Good thing voters choosing a successor to Frederica Wilson’s old state Senate seat don’t put much stock in the Miami Herald’s editorial board.Yesterday, former state Rep. Oscar Braynon II easily defeated ex-North Miami Mayor Joe Celestin, who for the second time in less than a year was endorsed by the…

Over the next two weeks, we’ll see if Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez can muster the support that propelled him to office in 2004 and 2008, and also gave him more power. Earlier today, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Barbara Areces dismissed Alvarez’s last-minute lawsuit seeking to block the recall vote set for…

Alex Diaz de la Portilla, a former state senator known for engaging in dirty political campaigns, is rounding up votes to stop Mayor Carlos Alvarez and County Commissioner Natacha Seijas from getting recalled, according to two sources close to both politicians. In the midterm elections, Diaz de la Portilla helped…

The Wicked Witch of the Northwest is ready to go to the ballot box to keep her elected position. Natacha Seijas has dropped her lawsuit to block the recall election against her set for March 15.Her decision comes two days after Judge Amy Steele Donner signaled she would likely rule…

As jury selection continues in the bribery and grand theft trial of suspended Miami City Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones, the prosecution’s main witness, prominent developer Armando Codina, gave new testimony that pokes holes in the state’s case. Trial is set to begin next week.In a deposition taken this past February 16,…

Looking to avoid getting accosted by reporters like she was a few weeks ago during a Hialeah clinic opening, Natacha Seijas brought in some heavy muscle to her court hearing yesterday. The county commissioner, who is seeking to block a recall vote against her, showed up at Judge Amy Steele…

Veldora Arthur, a $184,336-a-year Miami assistant fire chief, is facing federal criminal charges for her alleged involvement in a $10 million mortgage fraud scam. Arthur, along with two other people, was recruited by a man named Neil Fagan to act as straw buyers who purchased six separate units in an…

The Michelle Spence-Jones public corruption saga is entering its final act. Her trial on grand theft and bribery charges begins today.Since her initial arrest in November 2009, days following her reelection to the Miami City Commission, Spence-Jones has maintained she will be exonerated. By the end of the week, we’ll…

Miami City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff sure knows how to alienate people. We’ve made our case before why this guy should get recalled. The man is unfit for public office. He is absolutely clueless when it comes to dealing with the poor and the disenfranchised.On February 18, Sarnoff provided more reason…

David Anderson and his family have been serving breakfast and lunch to migrant workers and farmers from a tin-roof shack for more than half a century. But Miami-Dade County’s bureaucratic environmental red tape is threatening to shut down his Redland Grocery at 26400 SW 187th Ave., Anderson says. “We’ve been…

Bad enough The Miami Herald poaches New Times stories without giving us credit, but now they want to co-opt our mayoral candidate. Yesterday, the city’s only major daily newspaper published a column by local African American blogger Joy-Ann Reid essentially endorsing Luther Campbell for county mayor. The 726-word opinion piece…

Fresh off his media tour addressing his desire to run for Miami-Dade County mayor, Luther Campbell is dropping his knowledge about the music industry and professional sports at Nova Southeastern University on Saturday.The school’s Shepard Broad Law Center enlisted Uncle Luke to give the keynote address at its sports and…

Fourteen years after New Times chronicled her free fall out of public office and into the slammer, Vicki Lukis has won her redemption. On Monday, federal Judge John Steele of the U.S. District Court in Lee County vacated her 1997 conviction on honest services fraud. Her case was a fascinating…

County Commissioners Pepe Diaz and Natacha Seijas sure know how to dish out the bullshit when they are trying to help a friend hold on to a lucrative county contract. Two days ago, during the Internal Management & Fiscal Responsibility committee meeting, the pair chided Procurement Director Miriam Singer for…

You know Uncle Luke is the true front runner when even the New Yorkers are telling Miami-Dade voters to elect him county mayor. New York magazine officially joined the movement today. Writer Amos Barshad notes “it doesn’t take a friggin’ expert to know that former 2 Live Crew svengali Luther…