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Just minutes after the election, the vote for President remains unfinished. However, the ballots in Palmetto Bay have been counted and, in a surprise, Steve Cody has beaten incumbent David Singer for the District 2 Village Council Seat.
This race has been closely watched in our offices. Both my brother Michael and I know Steve and David and we both consider them both to be friends. Early in the race, we decided to give our first “un-dorsement”. We weren’t going to endorse either Cody or Singer.
Michael couldn’t hold back. He wrote a piece that described David as “confrontational”, that he was prone to “bullying”, that he had a problem with his temper, and that he needed to change. Singer embraced that as endorsement. My brother never clarified, but in a later interview with Singer, Michael said that if he lived in Palmetto Bay, he would vote for David.
My brother couldn’t cast a vote for either Cody or Singer, but the people of Palmetto Bay let their feelings be known. Cody, who lost a foot to an infection in the early summer, couldn’t campaign door-to-door. But then, with the COVID-19 outbreak still simmering across the nation, no candidate could.
Instead of knocking on doors, Cody used everything he’d learned working on campaigns since 1972. He and his campaign manager, Pedro Diaz of Diaz Campaigns, plotted several scenarios — a series of “what ifs” — depending on how much they could raise. Armed with less than $10,000, they carefully planned their voter outreach.
They did phone banking, reaching out first to voters who had requested absentee ballots. They followed up with texts to people who had early voted in the last couple of elections. They sent out three mailers to chase an ever-shrinking group of voters who hadn’t yet come forward. Steve used social media to contact voters in Palmetto Bay. Cody even got ahold of Singer’s email list and, with that, and other lists he obtained, sent out a series of emails that cast a withering eye on Singer’s behavior in office, his temperament, and his support for developers anxious to build higher and higher.
Singer sent out a couple of mail pieces, including one with a picture of his youngest son taken several years ago. He tried to use social media, but we’re aware of reports that his Facebook ads ended up on the screens of people in the Roads section of the City of Miami, in North Miami, and Aventura. Targeting your message to just the people who can vote for you is the central idea of campaigning. It’s one that Singer seems to have forgotten.
The most interesting feature of the contest between Cody and Singer is how Cody managed to put Singer on the defensive. That didn’t seem likely when qualifying closed and the two were the only candidates in the race.
Singer quickly blasted out with everything a background search on Cody could reveal. Some of the attacks were silly. Cody had gotten a number of tickets for driving without his license on him over 45 years of driving, charges that were all eventually dismissed. One was serious. Seven years ago, Cody was given a one-year suspension by the Florida Bar.
Cody’s met all the criteria for reinstatement, but hasn’t filed for it yet. Having lost his wife last summer, Steve has told me that he’s unsure he wants to return to practicing law or try to do something new and different with his life. I hope that he does go back to the law. When he practiced, Steve was a champion for the little guy. We need that now more than ever.
Throughout the campaign, Cody posted and emailed a series of videos. It’s the same thing he’s been doing for other candidates for years. Each one pulled Singer off balance, forcing him to respond. It gave Cody the upper hand in the messaging war.
Now, Cody can put his feet …well, his foot up and relax. He’s earned it.
But soon, a whole new world awaits. Cody’s not due to be sworn in until early December. He’ll need that time to meet with the new Village Manager, Nick Marano, and the town’s staff. He’ll need to become familiar with the town code and especially its zoning ordinances.
Most importantly, he’ll need to reach out to the Village residents, both those that supported him together with those that supported Singer, to find out how to make Palmetto Bay a better place to live.
So, relax for now, Mr. Cody, because when tomorrow ends, it’s time to get to work.
