In a race of flawed Group I candidates, one still stands out as ready to serve Miami Beach | Editorial

Miami Beach City Commission elections have centered on crime in South Beach and how to turn a city known for its “anything goes” reputation among rowdy tourists into a “live, work, play” community.

In the Group I race, an open seat, voters will have to weigh in on both the candidates’ stances on these issues and on what they are willing to accept in an elected official. The top three contenders are flawed and have problematic pasts, either because of bad behavior or bad financial decisions. Luckily, there are safeguards because commissioners get guidance from staff on city finances and operations.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes cast on Nov. 2, the top two finishers will move to a runoff on Nov. 16. The candidates are: former Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez; Raquel Pacheco, who owns a language-translation business; Adrian Gonzalez, whose family founded the iconic David’s Cafe and industrial-sales contractor Blake Young. Businessman Greg Branch dropped out of the race.

Rosen Gonzalez, 48, was elected to the Miami Beach Commission in 2015 and resigned to run an ill-fated campaign for Congress. She is the top fundraiser and likely the best-known candidate. Though she is knowledgeable about city issues and well connected to constituents and their concerns, Rosen Gonzalez is a magnet for controversies and known for feuding with political rivals, such as Commissioner David Richardson. Her transgressions as a commissioner are a deal breaker.

While on the commission, she used her city email to interfere with a Miami Beach Police investigation into a major donor to her congressional campaign, who was later charged. She asked police to “confirm that he is not being pursued by anyone” and that she “would like to be present” in a police interview, a request then-Chief Dan Oates called “inappropriate,” Miami New Times reported in 2017. Rosen Gonzalez at the time brushed off the incident as mere “constituent service.” We call that an attempt to use her elected position to dole out personal favors.

Rosen Gonzalez told the Herald Editorial Board she’s learned from past mistakes, mended many relationships and that “There has been growth.”

But she showed poor judgment again during this year’s campaign when she used a fundraising email to plug her new restaurant. That might not have violated campaign laws but it’s unethical to use her campaign platform to advance personal business interests. She also falsely claimed to be “the most high-profile Hispanic Democrat in the city of Miami Beach” during an interview with the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, a claim for which she later apologized. Rosen Gonzalez, who’s not Hispanic, appears to be using her ex-husband’s last name to gain traction with an important voting bloc. She does not belong in elected office.

That leaves us three other candidates: Pacheco, Gonzalez and Young, who’s running a “donation-free” campaign where he is not asking supporters for any money. Young wants to focus on public safety, but didn’t show the same depth of knowledge as the other candidates. Without fundraising, he hasn’t gained traction.

Pacheco, 47, started her translation business at 22 and is a former Connecticut Army National Guard member. She has done her homework about city issues — going on ride-alongs with police, for instance — and her demeanor indicates she would work well with others. She opposes a straw-ballot question to move the alcohol-sales cutoff in the city to 2 a.m. from 5 a.m. combat rowdy crowds in South Beach.

She told the Herald Editorial Board she has “serious concerns about whether or not that will actually work to resolve the issues that we’re facing.” But she vowed to uphold the will of the voters.

Pacheco wants to double police presence in the entertainment district, but also focus on community policing. She says she understands the perils of overpolicing. She opposes an ordinance that made it a crime to stand within 20 feet of officers with the “intent to impede, provoke or harass” them while performing their duty. Enforcement of the ordinance was suspended after it was used in the violent arrests of Black bystanders who were recording police.

Pacheco’s endorsements include Ruth’s List Florida, a group dedicated to electing Democratic women who support abortion rights, and SAVE Action PAC, dedicated to LGBTQ rights.

Her past financial problems, though, give us pause.

Pacheco has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy twice. In 1998, she said she was drowning in the costs of starting her business and attending college. That’s understandable. But filing for bankruptcy again in 2017 raises concerns about her judgment and ability to manage money.

Pacheco listed $145,000 of debt, including a $100,000 interest-only Small Business Administration loan she said a bank required her to pay off sooner than expected, driving her to file for bankruptcy. She also owed $27,500 to the Internal Revenue Service, which she said stemmed an accountant’s miscalculation and toward which she had been making monthly payments. She added that having to pay $30,000 in out-of-pocket maternity costs when she gave birth to her son in 2013 depleted her savings. She told the Herald Editorial Board she has paid off around $70,000 of that SBA loan.

Like Pacheco, Gonzalez, 47, is a business owner with financial issues. David’s Cafe, the restaurant his family opened in 1977, closed its Alton Road location in August 2020 after its landlord filed for eviction because of nonpayment of more than $51,000 in rent. Gonzalez now runs a pop-up cafe at the Shelbourne South Beach hotel.

He currently faces a foreclosure lawsuit filed against his home in January 2020 and is being sued by creditors for more than $20,000 in credit-card debt and more than $12,000 for defaulting on car lease payments. He said those problems are connected to his business’ financial headwinds.

David’s Cafe II was sued almost a decade ago by workers who alleged they didn’t receive their full wages. The restaurant in 2013 agreed to pay back 75% of the wages. Gonzalez told the Editorial Board the business was struggling in the recession.

While both Gonzalez and Pacheco have financial problems that make them less than ideal candidates, Gonzalez’s are current, as he runs for office. And the restaurant’s nonpayment of wages affected workers. Pacheco’s bankruptcy case was closed in 2019.

We cannot in good conscience recommend Rosen Gonzalez, whose transgressions happened while she was in or pursuing office. She hasn’t shown growth despite her claims. Young needs to mature as a candidate, learn the issues and build more relationships before he’s ready.

Despite her challenges, we find Pacheco solid enough to give her the nod. Like any other newcomer, if elected, she’ll have to prove herself. The Herald Editorial Board recommends RAQUEL PACHECO for Miami Beach Group I.

This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 6:00 AM.