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Mayoral
candidate Raphael Herman. Photo by George Barreiro/firedogphoto.com |
Are you a
Miami Beach
resident or shop owner
looking for a free wireless hookup? Are you willing to
let strangers technologically pimp out your domicile or
place of business?
If the answer is yes to any
of these questions, Murmurs has good news for you: The city of
Miami Beach is seeking residents and business owners who are
willing to test out the brand-spanking-new WiFi Miami Beach
network. The best part: “No computer needed and no assembly
required,” declared a city of Miami Beach press release.
The homes and businesses must
be located within Miami Beach’s city boundaries and below the
third floor of a building. The city will select 40 volunteer
locations for a brief, 15-minute test.
Besides being the first
people to have access to Miami Beach’s free WiFi network,
created by Wireless-Nets, Ltd. and IBM, volunteers will receive
free gifts. To find out more, visit www.miamibeachfl.gov.
Miami
Beach Money Race
How
much money can a politician raise in less than two weeks?
To answer
that, Murmurs decided to list how much money the 11 Miami Beach
mayoral and commission candidates raised or loaned to their
campaigns between Sept. 15 and Sept. 28 and how much
their campaigns raised in total thus far, according to the city
clerk’s office.
Group
4 Commission Candidates
-
Luis Salom:
$5,715 and $1,000 “in-kind.” Total campaign account:
$191,238.10.
-
Jonah Wolfson:
$8666.86. Total campaign account: $168,049.98.
Group
5 Commission Candidates
- Ed
Tobin: $5,450 and
$1,100 “in-kind.” Total campaign account: $110,425.
-
Incumbent Commissioner Michael Gongora: $11,000. Total
campaign account: $174,146.29.
Group
6 Commission Candidates
-
Linda Grosz:
$950. Total campaign account: $47,325.
-
Elsa Urquiza:
$1,000. Total campaign account: $67,745.
-
Frank Kruszewski:
$1050. Total campaign account: $56,185.
-
Deede Weithorn:
$6,000. Total campaign account: $81,873.
Mayoral Candidates
-
William “Bill” Smatt:
None. Total campaign account: $2,500.
-
Commissioner Simon Cruz: $1,300. Total campaign
account: $305,629.48.
-
Commissioner Matti Herrera Bower: $2,365. Total
campaign account: $51,506.
-
Raphael Herman:
$477,000. Total campaign account: $4.3 million.
We should
note that Herman loaned that $477,000 to his campaign account
and then promptly repaid those funds to himself as an
expenditure. In fact, Herman, a real estate broker and former
Israeli commando who often speaks of fighting corruption and
Hezbollah cells lurking in Miami Beach, claims to have loaned
his campaign all $4.3 million, which, of course, he already
repaid to his personal account.
So far,
Beach candidates have raised more than $1.6 million. If
you count the amount Herman loans and repays himself, they have
raised $5.9 million.
Miami
Money Race
Miami
also is having a Nov. 6 election, in which seven
candidates are running for three commission seats (and annual
base salaries of more than $50,000).
Again, we
wanted to know which of these candidates raised the most cash in
the last filing period, from July 1 to Sept. 28. Here’s how they
fared:
District 1 Commissioner
-
Incumbent commissioner Angel Gonzalez: $74,650. Total
campaign account: $421,855.
-
Challenger Mike Suarez: $14,560—total campaign account:
$73,358.
District 2 Commissioner
- Ray
Castillo (entered
the race Sept. 22): No funds reported.
-
Ellen Brickley
(entered the race Sept. 19): None. Total campaign account:
$200.
-
Incumbent Commissioner Marc Sarnoff: $214,778. Total
campaign account: $264,713.
District 4 Commissioner
-
Challenger Evaristo Marina: $1,590. Total campaign
account: $3,010.
-
Incumbent Commissioner Tomas Regalado: $33,200. Total
campaign account: $63,180.
So far,
Miami candidates have raised a total of $826.316.
Campaign reports for the period covering Sept. 29 through
Oct. 12 are due Nov. 1.
Craving Chinese
When the
lights dimmed at the 70-year-old Fu Manchu restaurant in
Miami Beach a little over a year ago, North
Beach lost more than an excuse for take out. Another
Miami Beach institution had
bit the dust. Sure, it had been years since the likes of
Charles Boyer and Dean Martin picked up a set of
chopsticks there, but the Cuban-influenced Chinese cuisine was
still a favorite with longtime residents.
Now
Murmurs has learned that a different Beach institution,
Yeung’s Chinese, has purchased Fu Manchu’s former home on 71st
Street.
Though a
few decades shy of Fu Manchu’s reign, Yeung’s Chinese has been
serving up their Cantonese and Mandarin staples since
1982 with good reason — the tempting aromas wafting across 41st
Street do not lie. With Yeung’s flavors and Fu Manchu’s lovely
atmosphere, Murmurs simply will have to renew its gym
membership.
Yeung’s
Chinese’s owners, Chung Yin Ng and Johana de la Paz, are
renovating the old Fu Manchu spot and expect to open by Dec. 1.
Comments?
E-mail
letters@miamisunpost.com. |
