Chalk another loss up for Annette Taddeo.

The former chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, who has lost four elections for public office, lost a fifth race Tuesday night when former North Miami Beach Assistant City Attorney Dotie Joseph was elected vice-chairwoman of the same body by about 200 local Democrats after three hours of hand-wringing in what had become a contentious and curious Dade Dems election.

Dottie who? The immediate past president of the Haitian Lawyers Association with a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University — where she co-founded Yale’s Haitian Student Alliance and served as the Political Action Chairperson of the Yale NAACP — beat both Taddeo and this year’s chair and former Sen. Dwight Bullard. She’s pretty and smart and could have a great future in 305 politics. Ladra smells a state legislator in the making.

Still, that means the same group Taddeo led as chair three years ago rejected what many might assume was her last ditch effort. Maybe she should have never abandoned her position — and a half dozen noname Democrats she had strong-armed to run against incumbent House members in 2014 — mid term to run for lieutenant governor alongside Charlie Crist. Which was before she ran for Congress against Joe Garcia in this year’s primary, but after she ran for county commission against Lynda Bell in 2010 and waaaaay after she ran for Congress the first time against Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in 2008.

Tuesday’s loss must hurt the most, though. After all, these are her peeps. The true believers. And if even they don’t support her, maybe she should hang it up once and for all.

Read related story: Annette Taddeo has not gone gently into the good night

That’s what you or I might think, but Taddeo has what looks like an addiction to running for office. There was a lot of speculation in the week leading up to Tuesday’s vote that Taddeo was just running as a stand-in and would step aside to make room for heavy Dem donor and fundraiser Stephen Bittel. But Ladra never believed it. Maybe someone else was going to do that but there is no way that Taddeo would give up any elected office if she were ever to get one. Because it is an addiction. If it were truly a real hankering for public service she would just volunteer somewhere like the rest of us and be done with it.

A friend and fellow political observer speculated that Taddeo has some empty void in her life that she could feel elected office will fill. The saddest thing, as he said last night, is it won’t.

And also sad is that there is no 12-step program for perennial candidates addicted to running for office. So, Ladra has come up with some healthy (okay, okay… healthier) alternatives for Taddeo, who needs a new hobby more than she needs un despojo:

Binge watching — You’ve binged on ballots so try it with something else. This is a great time to catch up on shows you probaly missed while you campaigned for the last 10 or 20 years. House of Cards and Orange is the New Black are only available on Netflix but worth the $9.99 a month, and it’s also good for cancelled shows like The Good Wife or Breaking Bad. Current shows On Demand now that are worth a few days of marathon viewing include Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, Shameless and The Walking Dead. Live vicariously through Olivia Pope or Alicia Florrick.

Scuba diving — This is South Florida, after all. There is a lot to see under the sea. And you should already be used to feeling underwater and dealing with scaly things.

Therapeutic coloring — It’s a trending hobby for 2016 and you can now find adult coloring books in every major book store. Ladra has one with mandala patterns and bohemian paisleys and let me tell you, it is very zen.

Theater — Ladra saw those commercials. You have talent, woman! If you can act like a leader, you can try it on stage. Here are some liberal political monologues you can practice that are right up your alley. And I know some local theaters, like Area Stage, hold open auditions a few times a year. Acting is also very therapeutic.

Scrap booking — Now, this is kind of cliche, but think about it: You must have multiple volumes worth of pictures and memorabilia from the different campaigns that will keep you busy at least through the next election cycle.

Coupon cutting — Now, I know you don’t necessarily need to save money but I hear it is a real high to go into a grocery store and come out with $2.05 cents more than when you walked in. And you’ll finally feel like a winner.

Online poker — Improve your chances of winning something. It’s free, with play chips, or it’s illegal. And you will lose again. But you are bound to win some, too.

Blogging — Anyone can do it. And while it can be frustrating at times, it also provides you with a healthy avenue to express your outrage at local politicians. Because, you know, you can’t just slap ’em in the face like you’re Olivia Pope or Alicia Florrick.

