Two nice victories in Miami-Dade municipal elections

Jonah Wolfson (red cap) checking returns on election night.

A whopping landslide for Marc Sarnoff for Miami city commission and a big margin for Jonah Wolfson for Miami Beach city commission – they add up to a satisfying election night for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party.

Not so good for three underdogs running in Homestead and Hialeah with the party’s endorsement, but at least we stuck our neck out for those Democrats trying to make an impact on the local level against Republican opponents.

Next time we’ll do better.

For now, how about 88.97 percent of the vote in Marc Sarnoff’s victory for Miami City Commission! Opposition apparently not too strong against the incumbent Sarnoff.

In the Miami Beach Group 4 race, Jonah Wolfson raked in 55.4 percent against hard competition from Luis Salom, who got 44.6 percent. Wolfson, a young lawyer making his first run for office, became a familiar figure around the city as he knocked on zillions of doors.

Jonah, how many pairs of shoes did you shred?

I sneaked a look at his voting-day coverage plan of the beach, and he, his pregnant wife Andrea and mother Laurel were prominent on the plan, and hey, his dad Jerry was in there, too. Talk about a vigorous family effort.

Not to be outdone was his opponent. I had a knock on my door one day in North Beach, and there were Salom’s wife and 12-year-old son asking for my vote. Sorry, I said, I know it’s a non-partisan race, but I also know who’s a Democrat and who’s a Republican.

For the record, we backed Fernando Alvarez in Hialeah for city council and in Homestead we endorsed Amanda S. Garner and Darwin Brett Brown – all in losing attempts. Good luck next time!

This link goes to the official results.

We're advertising on line in the Miami Herald

As you save 35 cents by reading the Miami Herald on line, don't feel cheap. As of Friday, your generous donations to the Miami-Dade Democrats are helping pay for a raft of Internet advertising in the Herald.

We have officially endorsed three candidates for the Nov. 6 municipal elections, and the ads boost the party and the three candidates -- Marc Sarnoff for Miami City Commission, Jonah Wolfson for Miami Beach City Commission, and Amanda S. Garner for Homestead City Council.

UPDATE: Two more candidates now have our official endorsement: Fernando Alvarez, running for Hialeah City Council Group 1; and Darwin Brett Brown, running for Homestead City Council Seat 4.

And you'll see that if you click on the ads, it will take you to the form where you can make a donation, and fill up the treasury again.

Thank you in advance!

DEC chair endorses Wolfson in Beach race

A few days ago Joe Garcia, chairman of the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee, issued the first endorsement of this election season: for Jonah Wolfson in the Group 4 race for Miami Beach City Commission.

Here, in part, is the letter sent to Democrats in Miami Beach.

I am writing to inform you of my wholehearted endorsement of Jonah Wolfson for Miami Beach Commission in Group 4.

Jonah is an active member of the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee, having signed and submitted a loyalty oath. But more importantly, Jonah exemplifies the type of leader we need at the local level to help communicate our party’s values in the years ahead. Jonah runs his family’s law practice and communicates well in both English and Spanish. Jonah is energetic and hard-working, as he’s proven by mounting a door-to-door, grassroots campaign. Finally, Jonah is the lone registered Democrat running for the Commission in Group 4.

Although local elections are nonpartisan, state law allows parties and its officers to endorse or support candidates in those races. Like you, I am a resident of Miami Beach and care about our local government and who represents us. In the end, you and I are taxpayers of this city and we need leaders we can trust on the commission.

For all these reasons, I am pleased to endorse Jonah Wolfson’s candidacy and urge you to join me in support of his election this coming November.

Please call me with any questions about this matter. Also, I encourage you to contact the Miami-Dade Democratic Party to become an active member or learn how you can participate. Thank you for your time and attention.

Warm regards,

(signed)

Joe Garcia

Chairman

Paid political advertisement paid for by the Miami-Dade County Democratic Executive Committee independently of any candidate.