Herald recommends: For Miami Commission District 2, an accomplished neighborhood advocate | Opinion

The special election to replace Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell in District 2 not only happens at an odd time of the year, it also has a crowded field of 13 candidates.

The winner of the Feb. 27 election will serve only eight months. The seat will be up for grabs again in November, when Russell’s term would have ended. The commissioner resigned to run, unsuccessfully, for Congress.

Still, the race has drawn more than $1.4 million in political donations, including hefty sums from developers and lobbyists, the Herald reported. There will be no runoff, meaning the highest vote-getter wins.

District 2 covers an extensive area with differing needs, from affluent Coconut Grove to the historic, and disappearing, Black West Grove, along with the Brickell area, downtown, Edgewater and Morningside. Its next commissioner must be in tune with its diverse constituency.

The Herald Editorial Board thinks James Torres is the best person for the job because, on a smaller scale, he’s already advocating, successfully, for District 2.

A downtown resident, Torres is president of the Downtown Neighbors Alliance (DNA), which represents about 30,000 residents within the Central Business District and the Park West neighborhoods. Torres wasn’t the only candidate who impressed us during interviews, but the depth of his civic engagement and experience in dealing with City Hall have prepared him to step into this role as the commission begins preparing the city’s next budget.

Torres, 51, has lived in Miami for 10 years. He said he became involved because, surprisingly, downtown has been treated as an afterthought.

“What sets me apart is I feel that I picked up the slack where our former commissioner kind of dropped the ball,” Torres said.

After hearing complaints from neighbors about loud parties at Jungle Island and other publicly owned spaces, Torres and the DNA helped convince the City Commission to enforce noise restrictions on city-owned property.

Torres said he championed a pilot program that allowed dockless electric scooters in the city’s urban core. The program was well-intended, as the number of residents and businesses in the area have increased, and transportation alternatives are scarce. The city ended the program over the high risk for accidents. We agree with Torres that the city should bring back scooters “responsibly” and that they belong in bike lanes, not on sidewalks.

Torres told the Editorial Board that homelessness is one of the main issues affecting District 2 . He said he would seek an independent audit of where money to address the issue is going: “We’re not saying criminalizing [homelessness], we’re looking for a better solution,” he said. Given the city’s recent push to arrest homeless people or relocate them to Virginia Key, we welcome a new approach.

He wants to bring back the Miami Police Department’s bike patrol to address public safety. He also believes public transportation is a priority and said the city needs to hold the county accountable for how it is spending the half-cent sales tax for transportation. He said some of Miami’s trolley routes were cut during the pandemic and have not returned, hurting seniors, especially.

Torres mostly identifies with downtown Miami. If elected, he said he would have to be a presence in other parts of the district in the little time he would have in office, holding town hall meetings, beginning in the West Grove.

On sea-level rise, Torres understands the city already has efforts under way. The Miami Forever Bond program, approved by voters in 2017, plans to provide millions for flood prevention and sea-level rise mitigation. He wants to ensure City Hall follows through on spending those dollars.

Torres says he is director of business development for a communications company. He is a former advertising account manager for the Miami Herald, leaving in 2019. His connection to the Herald played no role in the Editorial Board’s recommendation.

There are other candidates whose qualifications bear consideration.

Javier Gonzalez, 61, a longtime Coconut Grove resident and real-estate agent, has grassroots appeal, having served on the Coconut Grove Village Council. He says he is thoroughly familiar with current commissioners and staff members. We also think he would speak up on behalf of residents if he thought the commission was going in the wrong direction.

Max Martinez, born and reared in the district, is another interesting voice. He comes across as a champion for its future. Martinez unsuccessfully ran for mayor two years ago. He remains active with a number of Miami advocacy groups, he told the Board.

First-time candidate Sabina Covo, a former journalist, was director of Hispanic media relations for former Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. She is well-versed on important issues, including affordable housing. She brought up a key point that bears repeating: There should be no place on the commission dais for the disrespect some commissioners show members of the public who come before them.

Eddy Leal, an attorney for Mayor Francis Suarez who took leave from the city for his campaign, emphasized accountability in government as well as his desire to preserve neighborhoods.

Another first-time candidate, Christi Tasker, is a Brickell business and marketing consultant and product designer who was well-versed about the issues plaguing the community.

Of all the candidates in this race, Martin Zilber might have the most name recognition beyond District 2 — though perhaps for the wrong reasons. He is a former traffic magistrate and judge, elected to Miami-Dade Circuit Court in 2014. He resigned in 2021.

The Judicial Qualifications Commission had recommended that Zilber be suspended for 60 days and fined $30,000 for engaging in “inappropriate” treatment of his staff. The JQC found: He berated his judicial assistant and he complained about the “inconvenient timing of her pregnancy;” she was ordered to work on his scrapbook of accomplishments; and he asked the pregnant assistant to wheel his chair up “several floors to the courtroom and then lift it onto the dais prior to hearings.”

Zilber accepted responsibility, according to JQC documents.

However, the Florida Supreme Court rejected the recommendations and kicked it back for a full commission hearing. That’s when Zilber resigned. “I wasn’t going to put my family through a year-long, expensive and public trial,” he told the Editorial Board.

After Zilber left the bench, the Florida Bar investigated the same allegations. This time, Zilber contested them, and the Bar formally found that there was no probable cause for sanctions against him.

The Editorial Board believes in second chances, and we take him at his word that he walked away with a dose of humility. But the JQC’s findings still give us enough pause that we cannot recommend him for public office. In addition, though he is a politically well-connected candidate, he simply was not as impressive in his responses to questions about the everyday challenges District 2 residents face as other candidates in the race.

Still, Zilber is the race’s top fundraiser, having brought in at least $458,700 in direct contributions and donations to a political committee that supports him. Zilber has gotten donations from big-name developers and city lobbyists, the Herald reported.

Other candidates interviewed by the Board included: Michael Goggins, a Brickell wealth management professional; Lior Halabi, an Edgewater marketing director; and Lorenzo Palomares, an attorney; June Savage, a Realtor, and Kathy Parks Suarez, an auto dealer. All were knowledgeable about various aspects of the district and residents’ needs. We encourage them all to stay engaged. Only one candidate, Mario Vuksanovic, though invited, did not attend an interview with the Board.

The stakes are high in the election for District 2. The winner will have the advantage of incumbency in the November election. Voters should prioritize civic engagement and choose someone who understands City Hall.

The Herald Editorial Board recommends JAMES TORRES for Miami City Commission District 2.