Reaching across the aisle, Miami-Dade mayor hires her former opponent and fierce critic | Opinion

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava got a good grilling from her main opponent in last year’s election when they sat down for an interview with the Herald Editorial Board in July.

She fended off criticism after criticism from then-Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid about the size of her budget and a “war on the middle class” that’s making living in South Florida too expensive. At the end of the contentious interview, Levine Cava said Cid had good ideas and invited him to offer more input on how to improve county government.

Levine Cava won reelection with nearly 58% of the vote, defeating six opponents in August.

Now — in a move that’s far too rare in these partisan times — she’s reaching across the aisle. The mayor has announced she’s hired Cid to join her staff.

Starting Monday, he’ll be senior advisor for economic opportunity, a new position in the Miami-Dade Office of Innovation and Economic Development. Cid’s role will be promoting economic growth, helping and growing small businesses and looking for ways to cut bureaucracy to make doing business in the county cheaper and more efficient.

Cid, 41, served 12 years on the Miami Lakes Town Council and became the city’s youngest mayor. He is the owner of the Mayor’s Cafe, a diner in Miami Lakes, a former legislative aide in Tallahassee and has a master’s degree in ethical leadership from St. Thomas University.

His criticism of Levine Cava’s administration during the campaign was pointed and, at times, justified when it came to the growth of county staff during her term — he said in July the mayor “hired a huge staff around her to insulate herself.” His joining her team with a $200,000 annual salary will, ironically, add to that payroll. Cid noted to the Editorial Board that the Office of Innovation and Economic Development is among the smallest departments in county hall.

Regardless, as a small business owner, Cid is well positioned to find efficiencies. Cid said he wants to look for ways to streamline the permits entrepreneurs must obtain from different county departments before opening their doors — one mistake or delay in obtaining a permit can be a huge blow to a small operation.

He also wants to help businesses with the difficult task of securing capital and look for incentives to transform renters into homeowners. He added that a lot of the red tape he wants to eliminate can be identified by talking to rank-and-file employees whose knowledge is often overlooked.

“I’ll be a voice for the common folks that I talked about at that table,” Cid said, referring to his July interview with the Editorial Board.

The position of county mayor is nonpartisan but Levine Cava is a Democrat. Cid is a Republican. In a time of hyper partisanship, their partnership shows that good ideas can transcend party affiliation. This is also a politically savvy move by Levine Cava as one of the last Democrats elected countywide, given that Donald Trump carried Miami-Dade and Republicans swept county offices last year.

“[Cid] also brings connections, you know, not per se partisan connections, he brings business connections. So he’s going to help us communicate to the business community and make them more aware of programs that we have and opportunities that we have to support them,” Levine Cava told the Editorial Board.

“We have a goal of reaching 75% of our small businesses in the next two years.”

Cid told the Editorial Board he doesn’t plan to run for mayor again in 2028 and that his focus for now is to work in government administration.

Without an elected position, Cid won’t have the authority to pass policy to help the middle-class. But he will be a voice in the mayor’s ear — hopefully, one that will disagree with her when necessary.

We hope, too, that Levine Cava, a former social worker and nonprofit founder who has prioritized programs to help those in need, allows a business-first, conservative point of view to balance her progressive political instincts.

That ideological balance, forgotten in these times of political tribalism, is usually behind good government. The unusual alliance between the mayor and her former political opponent is a promising step. Miami-Dade will be expecting results.

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This story was originally published January 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM.