In Aventura commission races, two incumbents face challenges from political newcomers
Residents in Aventura, the northeast Miami-Dade city that is home to one of the largest shopping malls in America and one of the lowest property tax rates in the county, will vote for two commission seats in the November election in which incumbents are seeking a second term.
Gladys Mezrahi, an events planner and marketer born in Colombia, faces challenges from two candidates for Seat 5: attorney Rachel Saltzman Friedland, who is seeking public office for the first time, and Joshua Mandall, a graduate student making his second commission run in the city.
Seat 1 Commissioner Linda Marks, the former head of Hochberg Preparatory School, has one opponent in first-time candidate and attorney Barry David Silverstein.
Jonathan Evans, a member of Aventura’s Community Services Advisory Board, is running unopposed for Seat 3, which is being vacated by Howard Weinberg due to term limits. Weinberg has already filed to run for mayor in 2022, the year current Mayor Enid Weisman will be termed out.
None of the current candidates are calling for major changes to the city’s operations — although tension between Mezrahi and Friedland has added unexpected fireworks to the campaign cycle.
The two have sparred over allegations of unfair campaigning, a dispute over who deserves credit for ensuring the local high school didn’t have school on Yom Kippur, and a years-old issue involving the removal of a child sex offender from the community where they both lived. Mezrahi filed an ethics complaint against Friedland — which contained false statements about how the situation played out — but a retired judge found no probable cause that Friedland had committed any campaign violations after a hearing last week.
The presence of Aventura Mall, which is the largest mall in Florida, plus high-end condos across the city have helped keep property taxes low but have also contributed to congestion that some candidates cite as a key issue to fix. Last month, Miami-Dade County and Brightline broke ground on a new $76 million train station near the mall at West Dixie Highway and Northeast 26th Avenue. The county, not the city, is covering the cost.
In 2019, Aventura opened Don Soffer High School as a charter school after residents had pushed the city to open its own high school for years.
Seat 5 candidates
▪ Mezrahi, the incumbent who owns an Aventura-based events and public relations firm called Indigo Events, was first elected in 2016. She founded a nonprofit, The Power of the Heels, “to educate women on becoming independent and financially educated,” she told the Miami Herald. Mezrahi said her own business has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and she pointed to support for local businesses as a priority for the city. “The economic recovery of our city is crucial,” Mezrahi said. “Our city has many businesses that are in the hospitality industry and through strategic partnerships we can help with the recovery effort as well as help generate jobs.” Mezrahi’s campaign had raised about $27,000 through Aug. 31.
▪ Friedland, who has a law firm in the city, has four children who attend Aventura schools and has been involved with those schools as a volunteer. She’s a member of the Aventura Charter School Advisory Committee and a founding member of the Don Soffer High School Foundation Board. In addition to education, Friedland points to traffic as a critical issue and says the new Brightline station isn’t enough. “Brightline coming in is welcomed, but we need commuter rail,” she told the Herald, adding that she would “advocate for responsible transit solutions that get cars off the roads and create reliable options for our residents.” Friedland’s campaign had raised $46,000 at the end of August.
▪ Mandall, who’s pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at Florida International University, faced Mezrahi in the race for Seat 5 four years ago and got 44% of the vote. He previously worked as a legislative assistant and district secretary for Florida House District 108, which includes parts of Miami and North Miami-Dade. One area where Aventura could improve its approach, he told the Herald, is in addressing the effects of climate change in a community partially bordered by water. The city has bought pumps and tried to improve storm drainage, he said, but it could stand to take preventive measures like adding seawalls and mangroves to address storm surge. “We’re kind of behind where we should be,” he said. Mandall’s campaign hasn’t been taking contributions, but he said he’s in a better position than he was in 2016 to represent the city. “I have a lot more experience now and I have a lot more understanding than I did four years ago,” he said.
Seat 1 candidates
▪ Marks, the incumbent, is a former teacher, school superintendent, and head of school who touts her efforts to help Aventura open Don Soffer High School last year. Still, she told the Herald, access to the city’s schools should be expanded further. “We need more room to house more students,” she said. Marks’ re-election platform also includes providing more resources to local police, voting against tax increases, and prioritizing “beautification and flood mitigation” in order to “mitigate negative effects of sea level rise.” Her campaign had raised about $46,000 at the end of August.
▪ Silverstein has been an attorney for 36 years and an Aventura resident for 20. He said he has few complaints about the city’s operations, but he wanted to run for office to contribute to his community. “I think the city provides wonderful services, and that’s what makes it such a great place to live,” he said. “I would like to contribute to that and I would like to continue that, rather than just complain.” Silverstein did point to two steps he’d like to see the city take: First, an ordinance banning the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, and second, an ordinance imposing construction height restrictions for buildings “that would obstruct the views and use and enjoyment” of adjacent residents. Silverstein’s campaign had not collected any outside contributions as of Sept. 30.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 2:04 PM.
