Rick Dean
Registered
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/9008380.htm?
Posted on Fri, Jun. 25, 2004
MEEK, LEFT, CANCELA, RIGHT
POLITICS
I can't be bought, Meek says
BY OSCAR CORRAL
ocorral@herald.com
She's being paid $10,000 for consulting by a candidate she endorsed, but former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek says she is insulted that anyone would imply her endorsement was for sale.
Her reaction came aft
r county mayoral candidate Miguel Diaz de la Portilla this week criticized opponents who tout ''paid for'' endorsements from black leaders as part of their campaigns.
Meek has endo
rsed businessman Jose Cancela, a relative unknown in local politics, for county mayor. Cancela's latest campaign finance reports show he paid Meek
$5,000 on Feb. 16, then again on March 10. She endorsed Cancela publicly weeks before and said she would be a paid consultant in the late stages of his campaign.
Meek conceded that the question about her endorsement was legitimate. But she said there is nothing wrong with being a paid consultant who also happens to endorse someone. She said other candidates also offered to hire her, but she chose Cancela because he is the only candidate who can bring people together.
She said she advises Cancela on policy issues, and has made ''several'' campaign appearances on his behalf. Any implication that she sold her endorsement is
sickening, she said.
''It's deeply offensive and insulting,'' Meek said in a telephone interview Thursday evening. ``Anyone who makes an inference about any black consultant,
and I am one of many, is playing racial politics and that person must be desperate.''
COMPETITION
Diaz de la Portilla's speech at the Caleb Center in Liberty City and his atta
ck on other candidates' endorsements illustrate the political war brewing among mayoral candidates to gain support among black voters.
Four of the five major candidates for mayor are Cuban American. The other is Puerto Rican. Analysts say that with the Cuban vote split among candidates, the one with the most support from non-Hispanic whites and blacks could make it into a runoff.
''We're not coming here with any paid endorsements,'' Diaz de la Portilla said. ``That's disrespectful to people's integrity and to themselves.''
Although Diaz de la Portilla w
ould not mention names when asked for specifics, his supporters named as examples Cancela and Commissioner Jimmy Morales, who recently received an endorsement from Rev. Richard Dunn. According to th
e most recent campaign finance reports, Morales has paid Dunn at least $23,000 for ``consulting.''
''Miguel needs to stop being a crybaby,'' Dunn said. ``This is American politics 101. I'm a political consultant.''
In te
rms of political muscle, few politicians can match Meek, who retired from Congress with a stellar reputation and is highly respected around South Florida and the nation.
Cancela scoffed at the idea that he paid for Meek's endorsement. ''For anyone to imply that Carrie Meek can be bought is really outrageous,'' Cancela said. ``This is a woman of honor. . . . I've known Carrie all the way back to when I chaired the Public Health Trust.''
COMPENSATION
Cancela said Meek works hard for his campaign
and should be properly compensated. ''She is giving us a lot of insight into the overall county and pointing us in the right direction in the black community,'' he said. ``She i
s part of our leadership team and strategy meetings.''
Morales said no endorsement is worth $23,000 and that Dunn endorsed him in his 1996 and 2000 campaigns for free. He said Dunn has worked hard on his campaign, introducing him to black ministers around the county, many of whom have eventually endorsed him
. ''I hired him to help me do work in the black community,'' Morales said. ``It's not like his endorsement is something that makes or breaks the campaign.''
Diaz de la Portilla's comments came Wednesday when he introduced a 28-point plan to tackle issues in Miami-Dade's black community. He said that none of the blacks who were endorsing him were getting paid to do so.
His speech came a few days after a political consultant for his campaign, Fred B
alsera, said that a ''divide and conquer'' strategy was the only way to make it into the runoff in such a crowded field of candidates.
Some community activists who att
ended his presentation said they were upset about ``paid endorsements.''
''Any endorsement from people who claim to be black leaders and money is involved is an embarrassment,'' said Chris Norwood, a youth activist who attended Diaz de la Portilla's speech. ``Your judgment is paid.''
