Nelson Rodriguez said he decided to run for office for a second time because he wants to continue working on the initiatives, “I have started, such as improving traffic flow throughout the town, keeping our taxes low and protecting property values as well as our quality of life. I am committed to public service and have been a firefighter paramedic for 28 years,” he said.
Rodriguez, who has raised $13,931, said some of the issues he wants to address if reelected are traffic, getting an additional emergency rescue unit at the new fire station, supporting the town landing its own independent zip code, public safety, maintaining fiscal responsibility and keeping the tax rate low.
“I believe that as a Town Council, we have to work cohesively, respectfully, and productively with each other to reach our common goals for the residents of Miami Lakes,” Rodriguez said.
Xiomara Pazos, who has raised $5,100 for her campaign, said she decided to run for political office a second time because members of the Town Council seemed to be at odds most of the time.
She also said the Town Council is dominated by men.
“Our current Town Council has no diversity of thought or of any diversity of any kind,” she said. “It has no females and is an all male club. They all vote the same way and are not objective and do not keep an open mind. We need public officials who have an open mind and listen to the people and who have a vision.”
Pazos said residents told her they do not know the council members.
“They believe the current council is too influenced by special interests and big developers and the current council votes with big money interests and not the people,” she said.
Alex Dehghani said he decided to run for political office because he has a vested interest in the town’s future, including raising his children here.
“Given that I was raised here, I’ve seen the changes in Miami Lakes over the years,” he said. “I believe things can be better and should be. I know I can be an asset toward that future and I’m excited to prove it.”
If elected, Dehghani said he would like to address various issues.
“Unreasonable expenditures, the growing traffic at previously unheard of times, taking affirmative steps to address the Zika epidemic, and work with the police and the Town Council to propose legislation to ensure the installation of security cameras in homes to address the spike in home robberies in recent years,” he said.
Dehghani, who has raised $1,000, said voters are informing him about their views. “I value them greatly,” he said. “Their views make up my platform and I’m excited for the opportunity to take on those issues on their behalf,” he said.
He said residents are frustrated with the amount of money that has been spent on the mayor’s lawsuits regarding his legal bills from his reinstatement and criminal cases.
But their biggest concern is the Zika virus.
“There are pregnant women and families who live near our lakes and canals that are genuinely frightened of being bitten by a mosquito carrying the Zika virus. Our residents are speaking loud and clear – and we have to listen to them.”