Opa-locka mayor wins; Beach race goes to runoff
Opa-locka Mayor Joseph Kelley defeated former Mayor Myra Taylor, and in Miami Beach, Michael Gongora and Deede Weithorn will go to a runoff for a commission seat.
BY KATHLEEN FORDYCE
MIAMI HERALD
Two Miami Beach activists outpaced the pack in a contentious City Commission race and are headed to a runoff, and Opa-locka's mayor handily fought off a comeback attempt by a former mayor as voters made choices in 13 cities across Miami-Dade County on Tuesday.
Political newcomers Michael Gongora, an attorney specializing in community association law, and Deede Weithorn, a certified public accountant, were the top vote-getters among the five candidates vying for the Miami Beach Commission seat vacated by Luis Garcia.
''I am exhilarated, I am exhausted and excited,'' Gongora, who came in first, said at his victory party at The Forge. ``I am ready to fight for two more weeks to become Miami Beach's newest commissioner.''
Weithorn likened the campaign to ``running a marathon . . . You have to work to keep your pace steady, and you have to keep going.''
In Opa-locka, Mayor Joseph Kelley defeated former Mayor Myra Taylor, who pleaded guilty in 2005 to a misdemeanor charge of failing to pay her income tax in a timely manner.
''I'm going to continue what we started, continue to improve infrastructure and housing issues, try to get our water plant online,'' Kelley said.
Incumbent Opa-locka Commissioners Timothy Holmes and Dorothy ''Dottie'' Johnson also retained their seats.
INCUMBENT LOSES
In a runoff in Miami Gardens, challenger André Williams overcame incumbent City Council member Ulysses ''Buck'' Harvard, who was appointed last year.
In Doral, Sandra Ruiz was reelected to her spot in the city's second council election since incorporating in 2003. She defeated challenger Robert Arias. ''I'm not surprised for the victory, but I am honored by the amount of support,'' she said.
In Pinecrest, Jeff Cutler swept past opponent Paul Sasso, while Joe Corradino squeaked by Eric Weiss and Robert Luger to win seats on the Village Council dais.
Cutler and Corradino will replace outgoing Vice Mayor Robert Hingston and council member Cindie Blanck, who are stepping down because of term limits.
In the small village of El Portal, one more election will be required to determine the mayor's race. Incumbent Mayor Marriette SaintVil and Village Council member Gaston Gosselin earned a spot in the runoff, to be held Nov. 21. Ex-Mayor Daisy Black was the third candidate in the race.
El Portal's lone contested council race pitted two newcomers, with Joyce Davis defeating Chante Sweet.
CHARTER PROPOSALS
In Homestead, voters approved a charter amendment to do away with at-large City Council posts in favor of all-district seats, but voted down proposals to convert all six seats and the mayor's post to four-year terms.
North Miami voters passed charter amendments by a comfortable margin, freeing the city to set new building height and density limits, and to sell city land if needed for redevelopment.
Mayor Kevin Burns said he was pleased that voters had enough trust in the city to remove charter restrictions adopted in the 1970s that forced a public vote on each building over four stories, and forbade significant land sales.
In North Bay Village, voters approved a charter amendment that, among other things, raises the mayor's annual salary from $3,000 to $7,500, and commissioners' yearly pay from $2,400 to $6,000.
A charter amendment in Bal Harbour proposing stricter height and density controls was overwhelmingly approved. The amendment, placed on the ballot by a citizens' petition, prohibits any variances or other zoning changes that would allow new buildings to exceed permitted heights for their property under the current village code and comprehensive plan.
Voters in Miami Springs also voted to amend the city charter to limit condominiums or apartment buildings to three stories or 40 feet in height.
Results from a Hialeah straw ballot question asking the Miami-Dade Commission to call a countywide vote to make the property appraiser an elected position were not released Tuesday night.
A court order prohibited the elections supervisor from making them public, Elections Supervisor Lester Sola said. Hialeah resident Reinaldo Delgado Jr. obtained the order in a lawsuit alleging that the ballot measure failed to ``impart its purpose in clear and unambiguous language, as is required.''