Posted on Fri, Jun. 25, 2004
MEEK, LEFT, CANCELA, RIGHT
POLITICS
I can't be bought, Meek says
BY OSCAR CORRAL
ocorral@herald.com
She's being paid $10,000 for consulting by a candidate she endorsed, but former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek says she is insulted that anyone would imply her endorsement was for sale.
Her reaction came aft
r county mayoral candidate Miguel Diaz de la Portilla this week criticized opponents who tout ''paid for'' endorsements from black leaders as part of their campaigns.
Meek has endo
rsed businessman Jose Cancela, a relative unknown in local politics, for county mayor. Cancela's latest campaign finance reports show he paid Meek
$5,000 on Feb. 16, then again on March 10. She endorsed Cancela publicly weeks before and said she would be a paid consultant in the late stages of his campaign.
Meek conceded that the question about her endorsement was legitimate. But she said there is nothing wrong with being a paid consultant who also happens to endorse someone. She said other candidates also offered to hire her, but she chose Cancela because he is the only candidate who can bring people together.
She said she advises Cancela on policy issues, and has made ''several'' campaign appearances on his behalf. Any implication that she sold her endorsement is
sickening, she said.
''It's deeply offensive and insulting,'' Meek said in a telephone interview Thursday evening. ``Anyone who makes an inference about any black consultant,
and I am one of many, is playing racial politics and that person must be desperate.''
COMPETITION
Diaz de la Portilla's speech at the Caleb Center in Liberty City and his atta
ck on other candidates' endorsements illustrate the political war brewing among mayoral candidates to gain support among black voters.
Four of the five major candidates for mayor are Cuban American. The other is Puerto Rican. Analysts say that with the Cuban vote split among candidates, the one with the most support from non-Hispanic whites and blacks could make it into a runoff.
''We're not coming here with any paid endorsements,'' Diaz de la Portilla said. ``That's disrespectful to people's integrity and to themselves.''
Although Diaz de la Portilla w
ould not mention names when asked for specifics, his supporters named as examples Cancela and Commissioner Jimmy Morales, who recently received an endorsement from Rev. Richard Dunn. According to th
e most recent campaign finance reports, Morales has paid Dunn at least $23,000 for ``consulting.''
''Miguel needs to stop being a crybaby,'' Dunn said. ``This is American politics 101. I'm a political consultant.''
In te
rms of political muscle, few politicians can match Meek, who retired from Congress with a stellar reputation and is highly respected around South Florida and the nation.
Cancela scoffed at the idea that he paid for Meek's endorsement. ''For anyone to imply that Carrie Meek can be bought is really outrageous,'' Cancela said. ``This is a woman of honor. . . . I've known Carrie all the way back to when I chaired the Public Health Trust.''
COMPENSATION
Cancela said Meek works hard for his campaign
and should be properly compensated. ''She is giving us a lot of insight into the overall county and pointing us in the right direction in the black community,'' he said. ``She i
s part of our leadership team and strategy meetings.''
Morales said no endorsement is worth $23,000 and that Dunn endorsed him in his 1996 and 2000 campaigns for free. He said Dunn has worked hard on his campaign, introducing him to black ministers around the county, many of whom have eventually endorsed him
. ''I hired him to help me do work in the black community,'' Morales said. ``It's not like his endorsement is something that makes or breaks the campaign.''
Diaz de la Portilla's comments came Wednesday when he introduced a 28-point plan to tackle issues in Miami-Dade's black community. He said that none of the blacks who were endorsing him were getting paid to do so.
His speech came a few days after a political consultant for his campaign, Fred B
alsera, said that a ''divide and conquer'' strategy was the only way to make it into the runoff in such a crowded field of candidates.
Some community activists who att
ended his presentation said they were upset about ``paid endorsements.''
''Any endorsement from people who claim to be black leaders and money is involved is an embarrassment,'' said Chris Norwood, a youth activist who attended Diaz de la Portilla's speech. ``Your judgment is paid.''