It appears that Alex Rizo will run unopposed for re-election this November as no other candidate has qualified against the incumbent Republican. Rizo did not face a primary challenge for the August primaries and no candidates entered the race under the Democrat party.
By all accounts, Rizo has done a nice job as our Florida House Representative from District 112. However, something doesn’t feel right when candidates get a free ride for re-election without a challenger. Call me old fashioned, but it just feels un-American.
Last week, we shared how Natalie Milian Orbis will serve a four year term as Miami-Dade County Commissioner without ever earning a single vote from the public. She was appointed to the Commission by the Miami-Dade County Commission and then ran unopposed. Again, it doesn’t mean she’s doing a bad job. But shouldn’t our representatives actually earn our votes?
At least in Rizo’s case, he won our votes two years ago with a resounding victory.
As for Commissioner Orbis, she’s not the only one who got a free pass. Five Miami-Dade County Commissioners were decided without a public vote.
What? Are we that happy with Miami-Dade County government and how they spend their annual $12.9 BILLION budget?
Do we have an incumbent problem where the odds of beating a seating incumbent is so low, people decide not to run?
Again, I’m not being critical of any politician enjoying a free ride to office. I’m just calling it un-American when residents don’t get a chance to get out and vote.
The politicians will argue that residents love them so much, nobody wanted to run against them. That’s the exception and not the rule. When 5 county commissioners all get a free ride, you know we’ve got a problem.
Do good people fail to run due to all the new financial disclosure forms? Do good people fail to run considering all the fundraising that’s required? Orbis had announced over $1 Million raised for a campaign that won’t happen. (Makes you wonder what happens to the money raised when it’s not used?)
We want to congratulate Rizo and wish him the best as he continues to represent our community.
We also want you to think about the number of candidates getting a free ride. If this pattern continues, it’s not an example of good governance. It’s a threat to representative governance.
What do you think?
