A Letter from Carlos:

After a great deal of soul-searching, encouragement from community and business leaders, and my family, I’ve decided to run for mayor of Miami-Dade because I have the experience, the determination and the integrity to make Miami-Dade work.

Over the past 27 years, I’ve been a part of record-breaking reductions in crime; managed and motivated a 5000-person organization serving the public; coordinated our disaster response to hurricanes and other natural and man-made crises; ran the first untainted election since the 2000 recount; was responsible for handling a $ 426-million public budget while insisting on efficiency and results; brought funding home for Miami Dade from Tallahassee and Washington; and created and ran new neighborhood programs that have inspired Miami-Dade’s children with direction and hope.

I make no apologies for not being a professional politician because for 27 years, I’ve seen too many politicians…make promises they couldn’t keep…about things they’d never done...with integrity they never had.

Today, too many people expect the worst out of government, not the best. As mayor, I will bring fresh ideas and a straight-forward style to this office, recruiting the best minds and the best-motivated among us devoted to serving the public.

I’m living proof that experience and integrity still count for something. We can make Miami-Dade work better…and rest assured no one will work harder to make that happen.

Yours truly,

Carlos Alvarez