The incumbents are out.
Miami Beach voters have chosen to go a different direction, electing Joy Malakoff and Michael Grieco over Mayor Matti Bower and Commissioner Jorge Exposito. Two weeks ago, voters choose Philip Levine over Commissioner Michael Gongora.
Micky Steinberg was also elected in an open seat over Elsa Urquiza.
About 16% of registered voters turned out for the runoff election, with 7,239 ballots cast.
The most surprising result involved the unknown Malakoff defeating the well-known Bower with nearly 60% of the vote. After initial defeats, Bower became a powerhouse at the polls, winning 14 years of office. Those many years of service were probably what did in Bower, more than Malakoff’s campaigning. Bower was the figurehead at City Hall during one of the most turbulent times in Miami Beach history.
Even the most apathetic of voters, which Beach voters are NOT, need at least one election cycle and weak challengers to forget such negative headlines.
Exposito didn’t fare so well either, earning 46.33% of the vote in the runoff. That’s only a point higher than he received during the general election. Grieco seems to have picked up Dave Crystal’s supporters. Or as Crystal may fume, Grieco picked up his. (And his talking points, Crystal has said.)
Of course Levine’s figurehead-candidacy, money, and endorsements of most of his fellow Custin-Candidates played a big role in exposure and a call to action for voters towards the like-minded Malakoff and Grieco.
Levine did not endorse fellow Custin-Candidate Urquiza, nor included her in a publicized ‘friend-raiser.’ She told Newshole[DOT]info that she has never been part of a so-called slate or part of any Hispanic vs anti-Hispanic campaigning.
“I stand on my track record, service and experience,”said Urquiza.
Urquiza lost to Steinberg 46.94% to 53.06%.