And if you can’t beat ’em at the polls, beat ’em up online. It’s more satisfying than therapeutic coloring.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez was elected the commission chairman Tuesday.

Sure, the board chose Commissioner Esteban Bovo, Jr. over Xavier Suarez. But the victory belongs to the mayor, who now has a compliant chairman and control of the commission agenda. You could see the satisfaction on his face when the two embraced after the vote. Watch for a bunch of “emergency” contracts to be awarded to companies you will find on Gimenez’s multiple campaign finance reports. You may also see the words “piggy back” and “waive” more often when it comes to the bidding process.

Gimenez campaigned hard for Bovo because he knows that he’s got him in his pocket. The two have been in cahoots since they committed absentee ballot fraud together in 2012. Bovo even used his district office in Hialeah as a drop-off point for boleteras. So ushering contracts and ordinances and resolultions through the commission, bypassing committees and the normal vetting process, is no big deal.

With a blow to checks and balances in one of the most important decisions the board can make — this can set the tone for the next two years — the vote was 8-5, with former Chairman Jean Monestime and Commissioners Audrey Edmonson, Sally Heyman, Bruno Barreiro, Rebeca Sosa (who nominated him), Dennis Moss and Javier Souto joining Bovo’s nod for himself. Suarez was joined by Barbara Jordan (who nominated him), Daniella Levine Cava, Joe Martinez, and Jose “Pepe” Diaz.

Ladra was surprised by Diaz, Monestime, Moss and Edmonson — until Edmonson got the vice chairmanship out of the blue. Was that a deal struck with Bovo for her vote? Shouldn’t have Suarez been made the vice chair?

Maybe too much damage was done already.

Ladra has said it before: X is his own worst enemy. His opening statements began with praise for Bovo, calling him a realist and applauding the way he has chaired the transportation committee. “I cannot imagine that I would outperform him. He has done eminently well. And he has a great sense of humor that I try to emulate,” Suarez said in what sounded way more like a Bovo endorsement than an opening pitch for himself.

Then he reminded them of his involvement in both the Frost Museum and the Liberty Square redevelopment — neither which has been smooth going. And then he rambled on and on about projects he has collaborated on with each of the commissioners, wasting time on people like Sosa and Souto who were not persuadable.

“I think I’ve broken the record in terms of Sunshine meetings and met with each of you in many times and worked out deals and agreements in a consentual way, supporting projects and actions,” he said. “I’m even ready to embrace water taxis if that works.”

Yeah, yeah, we get it. You are very collegial. And maybe too genuine. Which makes you a nice guy and a good public servant, but leaves you at a disadvantage as a politician.

Of course, he also quoted one or two intellectuals. But it seemed like a parade of minutia, and it didn’t really move the ball forward. Bovo talked about the future much more forcefully and persuasively and positioned himself as someone with a sense of urgency. “We, as a board now, enter a new dynamic — the dynamic of term limits,” Bovo said, referring to the term limits that were approved by voters in 2012 and are finally going to start kicking in. Six commissioners are running for their final time in 2018 and termed out in 2022. (Monestime, Heyman, Levine Cava, Sosa, Souto and Diaz). The ones re-elected this year, save Martinez, will be termed out in 2020 (Jordan, Edmonson, Barreiro, Suarez, Moss and Bovo).

While Suarez promised to inspire them, Bovo promised them a legacy.

“The time of procrastination, the time of long deliberations when at the end of the day studies would end up on the shelves, I believe are no longer present. I would like to see the county move progressively foward over the next two or four years,” he said, and those commissioners probably heard angels singing.

Transportation is going to be a priority, Bovo announced, like it wouldn’t be for anybody. And he mentioned a proposed “policy council that works hand in hand with administration to move policy forward… whether it’s funding for transportation or how do we address our prison.”

Notice he said administration instead of commission.

That’s why we still need Suarez to be the chairman for the community. Let Bovo represent the mayor, er, I mean the commission. X can assume a much more important role, which is to represent us and be the reality check for Mr. Puppet Chair.

