Havana-born Regalado wins Miami mayor race

Later this week we’ll examine the consequences of Tuesday’s Election Day in the U.S. Tonight we’ll look at one of the races that flew under the radar – the election for Miami’s mayor.

The race for the metropolis known as the “gateway to the Americas” was fought between two commissioners of Cuban background: Tomas Regalado and Joe Sanchez. Much like in other local elections on Tuesday the weakened economy was a vital topic for voters as both men pledged to be fiscally sound and cut public spending. But with Miami’s housing boom turning into a sea of foreclosures, the issue of construction and development gained increased prominence. Sanchez mostly allied with outgoing Mayor Manny Diaz’ development plans including a port tunnel and new stadium for the Florida Marlins. Conversely, Regalado voted against most of Diaz’ major projects including being the lone commissioner to vote against the stadium plan.

In the end, the polls anticipating a landslide win by Regalado came true as roughly seven of every ten voters picked the former television journalist. Regalado can thank a specific Latino voting bloc for his win marred by a paltry turnout:

“We’re going to recover our city and the confidence of our residents,” Mr. Regalado said in his victory speech. “And we will do it by not wasting money.”

His victory, however, also seemed to be defined by low turnout. Just over 20 percent of Miami’s 177,000 registered voters cast ballots. In the final weeks of the campaign, Mr. Regalado focused on his core constituency, elderly Hispanics, who appear to have come out strongly in his favor.

It may seem as if Regalado has a mandate and he appears to be acting that way with a massive shakeup expected in City Hall. Whether he keeps his campaign promises remains to be seen, however.

Image- El Nuevo Herald (Joe Sanchez (left) lost in a landslide to Tomas Regalado (right) in the Miami mayoral election).
Online Sources- New York Times, BBC News, CBS4.com, Bloomberg, Miami Herald