Diaz-Balart campaign resorts to lies and red-baiting
Progreso
Semanal in the middle of latest attempt to sully Raul Martinez
Almost
28 years ago, the City of Hialeah was on the brink of bankruptcy. The
event I most remember was a special Thursday night council meeting in
Hialeah. The pressing problem was how to pay the more than 1,000 city
employees (including the many police and fire personnel) the
following day.
In
the council chambers that evening sat Angel Fernandez Varela. He was
there representing the area’s most important bank, First National
Bank of Greater Miami. Seated at the dais that night with other
members of the Hialeah city council was a young and promising
councilmember, Raul Martinez.
Al’s
Loupe Read Spanish Version
Diaz-Balart
campaign resorts to lies and red-baiting
Progreso
Semanal in the middle of latest attempt to sully Raul Martinez
By
Alvaro F. Fernandez
alfernandez@the-beach.net
Almost
28 years ago, the City of Hialeah was on the brink of bankruptcy. The
event I most remember was a special Thursday night council meeting in
Hialeah. The pressing problem was how to pay the more than 1,000 city
employees (including the many police and fire personnel) the
following day.
In
the council chambers that evening sat Angel Fernandez Varela. He was
there representing the area’s most important bank, First National
Bank of Greater Miami. Seated at the dais that night with other
members of the Hialeah city council was a young and promising
councilmember, Raul Martinez. It was one year before Martinez would
win a hard-fought battle to become mayor of Miami-Dade’s second
largest city — fifth largest in the state.
Earlier,
Councilman Martinez had visited banker Fernandez Varela seeking
solutions to the city’s economic woes. They had reached an
agreement that would end up being beneficial to the city, and down
the line to a bank whose name would change to Consolidated Bank. The
reason for Fernandez Varela’s presence at the meeting was to assure
council approval of a loan to the city solving the immediate problem.
The
story is longer and more complicated. Any person who worked for
Hialeah during that period will never forget the packed chamber full
of city employees facing the possibility of not getting paid that
Friday. I thought it was important to remind those who’ve
forgotten, that Raul Martinez, then a Hialeah councilmember, and
Angel Fernandez Varela (both with great help from many others) are
responsible for saving the city from an imminent bankruptcy and
eventual takeover by the state.
Known
to many who read this column, Angel Fernandez Varela was my father.
And the reason I’m looking back is because of a small “throwaway
newspaper”, Ultima
Noticia
or Latest News, which was mailed last week to homes around Miami-Dade
County in the Lincoln Diaz-Balart congressional district. The
politically motivated flyer is composed of trash and innuendo.
Another futile attempt to tie Raul Martinez to corrupt schemes. It
also adds another factor which used to work so well in this town —
red baiting.
Surprisingly,
I found myself prominently mentioned in almost every page. Also
featured was Progreso Semanal, our Spanish version. I would like to
express my thanks to whoever published this trash. I’ve always
appreciated free publicity — good or bad.
Ultima
Noticia
tried to create a corrupt and embroiled picture of Raul and my
father’s friendship during that period of time. What they failed to
mention is that it became a very positive relationship based on
respect which benefitted both the bank and the city. The deal was
simple: the bank would gamble and bankroll the city in its time of
need. In return, the city’s bank accounts would be held by First
National Bank later to become Consolidated Bank.
What
it means…
Lincoln
Diaz-Balart and his re-election campaign fear Raul Martinez. They
should. They just can’t figure out how to attack Raul. So they’ve
settled on lies. They are also trying to tie him to the 50-year-old
bogey man — the “commies” they create and then hide behind every
bush in Miami. The problem there, though, South Floridians are tiring
of the same old rhetoric from politicians who then ignore our real
problems: lack of good jobs, people losing their homes, a declining
quality of life, deteriorating schools and a faltering educational
system, no health care insurance… Need I say more?
Lincoln
has done little for his District 21 constituents. So he resorts to
lies — to the point of attacking the relationship between a dead man
who can’t answer back and Raul Martinez. And the coward that
Lincoln is refuses to debate Raul. (The Miami Herald recently
announced that a debate has been scheduled before the Greater Miami
Chamber of Commerce. We’ll see if Lincoln shows up — he has missed
scheduled debates in the recent past.)
As
for Raul Martinez, he is probably the most capable politician in
South Florida. One who not only saved his city from bankruptcy, but
who can now look back at a Hialeah that, because of his great
influence and hard work, has prospered and runs as smoothly as any in
all of South Florida.
