Tundidor, García-Roves win in runoff for Hialeah City Council seats
Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernández’s influence further dimmed Tuesday after another one of the candidates he strongly endorsed lost in a runoff for city council.
Luis González, a city council member from 2005-17 endorsed by Hernández, lost to Jesus Tundidor, the former vice chair of the city’s planning and zoning board in the runoff for the Group 2 council seat Tuesday. Tundidor won with 64.57% or 6,795 votes. González had 35.43% or 3,728 votes.
“I am very grateful for the trust and support that the people of Hialeah have given me,” Tundidor told el Nuevo Herald. “I hope to continue fighting hard with the same passion during this campaign.”
In the Group 3 runoff, mayor-backed Jacqueline García-Roves defeated Milly Herrera, a community activist. García-Roves won with 54% or 5,552 votes. Herrera lost with 46% or 4,730 votes.
“I owe this victory to all the people who believed in me, and I dedicate it to my father who passed away a few months ago,” García-Roves told el Nuevo Herald. “From heaven I know he is proud of me.”
Tundidor said he has long-term plans to close the gap between the city’s large senior population and young professionals. He wants to create housing for these young professionals close to mass transit so they can live in Hialeah and commute downtown. In the short-term, he also wants to have more control of the city’s water rates and fix issues with the city’s private waste services.
“I think Tundidor has been knocking on doors for a very long time,” said Sasha Tirador, who has described herself as campaign manager for the mayor’s slate of candidates. “I also know that he’s wanted to become an elected official for many years and he’s got that fire in the belly that the new generations have. When they want something, they go after it, and he’s worked very hard.”
Thirteen candidates ran for four seats on the Hialeah City Council.
The runoff winners join two other new city council members whose races didn’t go to a runoff: Mónica Pérez, an elementary school teacher with no prior political experience, and Oscar De la Rosa, the stepson of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Esteban Bovo.
Candidates backed by Hernández were the front-runners in campaign contributions, most of which came from real estate companies, developers and attorneys. Many donations were not from Hialeah. There were also notable contributions from former Miami Lakes councilman Cesar Mestre and Sunny Isles Beach Mayor George “Bud” Scholl.
Herrera, who has worked for a scuba diving travel company for nearly two decades, was arrested in October on charges of trespassing and resisting arrest when she was distributing her fliers in front of a city-owned senior apartment complex across the street from City Hall. Herrera said those charges were dropped last week.
Though there were no campaign-related arrests since the primary election two weeks ago, several losing candidates alleged that police actions against them were politically motivated.
Herrera’s arrest was not the only one to shadow the municipal election. A man was arrested during the primary election in front of his home, which is across the street from the John F. Kennedy Library on West 49th Street. His arrest was related to a dispute with Hialeah police, where officers said his car was a campaign car that was parked within 150 feet of the polling location. He was hosting an election party for a defeated candidate on his lawn.
“I think if people are complaining so much about the water and cleanliness, they should’ve gone to the polls,” Herrera said. “We’re very concerned for our city, and I will continue as an activist to do what I can.”
ELECTIONS RESULTS
GROUP 2
Jesus Tundidor: 64.57%, 6,795 votes
Luis González: 35.43%, 3,728 votes
GROUP 3
Jacqueline García-Roves: 54%, 5,552 votes
Milly Herrera: 46%, 4,730 votes
This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 8:10 PM.