For the second time in the heated Miami-Dade mayor's race, a political message against Julio Robaina has surfaced claiming to be from a third-party group with ties to opponent Carlos Gimenez -- but the group says it was not behind the message at all.
An e-mail making the rounds in political circles shows a YouTube clip linking Robaina to ousted Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez by saying the two men supported the new Little Havana baseball stadium for the Florida Marlins.
The video says it was paid for by People For Truth & Integrity, a political group that registered with the county elections department on June 15 and has not yet reported raising or spending any money.
The group's treasurer is former state Rep. J.C. Planas, an elections lawyer who said the political committee had nothing to do with the video clip.
"I have written no check that has gone to that," he said, calling the use of the committee's name "unauthorized."
The the group is not directly tied to Gimenez, though Planas represents Gimenez and Gimenez's own political committee, Common Sense Now.
Planas said People For Truth & Integrity has no plans to pay for any robocalls, either -- alluding to earlier in the campaign, when a robocall of mysterious origin made headlines.
The call, trashing Hialeah and its politics, purported to be from a group named the Committee for Honest Government, whose chairman said he had nothing to do with the call. Gimenez has also denied being behind the call.
Has to be the worst voice I have ever heard on a commercial.
Posted by: Mick | June 22, 2011 at 11:39 AM