The candidates running for Miami Beach mayor and city commission agreed to sit down one-on-one with a Miami Herald reporter to weigh in on five topics: the city's budget, business and tourism, parking and transportation, what they consider to be the most pressing issue facing the city, and their own qualifications.

Candidate: Laura Rivero Levey

Major Issue:

The water and storm drainage is something we really have to take care of. Our drainage hasn't been changed since the 1920s, so when are we going to do that?

Budget:

One of the major things the city has to do is take the items in the budget with the highest costs and work with them.

The highest amount of money we're spending in the budget is on salaries and pensions.

The city has to work with the unions, and work with their own administrative force and tell them this is not a good time for us. We have got to reduce salaries. We have got to cut pensions.

Business and Tourism:

In Germany, Miami Beach once was one of the world destinations. Everybody in Germany wanted to come to our beaches. Now they don't advertise like that. I was in Europe in the summer and they advertised to go to Cuba because ``that is paradise.'' They don't even mention Miami Beach.

I can create a new campaign, an international campaign that will recuperate our reputation and bring people back to Miami Beach.

Transportation and Parking:

There is a lot of traffic in South Beach, especially in the Art Deco District. There are a lot of pedestrians who come there and I think the city should lock the whole Art Deco District to cars and implement some kind of internal transportation so that you park away from that district and take transportation around the city to avoid traffic. The transportation should be free for everybody.

Qualifications:

Our city has a glaring lack of leadership.

Right now in our commission, two commissioners are fighting like 10-year-olds with a mayor who cannot set them apart, and cannot follow the rules of order.

Our city is suffering because every time there is a situation like that they're stuck on deciding, and they have to wait until the whole commotion ceases in order to follow the agenda. It's delaying their agenda.

There is no control from the mayor whatsoever. It seems that the mayor doesn't have a notion of what is happening. It seems the other commissioners are helping her out and telling her what the issues are. The leadership is being taken by other commissioners.

Through my expertise in dealing with people in our community, I think I can create a better leadership and bring better leadership skills to our commission.

I'm fresh. I have no political ties. I really am ready to work hard for the citizens of Miami Beach, who have been forgotten for a long time.

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