It may be the only shred of checks and balances we have left.

County Hall is abuzz with speculation about who will become the chair of the Miami-Dade Commission for the next two years. But the only thing that is certain right now is that it won’t be unanimous, like it was in 2014 when the commission showed a unified body behind today’s Chairman Jean Monestime.

In a very important decision that could set the tone for the next two years, commissioners will elect the chair and vice chair on Tuesday. But while the two frontrunners couldn’t be any more different, both Xavier Suarez and the current vice chair Esteban Bovo Jr., were elected in the 2011 after-the-recall races and both are possible candidates for county mayor in 2020.

And, yes, it is a heated election for the chairmanship. Just because you can’t see all the behind-the-scenes campaigning, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Bovo and/or his people are telling everyone that he has the seven votes he needs. In fact, Back to the Future Commissioner Joe Martinez — whose people reportedly reached out for the public safety committee chairmanship — was told that Bovo doesn’t need his vote and that Sally Heyman had already been promised that committee.

In addition to Commissioner Heyman, apparently in a trade for the public safety committee, Bovo can probably count on his own vote and the votes of:

• Former chair Rebeca Sosa — because Bovo’s wife works for Sen. Marco Rubio, who is Sosa’s unofficial adopted son. She has been actively campaiging for Stevie.
• Javier Souto — because Esteban Bovo Sr. is a Brigade 2506 veteran and Bovo sponsored the ordinance that would ban the county from doing business with companies that did business in Cuba.
• Jose “Pepe” Diaz — because he is the mayor’s yes man and the mayor wants Bovo.

That’s five and he needs two more. Apparently, the rumor — that his camp has intentionally spread — is that he has the votes from Commissioner Audrey Edmonson and the current chair, Monestime.

But Ladra thinks Bovo is taking Edmonson for granted. Because, like, why? More likely, he may have the support of Commissioner Bruno Barreiro, because both of them served in the Florida House of Representatives even though at separate times. But that still makes only six. Because Monestime seems more ideologically and philosophically aligned with Suarez, who chairs his precious prosperity committee.

In addition to Monestime’s and his own vote, Ladra strongly believes Suarez will get support from Martinez and Commissioners Barbara Jordan, Daniella Levine Cava and Dennis Moss, just because they seem to be on the same side of most commission votes. He only needs one more. Will it be Edmonson or Barreiro?

Those two are arguably the only potential undecideds. And that is precisely why Bovo is spreading unsubstantiated and premature rumors about his alleged seven votes in the bag — to sway the undecideds. Or the soft leaning votes even. Because everyone wants to be with the winner.

Suarez has long indicated he wanted this position and has been campaigning longer. Some County Hall insiders think that he withdrew from this year’s mayoral race so that Mayor Carlos Gimenez would back him. Ladra believed them, especially when X seemed to ease off the pressure he had put on the mayor during previous years.

But no. Apparently, he was (1) refocusing his efforts to the chairmanship and (2) just being his collegial self.

It makes much more sense that Gimenez would campaign for Bovo because the compliant commissioner, who campaigned and raised money for the mayor’s re-election bid, would be a puppet for him ready with a rubber stamp to make the Gimenez agenda a reality. Bovo has already come out very supportive of the American Dream mega mall that many of his constituents in Palm Springs North and Miami Lakes do not want. In fact, the mayor and Bovo share many of the same, um, benefactors. The mayor can count on Bovo to move items to the agenda without going through the committee process and to get all kinds of contracts pushed through for his friends and family plan. We’ll see a new, sudden “backlog of contracts” that needs to bypass committee discussion and be pushed through.

After all, Gimenez has about $8 million of I.O.U.s out that he needs to start making good on.

There are several reasons the commission should choose X Tuesday instead of Bovo.

Suarez is a brilliant and persuasive speaker with a track record of proven leadership not only in his district but countywide. He is a charming, disarming modern Renaissance Man with a knack for bringing people together who gets along with almost everybody, including people from both sides of the aisle. An independent or no party affiliation voter, he has supported both Democrats and Republicans in state elections and has close friends and advisors from both the blue and the red teams. And he believes that light rail, not bus rapid transit, is what must happen for South Dade and that all the corridor mass transit projects can be sought simultaneously and paid for without more taxes. He has helped identify funding and it looks like he has come up with more initiatives and plans to get projects off the ground than anyone.

Bovo, meanwhile, is a GOP loyalist with absolutely no friends on the other side and such an integral part of that Hialeah absentee ballot machinery that his district office became a drop-off point for fraudulent votes in the 2012 election. He won his seat by stabbing his predecessor, former Commissioner Natacha Seijas, in the back, campaigning for her recall so he could take her place. Later, his chief of staff, who was moonlighting as a lobbyist, was busted in the same federal bribery case that took down former Sweetwater Mayor Manny Maroño. He has had some good days since, Ladra admits, but he is not known for building consensus, hires questionable staffers and is extremely disrespectful to the labor unions and employees, who generally dislike him. He supported Gimenez’s proposal to close libraries, saying they could be housed in park buildings. And he’s an early and consistent proponent of rapid bus rather than rail who also wants to pay for mass transit improvements with additional tax dollars by creating one or more special taxing districts in the areas it would serve.

But the biggest reason why we should want X as chair instead of Stevie is because Suarez is a stickler for process with a higher regard for transparency who will hold the mayor’s feet to the fire and represent the commission on the dais and in his office, while Bovo is a Gimenez apologist and pocket commissioner who will be looking out for the 29th floor and let the mayor control the agenda.

You know what? It should be unanimous.

Call your commissioner (phone numbers are on this website) and tell them that you want Xavier Suarez to be the chair. This is even more important if you live in District 3 (Edmonson’s office number downtown is 305-375-5393) or District 5 (Barreiro’s office number is 305-643-8525). Hurry up. The meeting starts at 9:30 Tuesday.

This is a new feature that debuts today on Political Cortadito.

The Cortadito Calendar: A weekly calendar of political powwows, events with electeds and meaningful or not so meaningful meetings.

Now you know what’s going on. You have no excuses.

MONDAY — Dec. 5

7 p.m. — The New Administration and Prospects For Peace present New York Times columnist Roger Cohen and a discussion about what the elections results will mean for efforts to reach peace in the Middle East. Cohen, a staple at the NYT for 25 years is also the author of four books. The latest, published last year, is a family memoir entitled “The Girl from Human Street: Ghosts of Memory in a Jewish Family” that has received wide acclaim. The event begins at 7 p.m. in the Hibiscus Room at Pinecrest Gardens, 11000 Red Road.

TUESDAY — Dec. 6

9 a.m. — Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez is back Tuesday for his first county commission meeting — in four years. Martinez was termed out in 2012 and ran for mayor against Carlos Gimenez, but lost. He then ran for Congress, but lost again. He only won in August because Commissioner Juan Zapata dropped out of the race. It should be interesting to watch how he is welcomed. Or not. Folks at County Hall tell me that there are some people who are bristling. Martinez is former cop with an anger management issue who can hold a grudge with the best of ’em and it is no secret he feels slighted by folks at the 111 building. But he is also smarter than he looks and experienced with the county budget and processes. It will be hard for “Cry Wolf” Gimenez to pull th wool over Joe’s eyes. But it could be fun to watch him try. Sit in the audience at commission chambers at County Hall, 111 NW 1st Street. Or watch live: Channel 76 on Comcast or on the county website.

7 p.m. — Newly elected Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid will have his first meeting as mayor, having been sworn in last week after he beat former Mayor Michaeld “Muscles” Pizzi in a runoff, 77 to 23 percent. The meeting will also be graced by new council member Luis Collazo (it’s still an all boys club). And they have a pretty big agenda. They will review site plans for approval (inluding one for the Graham Companies), an amendment to their development code, several contracts with city vendors and the hiring of a lobbyist. They will talk about MDX, special taxing districts, modifying the budget (already?), requiring fences around construction areas, a toy drive and venomous snakes. Sounds like fun. The council chambers are at Town Hall, 6601 Main Street.

