Five candidates qualify for special Miami Beach election to fill vacancy – Political Cortadito
There are five people who qualified by the deadline Thursday to run for Miami Beach city commission and fill the vacancy left by the unexpected June death of Commissioner Mark Samuelian. They are:
- Sabrina Cohen, a C5 quadriplegic as the result of a teenage car accident who has since become an activist. She founded the Sabrina Cohen Foundation, which is dedicated to developing adaptive fitness and recreational programs that provide a better quality of life for individuals living with paralysis and various disabilities. Thanks to her, many wheelchair-bound people have enjoyed the beach.
- Stephen Cohen, a realtor and real estate investor who has been a civic activist for years, involved in beach clean-ups and food drives. He is a perennial candidate, running several times and losing last year to Commissioner Alex Fernandez.
- Laura Dominguez, Samuellian’s life partner for the past 10 years, who was by his side for his political campaigns and community events. She is up on all the issues and is favored by several commissioners. She works in digital marketing.
- Isaiah Mosley, a senior environmental scientist at Aecom, an infrastructure consulting firm, worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from 2008 to 2010. He is a community volunteer. He ran for commission in 2015 for a seat ultimately won by Commissioner Kristen Rosen-Gonzalez.
- Mitch Novick, part owner of the Sherbrooke Hotel and regular speaker at city commission meetings. Novick has been involved in Beach politics for at least a decade. He’s chronicled the crowd control issues in South Beach for years and is a big fan of the 2 a.m. last call.
After some pressure from the community, Beach commissioners voted to have a special election on the same day as the midterm general Nov. 8 rather than appoint someone to the seat, which is what Mayor Dan Gelber wanted to do.
Now, the word on the street is that the mayor and establishment are behind Sabrina Cohen.
Read related: Three Miami Beach candidates line up to fill vacant Mark Samuelian seat
Dominguez and Sabrina Cohen, who opened campaign accounts in July, are the only ones to have reported any fundraising — raising $78,815 and $6,575, respectively, according to their campaign reports. Dominguez loaned herself $50K and collected another 52 checks, including some from longtime Beach activists.
Sabrina Cohen also opened a new political action committee for her race called Miami Beach Residents United For Progress.
There are two other new PACs registered by the Beach city clerk. Friends of M.B. Arts and Culture is chaired by Robert Goodman. Yes for a Safe And Strong Future is chaired by lobbyist and former Commissioner Neisen Kasdin. It was formed earlier this month to push a yes vote on one of the many referendums on the Nov. 8 ballot (more on that later).
In the special commission race, Stephen Cohen has challenged the other candidates to a debate.
Read related: Death of Miami Beach Commissioner Mark Samuelian stuns, saddens
“The best way for residents to learn about a candidate is from themselves,” he posted Tuesday on Facebook. “I propose a debate between candidates, where residents can ask direct questions to the candidates. I would be happy to pay for the setting and any cost from the debate.”
He says he wants something different from the typical forums where community organizations have pre-set questions.
“Forums with set questions from supporters, that’s not a debate,” Stephen Cohen said. “Let’s hear from the candidates and responding to voters.”
Hear, hear! Ladra agrees completely. Someone please make it happen.
