Election '09: The Battle for Head Magician
A new mayor of Miami will be crowned Tuesday
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The next Mayor of Miami will inherit a $60 million budget hole, disgruntled city employees and arguably the worst economic outlook of any major city in the state.
But winning Tuesday's election has to be better than losing, right?
So city commissioners Joe Sanchez and Tomas Regalado will show up at the polls with shirts with cheesy slogans about economic stimuli while they fight for the coveted title of Mayor of the Magic City. The first order of business might be to check prices for a huge "FORECLOSURE" sign to put next to the city marquee.
but first things first. Somebody has to win.
The vote may boil down to current Mayor Manny Diaz, who is leaving quite a mess for his successor to clean up..
If you like the outgoing leader, you'll probably vote for his 44-year-old disciple, Sanchez. If you didn't agree with his policies and wanted to toss the Marlins out of town, then "Diaz Hater" Regalado, 63, is your man.
Both have represented their districts for over ten years and have steered clear of scandal, which can be hard to do in South Florida politics. We are giving Regalado a pass for nominating rapper Pitbull for the key to the city.
In what has been a quiet campaign season, the most telling difference between the two candidates appears to be their stance on the Florida Marlins (Sanchez already calls them the Miami Marlins). Regalado was one of the most vocal commissioners to kill a deal between the city and the team to build a new stadium in Little Havana using tax payer money.
Diaz thinks the Marlins are a world-class organization that will carry Miami's great name, even if they didn't host fundraisers for him or contribute thousands of dollars to his campaign.
Regardless of who wins, tackling the city's out of control budget will test their metal at the outset and will likely define their tenure.
Sanchez wants the union employees to bear the brunt of cutbacks by attacking pensions, which he says contributes to 80 percent of city expenses.
It would be a challenge for Regalado to take a similar stance because of his alliance with the unions, which are supporting him in the election. But he's already sacrificed his own pension and pay to show that he will do anything to be the mayor, including laying off his coffee fetish.
So the battle for magic supremacy wages on and right now, not even a crystal ball can say who will win. That's if you can call becoming the mayor a win at all.
