2 unions endorse Tomás Regalado for Miami mayor

Two powerful city of Miami employee unions Thursday endorsed Commissioner Tomás Regalado for mayor.

The endorsements by the firefighters and general-employees unions will carry considerable street-level support -- door-knocking, phone-banking and fundraising -- for Regalado in the November election against fellow Commissioner Joe Sanchez.

''We've been with him a long time,'' Lt. Robert Suarez, president of the Miami firefighters union and an 11-year department veteran said of Regalado. ``Whenever we've had an issue with inefficiencies in our department, he's always been out front of it. He's not afraid to light up those issues.''

The 700-member firefighters union and the more than 1,000 general-employees also announced at a joint press conference that they will be supporting incumbent District 5 Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones; Frank Carollo, an accountant and brother of former Mayor Joe Carollo, to replace Sanchez in District 3, and former city budget administrator Manolo Reyes to replace Regalado in District 4.

Regalado, a Spanish-language radio talk show host, leaked the mayoral endorsements during Wednesday night's South Florida AFL-CIO debate with Sanchez, a former state trooper.

Regalado said he is poised to become the first mayoral candidate in city history to carry the endorsement of the four major unions: police, fire, general-employees and sanitation workers.

Sanchez faces Regalado in the November election to replace Mayor Manny Diaz, who is leaving office due to term limits.

WISHING CHIEF TIMONEY A GREAT TRIP TO WHEREVER HE IS GOING, AND CONGRATULATING RUDY LAANES FOR BECOMING THE NEXT CHIEF OF POLICE AT MPD!

Candidates for Miami mayor spar on labor issues
Tomás Regalado and Joe Sanchez fired several haymakers during a debate at which they were hoping to win over the influential organized-labor vote.
BY LARRY LEBOWITZ
llebowitz@MiamiHerald.com

They also split on the future of Police Chief Timoney.

Sanchez, a former state trooper, said he would like to keep Timoney. Crime, Sanchez said, is down overall and bad police shootings that plagued the department in the late 1990s have evaporated during Timoney's tenure.

Regalado, in another nod to the large contingent of labor leaders, noted that 95 percent of the police union recently ratified a ''no confidence'' vote in the chief.

If he is elected mayor, the Spanish-language radio talk show host said he would urge the city manager to look from the local ranks instead of finding another ''foreigner'' to replace Timoney.

Crime is down under Chief Timoney. Push for Trooper Joe.

Candidates for Miami mayor spar on labor issues
Tomás Regalado and Joe Sanchez fired several haymakers during a debate at which they were hoping to win over the influential organized-labor vote.
BY LARRY LEBOWITZ
llebowitz@MiamiHerald.com

They also split on the future of Police Chief Timoney.

Sanchez, a former state trooper, said he would like to keep Timoney. Crime, Sanchez said, is down overall and bad police shootings that plagued the department in the late 1990s have evaporated during Timoney's tenure.

Regalado, in another nod to the large contingent of labor leaders, noted that 95 percent of the police union recently ratified a ''no confidence'' vote in the chief.

If he is elected mayor, the Spanish-language radio talk show host said he would urge the city manager to look from the local ranks instead of finding another ''foreigner'' to replace Timoney.

Crime is down under Chief Timoney. Push for Trooper Joe.

Get ready Admin Guy, midnights awaits you shift change in December.

November is right around the corner. And to ensure a "fresh start" after the election, I am advising citizens of Sanchez keeping a morally and ethically bankrupt T$ as chief if he is elected. Pepito wants a chief who has paid fines for ethics "bonehead" freebie. He has perjured himself before the CIP. Reduced charges against a Lt working in two places at the same time for O T. Bonded out a drug dealer while firing black female officers for less. Do I have to list them ALL here? Every call I go on, it's my mantra, holy grail, bible, koran, have a pick. Freedom of speech is a valuable gift to be used wisely, and truthfully. In this case, lying isn't required as the truth will ensure justice, just the same. No lies, just the facts mamm. Little havana will love the DIP arrest there and not in the northend.