WEDNESDAY — Dec. 7

9 a.m. — Pinecrest Council Workshop at the Pinecrest Municipal Center, 12645 Pinecrest Parkway, in council chambers.

THURSDAY — Dec. 8

6-8 p.m. — Miami-Dade County’s Department of Cultural Affairs will have a town hall meeting to unveil preliminary site plans for the renovation of the Coconut Grove Playhouse and get community input. The plans to be presented have been developed by a design team led by Arquitectonica per their contract with Miami-Dade County and not the Coconut Grove Playhouse Foundation. The town hall begins at 6 p.m. at Ransom Everglades School, 3575 Main Highway. Expect Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez, who has long championed the renovation of the cultural landmark, to be front and center and Miami Commissioner Ken Russell to attend.

If you know of any political happening that should be included in the Cortadito Calendar, please email the information to edevalle@gmail.com and thank you.

Miami-Dade has a big todo on Sunday when it opens its newest library branch in Bay Harbor Islands.

This is a rendering of what the lobby is supposed to look like

Mayor Carlos Gimenez is expected to be there. So is Commissioner Sally Heyman, Bay Harbor Islands Mayor Jordan Leonard and several, if not all the council members.

The 50th branch in the county, this library features a “diverse collection” of reading and viewing/listening materials, free Wi-Fi, high-speed desktop and tablet computers and 21^st century learning tools such as a SMART Table interactive learning center and gaming area for children and teens.

Yay!

Just don’t try to go back to the brand new library branch on Monday. ‘Cause it’ll be closed.

This newest of libraries is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It joins a bunch of other branches that are still closed at least one weekday, leftover austerity from the scaled-back 2013 budget cuts that at one point threatened to close almost half the branches countyide and layoff 260 from the staff.

No libraries closed, but cuts were still made.

And, today, the Coral Gables library is still closed on Thursdays. The next closest one, in South Miami, is also closed on Thursdays. So are the North Shore and Palm Springs North branches. The Palmetto Bay library branch and the Virrick Park library branch is closed on Tuesdays. The Fairlawn, West Flagler and North Central branches are closed on Wednesdays. The Coconut Grove, Concord, Overtown, Edison, Hialeah Gardens, Miami Springs, Opa-Locka, Lemon City, Lakes of the Meadow, Tamiami, South Shore, Sunset, Aventura and Allapattah branches are all closed on Fridays.

Maybe we should consider ourselves lucky that none of them closed their doors every day forever.

Remember when Mayor Gimenez said that the age of the library was dead? That these institutions were a thing of the past?

Apparently, he got the memo that we didn’t like that.

“This library will be a great resource for the Town of Bay Harbor Islands community,” Gimenez said in an about-face statement. “I applaud our Board of County Commissioners as well as the vision of Mayor Jordan Leonard and the Bay Harbor Islands Town Council in recognizing the benefit and importance of library services for their residents.”

So, if they are so important, why can’t they be open every weekday? Are we even working toward that in the future? Or are we going to just accept that the age of libraries being open on any given weekday is dead?

And what’s going to happen with the third floor of the Main Library building, which is sitting empty, except for the area that holds the main frame computer and county IT staff who oversee library computer services. The library vacated the third floor in 2013 to reduce the rent paid to the county’s own General Services Administration, which was $2.4 million — or about $1,209.67 an operating hour (does that constitute price gouging?) — and ostensibly was for “maintenance.”

The space could not be used for courthouse operations or storage, as was once considered, because of security concerns.

Meanwhile, there may have been a really high cost to moving everything down to the basement, where maintenance was located. That meant maintenance had to move to West Dade Regional, which has a cost, too. And room had to be made on the second floor for displaced personnel. Ladra was told the whole process was traumatic — and expensive.

So there is money in the library budget. It just goes to nonsensical moves rather than keeping branches open five days a week.