The race for key council seats for the Town of Cutler Bay is still on and the campaigning is just hitting its stride, but even though the election isn’t until November one candidate has already won. The candidate qualifying period for the 2014 municipal election ran from July 25 through August 8. That means that no other candidates may enter the race at this point, and since Roger Coriat is unopposed for Council Member Seat 3 he is therefore considered “elected” according to Town Clerk Debra Eastman, who handles the town’s election details.
Roger Coriat is currently a member of the town’s Education Advisory Committee, which makes sense as he is an Adjunct Instructor in the Social Sciences Department at Miami-Dade College, Kendall Campus, and a former teacher in the Social Studies Departments of both John A Ferguson Senior High School and Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High School. Coriat has a Master of Arts in History from the University of Miami.
This isn’t the first time a candidate for Seat 3 has run unopposed. Peggy Bell, who currently holds that job, also ran unopposed. She’s now running for the Office of Mayor in the coming election, as is Art Nanni, so you can expect to see them both on the stump in the coming months. Also qualifying by the deadline date are incumbent Mary Ann Mixon and challenger Ed Wolmers, who are vying for the Council Member Seat 1 job.
While on the subject of the elections, we hear from Steve Zarzecki, president of The Concerned Citizens of Cutler Bay, a non-profit civic organization, that they’ll host the third of their four Candidate Forums on Tuesday, September 2, from 7-9 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the Cutler Ridge United Methodist Church, 20740 Old Cutler Road.
This one brings together all the candidates for Cutler Bay Town Council to discuss the issues and answer questions, so if you want to get to know any of them better or sound them out on issues that are important to you, this is a great opportunity to do so. Steve says, “Admission is free. Coffee and Donuts will be served. All are welcome.” For more info, call Steve at 305-255-4351.
Here’s an issue most everyone should be able to agree on, kids and reading. The Read to Learn Books for Free initiative in Miami-Dade County is being championed by The Center for Literature and Theater at Miami-Dade College and The Children’s Trust. The program aims to have all children in the county reading at or above grade level by third grade by making books accessible to children through strategically placed bookshelves filled with new and gently used age appropriate books in highly visited locations, such as government agencies, low income housing sites and health clinics, to name a few.
“During the second quarter of 2014 alone Read to Learn Books for Free delivered more than 25,857 books to children in need, but our supplies are running low and we need more!” says Lissette Mendez of MDC. “That’s why we are launching a virtual book drive, making it easy for companies, families and individuals to contribute books for the shelves. We need your help!”
There are far too few books available to youngsters in lower income communities, and the folks in the program are in the process of adding five new bookshelves to be placed in different Women, Infants and Children (WIC) centers. To support Read to Learn Books for Free, visit their webpage at www.thecenteratmdc.org/readtolearn/bookstore.html, or send an email to Lissette.Mendez@mdc.edu, or call her at 305-237-3298.
Thought of the Day:
Not to engage in the pursuit of ideas is to live like ants instead of like men.
— Mortimer Adler
Gary Alan Ruse contributed to this column.
Got any tips? Contact me at 305-669- 7355, ext. 249, or send emails to Michael@communitynewspapers.com.
