Miami candidate: Challenge of my residency is all about politics | Opinion

Candidate’s response

I am running for City of Miami Commissioner for District 3 and I refute any doubt regarding the politically motivated attack on my residency. I am running because Miami has given me and my family so much, and I am committed to giving back to the community that shaped me.

Born in Havana and having lived in Miami for more than 11 years, I have worked in hospitality management and know firsthand the challenges our families face. Over the last three years, I’ve served as general manager of a well-known Miami restaurant, where I learned the value of hard work, leadership and accountability. I also earned a degree in International Relations and Political Science from Florida International University, equipping me with the knowledge to navigate complex policy issues.

I have accomplished all this through hard work and determination. This combination of management experience and academic training has prepared me to be an effective public servant who brings practical solutions and a deep commitment to public service.

While the Miami Herald’s editorial board recently wrote that a cloud over my residency may exist, let me be clear that I have lived in District 3 for more than a year and did so knowing that I was fully eligible to qualify for the ballot. The eleventh-hour lawsuit incorrectly challenging my residency is nothing more than a politically motivated distraction by longtime insiders who will do anything to hold onto power.

I live where I say I live. I work hard for my community. I’m running to bring accountability and integrity back to City Hall. I am a resident of District 3 and am proud to call this community my home.

While others focus on the same tired political games, I’m focused on real solutions to make our neighborhoods safer, support small businesses, expand access to affordable housing and improve public transportation so that residents can move around our city with dignity and ease.

This election is about values and whether Miami will continue to be run by the same political dynasties, or by new, honest leadership that actually serves the people. I’m running to serve the families, workers and small business owners of District 3. No baseless lawsuit will stop me from doing that.

Rolando Escalona,

Miami

Sacred ground

When I joined the U.S. Army in 1968, I swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. Although joining the Army was not my choice, it was my patriotic duty to do so. I was soon in Vietnam, fighting for democracy and protecting our nation from the threat of communism, or so we were told. About nine months into my tour, I was wounded in a firefight with the enemy.

I recovered well enough to get a college degree and became a teacher in engineering drafting. During summer breaks, we took vacations and saw much of the country as a family. One of my favorite trips was to Washington, D.C. To those who have served our country, all of D.C. has a sacred quality. It represents the history of our young nation.

To see a huge portion of our White House destroyed to make room for an unnecessary gaudy ballroom hurts me in the pit of my stomach. I am sure many others who have served our country, along with many more who appreciate the sanctity of our national landmarks, share my angst.

Miles Woolley,

Kendall

Trump library

My family and I chose to leave Cuba for the United States instead of our ancestors’ town of Miyares in Asturias, Spain. We have been residents of Miami since 1961. My wife and I worked several different jobs at the beginning, eventually moving into white-collar jobs.

Since our retirement, we have paid our taxes and have never taken a single penny from the government. For more than 20 years, we were directors of an NGO, without a salary or expense account. We never worked for the government nor have we run for any political office.

We are in favor of having a presidential library in our beloved City of Miami. Local historian and educator Marvin Dunn opposes the library. We don’t know if this is due to the process of transferring the land for that project, or because the library will be the best and most unique of all the presidential libraries in the country.

Olga Celia and Julian Dario Miyares,

Miami

Outlaw actions

Re: the Oct. 24 Miami Herald article, “Trump sends world’s largest aircraft carrier into Caribbean as drug war escalates.”

If the “White House hasn’t given a direct answer to why those on the boats are being killed instead of captured and charged with drug trafficking,” that is because the only answer is to admit that this administration has no respect for international law or even our own Constitution, which provides that people be afforded due process before they are butchered.

Michael K. Cantwell,

Delray Beach

Pepper power

Bea Hines’ Oct. 24 column, “What my pepper plant can teach us about nurturing others in these difficult days,” was beautiful. We need more like that. Being a good gardener and being a good citizen require similar skills: patience, care, paying attention to predators.

Politicians who speak out against safe, effective and life-saving vaccines, who think it’s okay to throw people in prison without due process, are dangerous predators. We must speak out and speak up to keep the garden of our country secure and productive.

Laura Mosedale,

Miami Beach

Gambling scandal

Was the NBA required to not disclose the federal investigation that included the Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier? If not, was there not a moral obligation to disclose prior to the Heat’s trade for Rozier?

The team’s long-term consequences are devastating.

Richard F. Katz,

Cooper City

Bigger is better?

The White House is not supposed to be a castle or a palace. Building a huge ballroom onto “The People’s House” is an outright imposition and yet another MAGA perversion of who we are as a nation.

We are witnessing American culture and identity being twisted, misunderstood, misrepresented. Only time will tell what we do about it.

Esther De Varona,

Coral Gables

Prioritize trains

I live next to the Brightline tracks. Every morning, I hear the soft chimes of the train gliding past my balcony — a reminder that Miami dared to invest in the future. I don’t own a car; Brightline is a lifeline, it’s how I visit family, make weekend trips and escape the tyranny of I-95.

A recent article in The Atlantic, “A Death Train Is Haunting South Florida,” frustrates and saddens me. It scapegoats Brightline while ignoring the real problem: outdated infrastructure and human behavior. Most Brightline fatalities involve trespassers or drivers ignoring crossings, not passengers. Meanwhile, car culture —reinforced by sprawling highways and unsafe streets — kills tens of thousands each year.

Public transit isn’t just safer, it transforms communities, improves health, reduces pollution and connects people to jobs and medical care. To realize these benefits however, we need better urban planning: safer crossings, sidewalks and pedestrian-friendly investments that prevent accidents.

The real tragedy isn’t trains; it’s a system that prioritizes cars over people. Instead of blaming progress, let’s invest in infrastructure that keeps all of us safe and builds a future where mobility works for everyone.

Hannah Piazza,

Miami

Pop quiz

Before we evaluate the changes in the naturalization test for immigrants being imposed by the Trump administration, a question must be asked.

Based on Donald Trump’s abuse of presidential norms and constitutional law and the failure of MAGA Republicans to use their power to prevent the obvious abuse, can Trump and MAGA Republicans pass this test?

That question should matter.

Floyd Jordan,

Miami Gardens