Former South Miami mayor Julio Robaina wants his old job back.

Robaina, who also has served as a state representative, is challenging incumbent Mayor Philip Stoddard in the Feb. 14 election.

Also up for grabs are Councilwoman Velma Palmer’s seat and Councilman Brain Beasley’s seat.

Joshua C. Liebman, 37, a Realtor and marathon training coordinator for non-profit Team Footworks, is running for Beasley’s seat. Real estate investor and former vice mayor Armando Oliveros, 56, and retired psychologist Sally Philips, 68, are running for Palmer’s seat.

Palmer and Beasley have not yet qualified to run for reelection, and didn’t return calls for comment Thursday afternoon.

Robaina, who was mayor from 1998 to 2002, hasn’t officially qualified to run with the city clerk’s office but said in an interview he is “definitely going to run for the mayoral seat.”

Robaina had breakfast with Stoddard and his family on a recent weekend where they discussed why Robaina wants to run.

“He understands my skills and strengths are to be a leader,” said Robaina, who is a partner at the Pazos Robaina Zapata Property Management Group.

They talked about the possibility of Robaina running for a commission seat, instead of the mayor’s seat. But Robaina, said that it would make more sense for Stoddard to run for a commission seat and let him be mayor.

“There is a lack of decorum in the commission and instability in City Hall,” said Robaina, who was in the state House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010. “There has been an outpouring of residents and even city employees who have called me asking that I run. I have the leadership skills to make a divisive group get along.”

Robaina said that he agrees with many of Stoddard’s initiatives, such as being environmentally responsible, stopping FPL from running transmission lines on U.S.1 and creating bike paths, but believes he is a better leader.

Stoddard on the other hand is not having any it. “I frankly question the idea that he is a good leader. He said yes to everybody [while mayor] and spent the farm.”

While mayor, Robaina secured $18 million in federal and state grant money for the city. But Stoddard said that much of that money went to pay recurring expenses, such as, making payroll.

“When he was in office the millage was at an all-time high and the reserves where less than what is required by the charter,” said Stoddard.

“We are cleaning up the mess he helped create,” added Stoddard, who helped cut city liability by backing a plan that switched some non-police city employees from traditional pension plans to defined-contribution plans that are similar to a 401K.

But Robaina said that when he was in office, downtown South Miami thrived, while now “downtown merchants are dying off with no support from City Hall”.

“Residents are calling me because they remember when City Hall was cohesive. [The commission] would disagree and still have respect for each other,” said Robaina, who is not related to the former Hialeah mayor with the same name. “They remember the proactive, inclusive way we ran the city and they want that again.”

“He is not talking me out of running for mayor,” said Stoddard, a Florida International University biology professor. “He is doing this because he is bored. Break my heart. I have a city to run and people to look after.”

The last day to qualify to run in the election is Jan. 13. Early voting will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 11 and 12. Regular voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 14 at City Hall, 6130 Sunset Dr.