Political unknown Justin Lamar Sternad is running as a Democrat but sounds awfully like a Republican in his mail pieces, some of which have an immigration-hardliner ring and just so happen to emanate from the same Hialeah outfit that did $100,000 $113,200** worth of work for incumbent Republican Congressman David Rivera in 2010. One Sternad mailer repeats some tough (and likely false) comments from Rivera about another Democratic challenger, Joe Garcia, who lost to the congressman in 2010.
Just how Sternad came on the scene and how the hotel administrator is paying for at least five mail pieces is unclear. His campaign-finance reports with the Federal Elections Commission don't appear complete .
We now know the answer to the age-old question: How many Hialeah firefighters does it take to pull down a campaign sign?
Three, plus a firetruck with a ladder.
That was the case earlier this morning when opponents of state House candidate Renier Diaz de la Portilla apparently complained about his sign being affixed to a fence at the JFK library. And yes, it was caught on video. Diaz de la Portilla said other candidates' signs were leaning against the fence, so he had his attached a little higher to make it stand out.
Call the fire department!
Diaz de la Portilla, a sitting school board member, said the city elders of the Hialeah machine have frequently targeted his signs, which he places next to rival Manny Diaz's -- only to see them taken down.
"As long as it's just Manny's signs up, it's fine. But as soon as mine go up, then they have to go," he said. He likened the action to state censorship in Cuba. (Hey, it's Hialeah. Commie opponents are everywhere, right?)
Diaz de la Portilla's older brother and fellow state House candidate, Alex Diaz de la Portilla, said it was a waste of time for first responders to handle a campaign sign. Especially three of them.
"Don't they have a cat they can get out of a tree somewhere?" he asked.
Perhaps. But this also has hazard over-time pay written all over it.
In disclosure forms filed in June, state Rep. Erik Fresen presents a picture of financial health, earning $225,000 last year with just $103,000 in outstanding debts for student loans.
But the Republican lawmaker’s finances are murkier than they first appear. There’s the $29,000 debt to the Internal Revenue Service that remains unpaid. There’s the $10,000 citation for a code violation. And there’s the longstanding foreclosure lawsuit that nearly cost Fresen his Little Gables home.
As Fresen seeks a third term in the Legislature, he is being challenged in the Republican primary by first-time candidate Amory Bodin, who is making an issue of Fresen’s finances on the campaign trail. The two will square off in the Aug. 14 primary in newly created District 114, which stretches from northern Coral Gables through West Miami to Cutler Bay.
“Tax liens are the type of thing you don’t leave hanging over your head,” said Bodin, an accountant who lives a few blocks away from Fresen. “Is that a guy you want handling your $70 billion budget?”
Missed our coverage over the past week of Miami-Dade races on the Aug. 14 primary ballot? Here are links to our stories, all in one place. For the Miami Herald editorial board's recommendations, click here. (The recommendations, and this blog post, will be updated as new editorials and articles are published.)
