Hialeah, Florida mayoral election, 2013

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2013 Hialeah mayoral election
Election dates
Primary election: November 5, 2013 General election: November 19, 2013
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor, city council
Total seats up: 3 (click here for other city elections)
Election type: Nonpartisan

The city of Hialeah held a mayoral election on November 5, 2013. A general election on November 19 was not required after incumbent mayor Carlos Hernandez won more than 80 percent of the vote in the primary to win re-election.

Candidates

Primary

The following candidates appeared on the November 5, 2013, primary ballot.

• Carlos Hernandez Incumbent
• Julio J. Martinez Former mayor
• Juan Santana

Election results

Mayor of Hialeah, Florida, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Carlos Hernandez Incumbent	81.2%	14,823
	Nonpartisan	Julio Martinez	15.7%	2,864
	Nonpartisan	Juana Santana	3.1%	566
Total Votes				18,253
Source: Miami Dade County Board of Elections

Relevant issues

Bond rating

In October 2013, Fitch Ratings lowered the City of Hialeah bond rating from "A" to "A-." The city's unlimited tax general obligation was lowered from "A+" to "A." The city's Rating Outlook was changed from "Stable" to "Negative." According to the Fitch report, Hialeah's defined benefit pension plans were 69 percent funded with an unfunded liability of $227 million, as of October 2012. However, Fitch calculated the fund as 62 percent funded if a rate of return of 7 percent was used.

Sunshine law

In early October 2013, mayoral candidate Julio Martinez released a video showing the seven city council officials leaving Mayor Hernandez's office two hours prior to a city council meeting. Martinez suggested this indicated a violation of Florida's Sunshine Law, which prohibits private meetings between officials on public matters. Hernandez denied any violations, stating, "I am a strong mayor. I don't vote so I have the right to meet with my council members individually. They have the right to meet with my chief of staff, to meet with the budget director."

Pensions

One key issue that came up in this election was the reform of pensions for city officials. Prior to the election, elected council members were given a pension after they reach the age of 55 and if they have completed 12 years or more of service on the city council. A ballot measure putting an end to this pension plan for future candidates and requiring voter approval for any future changes in city official pension plans was approved on November 5, 2013.

Mayoral candidate Juan Santana said of the referendum, "They don't have money anymore. They're gutting the pension fund because it can't be funded anymore. But they're making it seem as if they were doing something heroic, of their own choice."

Baseball fields

Mayoral candidate Juan Santana videos city of Hialeah baseball fields that are locked. Note: The video is in Spanish.

One issue in the city was the handling of seven public baseball fields. In 2011, Mayor Carlos Hernandez signed a deal with former Major League Baseball player Orlando Hernandez, allowing him exclusive rights to operate a for-profit baseball academy on public fields. Some community members said that the baseball fields were often locked, despite being maintained with public funds. Other residents maintained that the fields remained open. More than 100 citizens attended a September 24 city council meeting to discuss access to Babcock Park, one of the affected fields.

Endorsements

The Miami Herald recommended incumbent Carlos Hernandez in an editorial on October 7, 2013.

Election history

2011

On November 15, 2011, Hernandez defeated former mayor Raul Martinez.

Mayor of Hialeah, Florida, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Carlos Hernandez Incumbent	60.9%	19,055
	Nonpartisan	Raul Martinez	39.1%	12,239
Total Votes				31,294

About Hialeah

According to the 2012 U.S. Census estimate, Hialeah is the 88th largest city with a population of 231,941. There are seven city council members who are all elected to at-large districts. The city is a mayor-council form of government. The mayor earns a salary of $150,000 and has an annual expense account of $40,000. As of July 2013, the unemployment rate in Hialeah was 9.9 percent.

See also

• Hialeah city council elections, 2013
• City of Hialeah Pension Reform Charter Amendment Question (November 2013)

External links

• City of Hialeah Home Page
• Carlos Hernandez Twitter Page

Additional reading

• Miami Herald, "Hialeah City Council op-ed," October 8, 2013
• NBC Miami, "Serious allegiations made against seven members of Hialeah City Council," October 10, 2013
• Miami Herald, "Three candidates for mayor in Hialeah," August 2, 2013 (dead link)
• Miami New Times, "Hialeah's Carlos Hernandez: Next mayor to jail?" October 10, 2013