BY KATHLEEN FORDYCE
MIAMI HERALD
Two Miami Beach activists outpaced the pack in a contentious City Commission race and are headed to a runoff, and Opa-locka's mayor handily fought off a comeback attempt by a former mayor as voters made choices in 13 cities across Miami-Dade County on Tuesday.
Political newcomers Michael Gongora, an attorney specializing in community association law, and Deede Weithorn, a certified public accountant, were the top vote-getters among the five candidates vying for the Miami Beach Commission seat vacated by Luis Garcia.
''I am exhilarated, I am exhausted and excited,'' Gongora, who came in first, said at his victory party at The Forge. ``I am ready to fight for two more weeks to become Miami Beach's newest commissioner.''
Weithorn likened the campaign to ``running a marathon . . . You have to work to keep your pace steady, and you have to keep going.''
In Opa-locka, Mayor Joseph Kelley defeated former Mayor Myra Taylor, who pleaded guilty in 2005 to a misdemeanor charge of failing to pay her income tax in a timely manner.
''I'm going to continue what we started, continue to improve infrastructure and housing issues, try to get our water plant online,'' Kelley said.
Incumbent Opa-locka Commissioners Timothy Holmes and Dorothy ''Dottie'' Johnson also retained their seats.
INCUMBENT LOSES
In a runoff in Miami Gardens, challenger André Williams overcame incumbent City Council member Ulysses ''Buck'' Harvard, who was appointed last year.
In Doral, Sandra Ruiz was reelected to her spot in the city's second council election since incorporating in 2003. She defeated challenger Robert Arias. ''I'm not surprised for the victory, but I am honored by the amount of support,'' she said.
In Pinecrest, Jeff Cutler swept past opponent Paul Sasso, while Joe Corradino squeaked by Eric Weiss and Robert Luger to win seats on the Village Council dais.
Cutler and Corradino will replace outgoing Vice Mayor Robert Hingston and council member Cindie Blanck, who are stepping down because of term limits.
In the small village of El Portal, one more election will be required to determine the mayor's race. Incumbent Mayor Marriette SaintVil and Village Council member Gaston Gosselin earned a spot in the runoff, to be held Nov. 21. Ex-Mayor Daisy Black was the third candidate in the race.
El Portal's lone contested council race pitted two newcomers, with Joyce Davis defeating Chante Sweet.
CHARTER PROPOSALS
In Homestead, voters approved a charter amendment to do away with at-large City Council posts in favor of all-district seats, but voted down proposals to convert all six seats and the mayor's post to four-year terms.
North Miami voters passed charter amendments by a comfortable margin, freeing the city to set new building height and density limits, and to sell city land if needed for redevelopment.
Mayor Kevin Burns said he was pleased that voters had enough trust in the city to remove charter restrictions adopted in the 1970s that forced a public vote on each building over four stories, and forbade significant land sales.
In North Bay Village, voters approved a charter amendment that, among other things, raises the mayor's annual salary from $3,000 to $7,500, and commissioners' yearly pay from $2,400 to $6,000.
A charter amendment in Bal Harbour proposing stricter height and density controls was overwhelmingly approved. The amendment, placed on the ballot by a citizens' petition, prohibits any variances or other zoning changes that would allow new buildings to exceed permitted heights for their property under the current village code and comprehensive plan.
Voters in Miami Springs also voted to amend the city charter to limit condominiums or apartment buildings to three stories or 40 feet in height.
Results from a Hialeah straw ballot question asking the Miami-Dade Commission to call a countywide vote to make the property appraiser an elected position were not released Tuesday night.
A court order prohibited the elections supervisor from making them public, Elections Supervisor Lester Sola said. Hialeah resident Reinaldo Delgado Jr. obtained the order in a lawsuit alleging that the ballot measure failed to ``impart its purpose in clear and unambiguous language, as is required.''
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