Lawyer for Cuban Boy's Relatives Is Elected Miami Mayor

New York Times ^ | 11/14/01 | DANA CANEDY

[kattracks]

IAMI, Nov. 13 — Manny Diaz, a political no-name who became a central figure in the Elián González episode, shook up the local political establishment today by easily winning the race for mayor of Miami in his first campaign for elected office.

Mr. Diaz, a 47-year-old Cuban- American lawyer who became publicly known last year as a representative of the Miami relatives of Elián, the young Cuban survivor of a boat sinking, defeated Maurice Ferre, a former mayor who could not gain enough support among African- Americans and non-Cuban whites to overcome Mr. Diaz's lock on the decisive Cuban-American vote for the runoff election.

Mr. Diaz, an independent, had 55.3 percent of the vote to 44.7 percent for Mr. Ferre, a Democrat.

"Forty years ago my mother and I arrived as poor immigrants in this city and lived a couple of blocks away," Mr. Diaz said in his acceptance speech at his headquarters in Little Havana. "And 40 years later here I am as mayor of the city. God bless America."

In many ways, the election of the political newcomer was vintage Miami politics. In a familiar election theme here, a campaign that initially focused on taxes, city services and other municipal issues shifted in the last week into a battle dominated by race, ethnicity and Cuban-American ideologies. The shift highlighted the deep divisions among racial and ethnic groups in a city that prides itself on its international reputation.

The candidates were forced into a runoff after they came in first and second in the election on Nov. 6 in which no one received more than 50 percent of the vote. In qualifying for today's matchup, the candidates defeated Mayor Joe Carollo.

Almost immediately after eliminating their opponents, the front-runners began accusing each other of pushing ethnically sensitive hot buttons for political gain.

Mr. Ferre, who is Puerto Rican, accused his opponent of spreading a rumor in the Little Havana section that he supported Janet Reno, the Democratic candidate for governor who has been vilified among many Cuban-Americans for ordering the federal raid that returned Elián to his Cuban father while she was attorney general in the Clinton administration.

Mr. Diaz's supporters, meanwhile, pointed fingers at Mr. Ferre over pamphlets placed anonymously on cars in a black neighborhood that showed Mr. Diaz with Elián and suggested that he used the boy to advance his political agenda.

Both candidates denied the other's accusations while accusing each other of waging a divisive campaign.

"There's been a lot of dirty stuff here," said Mr. Ferre, who was mayor from 1973 until 1985 and campaigned on his experience, which included presiding over the city during the Mariel boatlift and the race riots in the Liberty City section.

"I think what has happened is that what keeps popping out is Elián and Janet Reno and, you know, the right- wing fanaticism in the Cuban-American community," Mr. Ferre said this afternoon.

"It is the lock-step blind fanatical rejection of anything not within the purview of what they think is right," he said. "There is no middle ground in the minds of many of these people."

Mr. Diaz's supporters said Mr. Ferre had simply run a negative campaign at a time when voters were looking for positive change.

"People are upset at the way Ferre handled his campaign," Alberto Lorenzo, Mr. Diaz's campaign manager, said this afternoon. "He's doing what he likes to do, which is divide and confuse."

Some voters, however, emphasized the need for political experience in a city that has been plagued by scandal and embarrassment.

More than a dozen Miami police officers are awaiting trial on federal charges of brutality and corruption. And Mayor Carollo has had his own legal troubles, having spent a night in jail in February after being accused of throwing a cardboard tea container at his wife. Prosecutors later dropped a misdemeanor abuse charge against him.

"Manny Diaz has never had this kind of job and has no political experience," said Marina Vazquez, 37, who voted for Mr. Ferre, saying he made her feel "a bit more secure."

Despite Mr. Carollo's troubles, his endorsement of Mr. Diaz seems to have been a factor.

"Running against a Cuban-American is always difficult here," said George Gonzalez, a political science professor at the University of Miami. "Cuban-Americans here do vote along ethnic lines."

In his concession speech, Mr. Ferre again emphasized the ethnic and racial divisions that he believes helped to determine the outcome of the race. "The time will come in America when we can look and deal with each other based on our value and our worth and not on the color of our skin, our nationality or our ethnicity or our religion," he said. But he added on a hopeful note: "Today Miami seems to be a divided community but from a divided community to a united community, the change can be very quick and very short."

[StoneColdGOP]

Cool!

[FReethesheeples]

More Bad news for Janet Reno.

