As the unusually quiet Hialeah election season comes to a head, candidates for the mayoral post and two council seats are taking to the streets and hitting the airwaves for a final pitch.

Incumbents argue they have done a good job managing the city during the past four years and deserve a shot at a second term. Meanwhile, opponents criticize the current council for its rubber-stamp tendencies and promise to challenge the mayor's decisions if elected.

Election Day is on Tuesday, though early voting will take place through Sunday at the John F. Kennedy Library. Featured below are the candidates, by race.

One candidate was automatically elected when no one opposed him. Hialeah Council President Carlos Hernandez, a retired Hialeah police officer, claimed the Group 6 post.

Because of staggered elections, council members Jose Yedra, Jose Caragol, Vivian Casals-Muñoz, and Isis Garcia-Martinez don't have to face voters this time.

MAYORAL CANDIDATES

JULIO ROBAINA

Having only served one four-year term as the mayor of Hialeah, Julio Robaina has said time and again that he needs more time to complete the city's transformation.

His top priorities in coming years include re-opening the historic Hialeah Park race track, completing renovations at Milander Park and continuing to streamline the government to avoid service cuts and combat the tough budget years that lie ahead.

Robaina, who also serves as city manager because of Hialeah's strong-mayor form of government, points to his success in avoiding the troubles that plagued other big cities, including Miami-Dade County, which was forced to lay off employees to make up for revenue shortfalls.

``The decisions we have made in the past have put us in a better position today,'' he said.

Part of Robaina's plan had been eliminating vacant positions and combining responsibilities as people left the city. Looking ahead, Robaina hopes to attract more businesses to expand Hialeah's tax base.

SANTIAGO CARDENAS

A crusader for human rights in Cuba, physician Santiago Cardenas moved to Hialeah in 1992 as a political refugee. Three years later, he had earned his license to practice medicine in the United States.

Alvarez, 69, who runs a family practice in Hialeah, unsuccessfully ran for the mayoral post in 2005 along with a bevy of others.

Alvarez is running again, he said, because he remains critical of Hialeah's strong-mayor form of government and hopes to float a proposal to voters that would transform the city government into one where the mayor and city manager are two different positions.

``Too much power at the hands of one person usually leads to corruption. We have to limit the amount of power,'' he said. ``To me, bringing about that change would be the best thing I could do for my city.''

Cardenas, 69, also hopes to shake up the council, which he called a ``puppet council'' because they tend to side with the mayor.

``Raising your hand in favor all the time isn't democracy,'' he said. ``Just look at the budget: It was approved in 15 minutes. Nobody asked questions. Nobody discussed anything.''

GROUP FIVE CANDIDATES

LUIS GONZALEZ

A print-shop owner and former member of the city's planning and zoning board, Gonzalez has lived in Hialeah since 1981.

He was first elected to the council in 2005 when he bested emergency medical technician Roly Moré with 72 percent of the vote.

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