Two New Faces on The County Commission.

District 8 and District 2 County Commissioners were sworn in today. Jean Monestime will replace Dorrin Rolle in District 2 and Lynda Bell will replace Katy Sorenson in District 8.

We hope to have a good working relationship with both County Commissioners.

County Elections

There will be two run-off elections in November in District 2 and District 8. Commissioner Dorrin Rolle is running against Jean Monestime in District 2 and Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn is running against former Homestead Mayor Lynda Bell in an open seat.

We ask all of our members to vote in these elections if you live in the districts and consider funding the candidate of your choice even if you live out of the district. The County Commission makes important decisions for all of us.

UEL Candidate's Forum, District 8 County Commissioner

The UEL Keepsake Program For June 16th Event

We wanted to remind you that we have a program for County Commissioner Katy Sorenson's dinner where you may post your good wishes. If you are interested in finding out more about the program email us as uelinfo@bellsouth.net and we will send you the PDF with all the info.

The UEL Candidates Forum Video Clips From May 19th Dinner

This is the link to the first of the 10 video clips of the UEL candidate's forum for District 8.

Photos of the Candidates from the District 8 Forum Dinner. By Fran Bohnsack

As soon as we get the video of the event, we will post the link online. We want to thank all the candidates for their participation. Here are the County Commission District 8 candidates in no particular order :

Pam Gray

Jason Culler.

Eugene Flinn

Albert Harum-Alvarez

Daniel Marmorstein

Annette Taddeo

Lynda Bell. Unfortunately, our photo of Lynda Bell did not come out, so we borrowed one from the web.

The UEL Dinner May 19th: District 8 Forum.

7 of the 8 candidates for the County Commission District 8 seat were at the UEL dinner last night and over 100 listeners were there to hear them. We now know how they stand on term limits, the strong mayor and other issues important to us all. We will be posting their photos tomorrow and the video will be on Youtube as soon as we can get it up there.

Here are the questions the candidates were given (there wasn't time for them all):

Questions may include:

1. Many planning studies have recommended that development - including higher density development - be concentrated along transit corridors. What is your approach to this issue and how would you balance local concerns with the demand for higher density? (Some of these studies can be found on the Department of Planning and Zoning web site.

2. Miami Dade has a long and proud history of agriculture - providing fresh produce to the nation during the winter. What do you think is the future of agriculture in the County? What policies would you recommend?

3. Despite the amount of rainfall we receive, the County is facing real problems with assuring potable water in the future. What do you perceive as the biggest problem with water supply? What policies would you support?

4. Many see redevelopment and higher density development as incompatible with neighborhood preservation and community identity. Do you agree? What policies would you support to move your ideas forward?

5. Miami Dade is sometimes viewed as an aggregate of fragmented communities and cities - rather than as a region with a common vision and goal. How do you see the relationship of cities and the County? What - if any - policies or programs would you support to overcome fragmentation?

6. At the moment, the County is facing serious fiscal challenges. Often governments respond by cutting vulnerable services such as park and recreation budgets and funding for maintenance of natural areas. What principles would you use to prioritize revenues and expenditures in the face of declining property tax revenues?

7. There is increased discussion of governance issues such as term limits, whether or not to retain a strong mayor - or to strengthen the role of the mayor; the need for additional commission districts - possibly including some at-large districts, the role - and independence - of advisory boards. What is your opinion of these issues?

UEL Board Member, Albert Harum-Alvarez is running for office!

We were surprised when we read it in the Miami Herald yesterday:

Now, more fresh faces are starting to pop up. For Sorenson's seat, they include Homestead businesswoman Pam Gray, Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn and software-design consultant Albert Harum-Alvarez.

If you haven't heard of these people, it's not because they've been making themselves scarce. Harum-Alvarez, for example, has been active in a wide range of community issues for more than a decade. Among other things, he helped plan the concept for a downtown Kendall.

A SERIOUS REALITY

``I've been doing community work for free for 15 years,'' he says, ``so a $6,000 [commissioner's] salary would be a raise for me.''

Harum-Alvarez, who has yet to file the paperwork to run for Sorenson's seat, is joking, but he represents a serious reality: talented local leaders -- from municipal mayors to community activists -- rarely have a realistic shot at a county-wide platform.

We wish Albert well and the other candidates in the race.