Did you know that Deede Weithorn has a fabulous dog called Skippy? I didn’t, and neither did you, presumably, as this fact us about as newsworthy as a leaf falling from a tree in Timbuktu. However, it is this very fact that Deede Weithorn has chosen to blast out to residents in Miami Beach in anticipation of the upcoming commissioner election. She markets herself in big, bold, pink and mauve “Deede W” letters with the slogan of “Our fiscal watchdog” underneath. And right next to this statement is a family portrait with her husband, 2 sons and, the “fabulous dog, Skippy.”

Questions that come to my mind:

• Why is she branding herself as Deede W, like another famous W in American politics? Is there a hidden agenda or message behind the W that voters should be aware of?
• Why is her dog fabulous, but not her sons, or her husband? Is she trying to appeal to a particular South Beach crowd, what with all those pink and mauve letters?
• And last, but not least: why in the world should anyone in the world care about her dog? How is this information relevant to the election?

If you have any answers to any of the above, feel free to leave me a comment below as I am stumped.

I have witnessed the Urban Beach weekend happening here in Miami Beach every year since it’s inception in 2001. Every year, residents flee the city to escape the one weekend of the year where shootings are almost guaranteed. To my knowledge, the city government has neither enabled this weekend, nor done much to prevent it.

Looks like I was wrong! In comes a flyers to my mailbox, in which Commissioner Jonah Wolfson labels himself as “the lone voice in opposition” to the “major issue of the Hip Hop/Urban Beach weekend”. As the flyer says, he has “showed consistend and principled leadership for the residents of Miami Beach.” Really, Jonah? Let me see…if you are indeed so vehemently opposed to the Urban Beach Weekend… then why have you not done anything to prevent it from happening since you were elected to the commission in 2007? Furthermore, if you are as successful in working on other city issues as you are in fighting the Urban Weekend…then it seems like you are not very effective at all? Commissioner Libbin has at least held a town hall meeting with residents to talk about the issue…what have you done? Oh, the flyer also presents this ultimate proof of his engagement, a quote to the Miami Herald from 2007:

What is your overall assessment of the city’s reputation as a destination location? Would you continue with the annual Hip Hop weekend? How would you manage the city’s image going forward? What would you do differently than has been done in the past? What new ideas do you have enhancing the city’s image?

Wolfson: We have a good reputation, but we must work to maintain it. I don ‘t believe the annual Hip Hop weekend has been a successful event for our city and would likely oppose its continuance. I would promote the city’s image by working to ensure our city is a safe place to visit, a great environment for families to live in, and an affordable place to run a business in.

Well Jonah, if you are serious about your engagement…how come you are not even a fan of the official Facebook Group “END: Memorial/Urban Weekend in Miami Beach“, made up of residents and visitors alike, that protests the event and raised the attention of the media around the world? How come your face is not prominently featured on TakeBackSobe.com, a website dedicated to the cause? Not even a single quote to the media after the police killed man this year during Memorial Day Weekend?