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Nov 4, 2009 5:44 pm US/Eastern
Regalado Hits The Ground Running After Election
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MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Newly elected Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado speaks with reporters at his campaign headquarters on election night.
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The party balloons have come down and now the reality check is setting in. On the day after his election victory, Miami mayor-elect Tomas Regalado hit the ground running.
He met with city manager Pete Hernandez to talk about union pension costs. Those costs threaten to bankrupt the city Regalado will lead upon officially assuming his duties as mayor on November 11th. After his meeting Regalado said, "We just planned a forum on pensions, a public forum on pensions for November 16th."
There will not be any solutions that day, but Regalado figures the unions and Miami residents need to understand the scope of the crisis – a $100 million pension obligation – that already eats up more than 20 percent of the city budget.
"Pensions are the main issue," said the city manager.
In a low turnout election, Regalado swept to an easy win over opponent and fellow commissioner Joe Sanchez, in part because of union support. Getting those unions to trim their pension benefits will be very hard. Miami Police FOP president Armando Aguilar said, "I don't think there needs to be any reduction in benefits. There are other ways of saving money."
Tensions could build elsewhere too. Regalado sees the city manager as a staunch ally of outgoing mayor Manny Diaz. He spearheaded support for the Marlins stadium in Little Havana and other big ticket downtown projects that Regalado opposed.
CBS4's Michael Williams asked if the city manager will keep his job. Regalado responded, "It's a very difficult decision because I don't know what has been going on in the city, and I hope he (Pete Hernandez) can explain it to me."
Hernandez sounded an optimistic note. He told
Williams, "We talk well and respect each other and can be a good team." That may be so, but sparks will certainly fly over Miami Police Chief John Timoney. Regalado wants him gone, criticizing the chief for ethics lapses and perceived leadership failings. There was no response from Timoney's office as this story was being published.
This much is certain: Regalado will need all the stamina he can find as he copes with issues: budgets, personalities and otherwise, in the political marathon now before him.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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