mega fundraiser Stephen Bittel and former Sen. Dwight Bullard. It should be kind of interesting since there has been major lobbying going on both sides — but mostly for Bittel. More on that later.

WEDNESDAY — Dec. 21

9 a.m. — The first Doral Council meeting for founding and back again Mayor J.C. Bermudez and newby Councilwoman Claudia Mariaca begins at City Hall, 8401 NW 53rd Terrace.

While it is four months away, the Coral Gables mayoral contest is going to be a rematch of sorts now that former Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli filed to run against newby Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick, whose husband beat Valdes-Fauli in 2001

Qualifying isn’t until february for the April 11 election, but no matter who else may jump into the fray, the race will really be between these two.

Las malas lenguas say that Commissioner Pat Keon — who is up for re-election but, unlike Commissioner Vince Lago (also up for re-election), has not yet filed any paperwork — was also interested in the mayor’s seat. The word is that after she polled, Keon was scared away from that by Slesnick’s numbers. Several sources told Ladra that the Jeannett’s favorables were way higher than anybody’s.

Read related story: Raul Valdes-Fauli plans comeback as mayor

Valdes Fauli announced his candidacy on Bernadette Pardo‘s radio show Tuesday morning and made it official by filing the first paperwork Wednesday, but he’d been talking about it for 15 months, when Political Cortadito first broke the news.

Slesnick, wife of former Mayor Don Slesnick, filed her bank account info in November and already has a campaign finance report — with a $100,000 loan to herself to let people know she’s serious.

This is the second time Valdes-Fauli comes up against a Slesnick. Mayor from 1993 to 2001, Raul lost that year to Don Slesnick — 53 to 38 percent (a third candidate got 9%) in what became a complete overhaul of the commission; two new commissioners were also elected for a new majority.

Elected in 2015, Jeannett Slesnick is only in the second year of her first term, but she has an institutional knowledge like nobody else up on that dais. She has come out swinging against big developments and she has been the most communicative of all the commissioners, with regular newsletters, surveys, email blasts and town hall meetings.

But she must be frustrated with having to correct everybody.

“The mayor sets the agenda and steers the vote and also has the last vote,” Slesnick said about why she jumped at what is an open seat, since Mayor Jim Cason has repeatedly said he won’t run again (of course, he’s gone back on his word before). Cason will likely back Valdes-Fauli since the former mayor endorsed him two years ago.

Read related story: Jim Cason runs again ’cause nobody else will

“I know the city better than a lot of people because I’ve been here, I’ve been involved,” Slesnick told Ladra. “I could have been mayor 15 years ago, 20 years ago.”

But that’s when Valdes-Fauli was mayor.

Former Commissioner Ralph Cabrera also picked up an election packet at the city clerk’s office, but it’s doubtful that he would run for mayor again against Slesnick, now that they’re allies. He would likely not run against Keon, who ran his first campaign, or Lago, who is seen as very strong and popular and who has already raised $130,470.

But Slesnick’s run for mayor means she will have to resign and that seat may also be put on the same ballot. That seat might be what also attraced former FIU President Modesto Maidique and Gables Police Sgt. Randy Hoff, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police. On Friday, Hoff said he was still considering if he could afford to retire six months early.

It’s early yet and others, like former candidates P.J. Mitchell and Tony Newell, could jump in. Ariel Fernandez, who has stayed very active after losing in 2015 to Slesnick (he came in third after Newell), told Ladra Friday that he could not run this year. He’s got a new baby and will be too busy to campaign early next year.

And time flies. Before you know it, the mailers will start to arrive.