MIAMI (WSVN) - Six unions and employer associations threw their support behind Miami-Dade County mayoral candidate Rachel Regalado at a news conference, Thursday morning.
Regalado is running against the incumbent mayor, Carlos Gimenez, for the county’s highest elected office, on Aug. 30. With the election just over a month away, both campaigns have become more visible in recent weeks through endorsements and ads.
The Miami-Dade Police Benevolent Association, United Teachers of Dade, Transport Workers Union, Pets Trust Miami, South Florida Taxi Cab Association and doctors and healthcare providers of Jackson Memorial Hospital stood behind Regalado at a campaign press conference, Thursday, and outlined their reasons for endorsing her.
PBA President John Rivera said Regalado will put public safety first.
“I think that it is clear that in these days, we need a mayor who is going to put public safety before anything else,” Rivera said.
Regalado, a school board member and the daughter of City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, attacked her opponent, saying Gimenez has lowered the quality of life in South Florida.
“For five years, he has refused to take responsibility for how his negligence and inaction has resulted in lowering our quality of life,” Regalado said.
Gimenez released a new series of TV advertisements this week that focused on transit infrastructure.
“When I came from Cuba 50 years ago, Miami didn’t look like this,” Gimenez says in one ad. “By this time next year, new trains will be available to our residents.”
Gimenez has received endorsements from several political leaders, including two state representatives and the mayors of Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay and Florida City.
“I want to continue to be the mayor of Miami-Dade County, so we can continue to create the infrastructure the residents need to create a better quality of life,” Gimenez says in the ad.
Regalado and Gimenez are the current frontrunners. However, other candidates have entered the race. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote on Aug. 30, a run-off election will be held.
“I ask the residents of Miami-Dade County to let their voice be heard on August 30th,” Regalado said Thursday. “It’s about time that we have a government that actually represents us.”
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