[concerned about politics]

This doesn't sound good for Mr. Reno.

[E=MC²]

Yet more fallout from the Elian fiasco. I sort of hope the demonrats do prop up reno and run her for governor next year...then the final chapter can be written...BWAHAHAHA.

[jellybean]

"I think what has happened is that what keeps popping out is Elián and Janet Reno and, you know, the right- wing fanaticism in the Cuban-American community," Mr. Ferre said this afternoon.

"It is the lock-step blind fanatical rejection of anything not within the purview of what they think is right," he said. "There is no middle ground in the minds of many of these people."

He's such a sweet talker!

[dep]

gee. you get the sense that the new york times isn't happy with the outcome?

well, screw 'em!

dep

[GeronL]

go Manny go!

[concerned about politics]

He's such a sweet talker!

And a very bad loser. Democraps aren't doing so well. Hope it stays a voter trend.

[moodyskeptic]

GWB in the White House was Elian's Revenge phase one. This is phase two. "Mr". Reno will be on the losing end of phase 3.

The smug Democrats thought they could spin the Elian story to their advantage. Shows how wrong they are.

[Torie]

The turnout seemed incredibly low. I don't think the eligible voters viewed this race in Manichean terms. But then I am far from the fray.

[GeronL]

''Forty years ago my mother and I arrived as poor immigrants in this city and lived a couple of blocks away," Mr. Diaz said in his acceptance speech at his headquarters in Little Havana. "And 40 years later here I am as mayor of the city. God bless America."------------wow.

[JD86]

I know this question is going to elicit some strong responses but I am going to risk it anyway. Everytime I have seen anything posted on this board about Elian, the position has always been that the boy should have been kept in the US because Cuba is a Communist country. My question is two-fold: first, why not look at it strictly as a custody situation? the mother was dead, the child should be with his father. second, if that had not been the outcome, what precedent would we have set in other situations? A parent could take a child to a communist or Muslim country. Would they be justified to keep an American child and refuse to return the child to a country of infidels? I think to argue Elian should stay in the US no matter what..is short-sighted. I would like to hear some reasoned responses. I am curious why no one has ever brought up the point about the risk we would take with future cases. We would lose our right to argue for the return of American children.

[Gracey]

"It is the lock-step blind fanatical rejection of anything not within the purview of what they think is right," he said. "There is no middle ground in the minds of many of these people."

Something about Democrats... They always accuse others of what they or members of their party do. Did I hear Ferre accuse the Blacks of lock-step blind fanatical rejection of anything not within the purview of what they think is DEMONCRAT???

[GOPcapitalist]

Bump! Now we need to get to work electing Cuban Republican Orlando Sanchez as mayor of houston. www.orlandosanchez.com - i encourage all freepers to donate as much as they can. The RNC's too busy twiddling their thumbs to get involved in this one early on and will probably jump on board last minute when they wake up. But we need financial resources now, not the day before the election.

[piasa]

E=MC² ... the name causes problems when I reply to him. (It says there is no such person) John Robinson's new programming chnages have caused all sorts of irritating glitches to occur in the reply-to line when oddball characters are part of the poster's name. It is also frustrating when I want to reply to the author of a posted piece rather than the person who posted it, or want to address 'libs' in general... hint hint

[Gracey]

I would like to hear some reasoned responses

What if your mother had fled a communist country to raise YOU in the USA for she wished for her child to be raised in a FREE country and she died as Elian's mother. Now, let's say that you had never lived with your father and that you had relatives in the USA. This in my opinion was not a normal custodial case. I don't even believe that the father was interested in the child as much as he was "FORCED" into the situation by Castro. That's my outlook.

[KQQL]

Elain won today by 10% or 6000 votes

Elian is getting popular in FL as times passes, because last November he only won the state of FL by 537 votes.

This is bad news for Hino( reno)

[JD86]

Thank you. It is my understanding that the parents had joint custody of the boy in Cuba. Also, the child did not know his relatives here in the US. If this case had been one between states within the US, the uncle would never have been given custody over the father. As a legal matter, I don't think it should make a difference between countries. Let me reverse your question. If you spouse took your child to another country where she/he had relatives and then she/he died, would you want those relatives to be given preference over you to have custody of your child? I wouldn't.

[uglybiker]

The turnout seemed incredibly low.

That's only because the Dems hadn't yet figured out how to f**k with the new ballots like they did with the old butterflies.