Here’s who’s in the runoff for Cutler Bay town council in the 2020 election
-3.JPG "When Cutler Bay bought this building for its Town Hall 10 years ago, officials hoped they could lease out much of the office space. But they never did, and the town’s small staff uses only about a third of the space. Now the city has traded the building and some other land and cash for a new site where it will build its own facilities.")
A runoff election is required in Cutler Bay after none of the four candidates vying for the open council seat received more than 50% of the vote on election night.
Jose Rodriguez was the leader in the race for Seat 2 on the Cutler Bay town council with about 34% of the vote. He will face paralegal Suzy Lord, who had the second highest vote with about 31%. The runoff election is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 1.
They are competing for Seat 2, left open by Michael Callahan, who chose to run for vice mayor in 2020 instead of seeking reelection for the seat he’s held since 2016. Callahan won the open vice mayor seat with 62% of the vote.
The open town council seat attracted four candidates, all eager to bring their ideas to the council. In a town where people are generally happy and the council is unified, most of the candidates ran on similar platforms: preserving the hometown feeling that residents love, limiting development and protecting the natural environment.
“About halfway through it occurred to me that we had four candidates, and I thought it would likely go to a runoff,” Lord said. “I was really hoping I would be in the top two and I am tickled that I am.”
Rodriguez, 66, is a retired contractor and architect, who’s been deeply involved with the community. He first got involved with public service when he was appointed to the Cutler Bay Communities for a Lifetime Committee in 2013. At the county level, Rodriguez has served on the Miami-Dade County Community Relations Board (CRB) and the Quality of Life Committee.
As a contractor and architect, he’s also worked on a number of projects in Cutler Bay and said he thinks his skill set will be an asset on the council as it moves forward with building a new town center. Rodriguez ran on a number of other platform points like extending circulator bus routes to run on both weekend days, more communication between committees and adding social programs for residents, especially the older population.
Rodriguez sees his years of experience as one of the key qualities he brings. He mentioned that through his years of experience he’s built connections and relationships with key figures in the community, such as Miami-Dade County mayor-elect Daniella Levine Cava.
“I have been serving the community for the past 10 years,” Rodriguez said. “I’d love to continue serving, and I’d love to continue serving in a greater capacity. I’ve been in meetings as a resident of Cutler Bay, but I haven’t been there as a representative of Cutler Bay.”
His opponent is newcomer Lord, 52, a paralegal and longtime Cutler Bay resident. She first moved to Cutler Bay from Germany when she was 12 years old and fell in love with the hometown feel and environmental landscape.
Some of Lord’s platform points include, addressing traffic issues on U.S. 1 and Florida’s Turnpike by offering a ride-share program that would bring residents to rapid transit to limit drivers on the road and relieve the stress of sitting in traffic.
Lord said one of the things that she brings is her commitment to supporting the local police and creating a safe community. Lord has served on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee since February 2019. Although she does not have as much time and experience in community government as her opponent, Lord sees her fresh perspective as an advantage.
“Jose has been a little more involved, but we’re both really good for the position,” Lord said. “I’m fresher. It makes me a little green, but it makes me really willing and eager to learn.”
Both candidates saw their turnout on Election Day as a success.
Lord said her online and social media platforms were a huge part of her campaign. She was thrilled that as many people voted for as they did. Her plan until the runoff is to continue that presence online and continue to put herself out into the community to connect with residents.
Rodriguez said he believes that the 14-hour days he spent at the polls during early voting went a really long way for his campaign, which only consisted of him, his wife and some help from his daughter. He said getting to meet people in person and hand them a flier on their way into the polls showed people his commitment to the position. For the next three weeks he’s going to continue those efforts to get out his name.
“Now it’s, ‘What do we have to do to win this and bring this thing home?’ ” Rodriguez said.