Gonzalez exits mayor's race--for now

Though he has been a non candidate for weeks, State Rep. Eddy Gonzalez formally dropped out of the Hialeah mayoral race Thursday with a statement on his facebook page that took a swipe at the interim incumbent running for re-election.

What it didn't say is that Gonzalez still plans to run for the seat -- in 2013.

But that's what he told Ladra in a candid cellphone chat earlier today -- that he still hoped to run for mayor of Hialeah in two years, which was his original plan anyway before former Hialeah mayor Julio Robaina resigned mid-term to run (unscuccessfully, it turns out) for the county mayor's post. And since Gonzalez may end up running against one of the three current candidates after all, he doesn't want to throw his considerable support behind any of them for this election.

"I don't know that I would have anything to gain from it," Gonzalez said. "Because I may have to run against that person."

He did say he would likely help one candidate in a council race: Incumbent Councilwoman Vivian Casals-Munoz, who may either be defending herself against an indictment or providing testimony by then. "Because she has been helpful to me and has always supported me," he said, adding that she also went out on a limb and supported cigar czar Jose Oliva in the race for the state rep seat in district 110 vacated by Esteban Bovo, now a county commissioner, when the rest of the administration was throwing its support behind Frank Lago, the chief of staff for Sweetwater Mayor Manny Marono, who is now running for a Hialeah council seat. He said the opportunity to serve with Oliva also played into the "tremendously difficult decision."

But despite deep rooted ties with former Hialeah mayor and front-running candidate Raul Martinez -- who he served with during his eight years on the council before he became a state rep -- Gonzalez said he was not going to support his old friend. He says he won't back fellow Republican Rudy Garcia, the former state senator who is also running for mayor, either. And Gonzalez has sat on the sidelines before -- during the 2008 Congressional race between Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Martinez. He couldn't back Martinez because it would be a slap in the face to his party, a decision Martinez never forgave him for, despite the fact that he also refused to back Diaz-Balart out of loyalty for his old friend. "I asked him what my mother's name and my grandmother's name was. He didn't know," Gonzalez said. "I told him 'This guy knows my whole family' and that I couldn't publicly support him. It was a difficult decision because I wanted a Republican there."

One thing is certain: He won't help acting alcaldito Carlos Hernandez. In fact, Gonzalez hinted in his statement that diluting the vote and giving Hernandez a chance at a run-off may have played into his decision. "During a time when the current administration has demagogued the issues, a budget deficit is looming, and our economy is still shaky, I feel a contested primary would be a distraction," Gonzalez wrote (though there may also have been other factors, like maybe a poll showing he had an uphill climb). "While a serious debate about the fiscal condition of our city is needed...the heavy hand of a populist administration will not allow this debate to continue. This special election is slowly but surely focusing on personality clashes, personal agendas and not what is most important for the future of Hialeah."

Gonzalez, 41, had wanted to come back to his hometown because it has been hard to be away from his young family as a father of two young boys and a 2-year-old girl. But he said he had important work to do in Tallahassee as the only senior member of the Dade delegation this year, especially with redistricting on the horizon, and could "better represent my community by remaining in the state capitol," he wrote. "If this were only about me, I would go on...but it has never been about me. I entered this race because I love Hialeah, it is where I was raised and have resided all my life, and more importantly, because it is the place where my children will grow. In this time of fiscal uncertainty, I shall stay the course and continue my growth in the House of Representatives for the well being of our residents and for our beautiful City of Hialeah."

If that wasn't enough of a campaign hint, he ended with this: "I will continue to be involved and work hand and hand with the people of Hialeah towards rebuilding confidence, growth, and stability. A future return to the city I love is still very much alive, as it is a dream I intend to see realized."

He thanked his volunteers and the contributors to the campaign, which had raised more than $130,000 because he had begun in January, before anybody else. He may have to return those funds, however. He is seeking a legal opinion to see if he can keep it open for the 2013 election and open another campaign account for his state house re-election in 2012. If he can't, then he will write each of the donors to see if they will allow him to transfer the funds from one account to the state house campaign account. Most will, Ladra predicts. His supporters want him in office, here, there, anywhere.

But Ladra suggests he sit that 2012 race out if he seriously intends to run for mayor in Hialeah a year later. Why waste the voters' time and patience running for a seat you have no intention of serving out? Find a replacement to groom now. If the simple removal of any perception of conflict of interest doesn't sway you, think practically. Look how that two-month session cramped your campaigning and fund-raising efforts in this trial run, Eddy! Martinez and Garcia both caught up to you easily because you had to lay low and stop campaigning -- actually prohibited from raising funds for more than 50 days -- so you could actually work for a while.

And Ladra has another prediction that will let you go ahead and help your friend, Raul: Martinez may not run again in 2013. Mr. Mayor, who has always had his sights on higher political office, said he wants to just fix the city's financial fiasco, which he is uniquely qualified to do. Then, Ladra says, he will likely take another lick at a federal seat -- or maybe the governor's mansion.

And he can support your bid for mayor. That is, unless Professor Alex Morales runs.