SunPost: Mayor Elected, Commission Races Go To RunOff

November 7, 2013 Posted by Frank M

By: Frank Maradiaga for Miami SunPost

BEACH VOTERS READY FOR CHANGE AS LEVINE IS ELECTED NEW MAYOR LATE FRIDAY.

Late on Tuesday night, Roger Abramson worked the P-lot in his usual gregarious manner. He had crossed the street from the entrance to the Botanical Garden,where a hoard of sign holders stood, and was the first person voters came in contact with as they exited their cars and walked towards the polling station. Abramson rushed to get a greeting out, introduce himself as a candidate for Group 3, and ask for support -all before the voter walked off the narrow slab of sidewalk. To those who would accept it, he handed them a postcard that encapsulated his candidacy; it came with a mint.

Some wouldn’t even break their stride as Abramson came up to them for a word, but would attempt to exchange pleasantries while on the move.

“Good luck” one man said over his shoulder while he quickly crossed the street.

Another man didn’t even bother to fake interest when Abramson approached him, “they gave me a list,” he said while patting his shirt’s pocket.

“They gave me a list?” Abramson murmured to himself, “what does that even mean?”

That man walked across the street and kissed Abramson’s rival, Joy Malakoff. It made sense now.

It was a couple of hours before the polls closed and the votes were trickling in at City Hall and the Botanical Gardens; the demonstration-size crowd were mostly campaign workers; a cub reporter the Miami Herald sent to get color was struggling to find an actual voter to speak with. Still candidates like Abramson, Dave Crystal, Michael Greico, Michael Gongora, and Joy Malakoff prowled the labyrinth of sign holders for the chance to change one more mind, one more vote that could help secure a ticket to the second round, the probable run-off in two weeks. With so many candidates, it was almost a sure thing.

A woman walked out dejected when she didn’t quite make the 7:00 PM cut off. Before a single vote had been counted, Greico told her she’d have another shot in two weeks.

And she will.

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About Frank M

Miami-based Journalist. . Twitter: @WriterFrank

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