The onetime Boss Tweed of Hialeah, who beat a federal indictment and lost to Lincoln Diaz-Balart for a seat in the U.S. Congress last year, is taking on the empire of his successor, Mayor Julio Robaina.
"[Julio] has put some distance between us," Martinez told journalist Bernadette Pardo on WQBA (1140 AM) last week. "He wants to govern his own way... But don't turn around and blame me for the problems in the city."
What set off the feud? Apparently a September 17 story in Riptide, "Where in the World is Katharine Cue?" that questioned the residency of the 22-year-old city council candidate. The story showed Cue had listed an address outside the city when she was appointed to the council this past November 18 -- even though city council members are required to live in Hialeah.
The same day the story hit the streets and the Internet, Martinez appeared on Pardo's show. "Everyone knew she didn't live in Hialeah," he proclaimed.
The following day, Cue went on the air with Pardo, who brought up Martinez's assertion. "That is not true," Cue said. "I don't know why the mayor would say that. He has known me my entire life."
Last week, Martinez provided Pardo with documentation that confirmed much of the Riptide story about Cue. Robaina and her handlers are corrupting her, Martinez insisted. "What really bothers me," he said, "is how they are using this young lady and teaching her to lie."
So, is Martinez headed back into Hialeah politics? Probably not. But he is supporting Danny Bolaños, son of a former police chief loyal to Martinez, in his race against Cue for a council seat November 3. Bolaños has baggage too, such as having resigned as a Hialeah Police officer in 2004 to avoid a retrial on official misconduct charges.
And Cue is supported by Mayor Robaina, who -- surprise! -- declined to comment for this story.
Thankfully, we can always rely on YouTube to remind us of Cue's innocent, youthful days on the talent show circuit:
