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Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber may rue the day he succeeded Phil Levine.
Spring break revelers, with two years of pent-up desires and emotions, have descended on Miami Beach with fervor.
This year, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the crowds have been, to put it politely unruly. The citizens are up in arms and want the Mayor to do something to get the situation under control. At the same time, the hoteliers and bar owners are afraid that a crackdown will drive away the business they’ve waited a year for.
Now the City has closed off the causeway at night and imposed a curfew earlier than any summer camp in the Catskills. And, at a time that calls out for bold leadership, the best that Gelber could do was to plead with the crowds to “party responsibly.” What? Are you kidding me?
It is not the easiest of times that test the mettle of leaders, be they President, Governor, or a Mayor. It is when a crisis erupts that leadership either comes forward or stands shivering in the shadows.
Gelber is showing us where he stands and it’s not good, but inexperience isn’t an excuse.
Being the Alcalde of Miami Beach isn’t his first political rodeo. He represented Miami Beach in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008. Term limited in the House, he ran for the Florida Senate in 2008 and won. But the allure of higher office called.
Gelber cut short his Senate term by running for Attorney General in 2010. There was talk that he’d be the logical candidate for Governor in 2014. He was beaten by Pam Bondi by over 13 points. For most politicians, a statewide drubbing like that would have resulted in a permanent withdrawal from political life.
But not our Dan.
He retreated to Miami Beach. It’s no surprise. His father, Seymour Gelber, served as Miami Beach Mayor from 1991 to 1997. The end of the Phil Levine era in City Hall meant a new political age could dawn for Dan.
Gelber was elected mayor of Miami Beach in November 2017 with 82 percent of the vote over three other candidates. His main competitor, former commissioner Michael Grieco, withdrew from the election and eventually resigned from office amid a campaign finance scandal. Gelber was reelected in November 2019 without opposition.
So, everything must be going right for Dan Gelber, right?
Wrong.
Although the Mayor of Miami Beach only has the power to preside over City Commission meetings, Phil Levine through bombast and bluff, elevated the office in the minds of the voters. The City Manager runs the town on a day-to-day basis, but Levine was quick to take credit for even the smallest accomplishments, even when almost all of them were not his own.
Gelber followed the same pattern as Levine, positioning himself as the “go-to guy” when things were going good. The danger in building yourself a throne is that when things go wrong, you’re left in the hot seat.
And right now, Gelber could use a pair of asbestos shorts.
