Since Carlos threw his hat into the mayoral ring, he's making a lot of headlines! Below are links to articles he's already appeared in.

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Dade police chief: I'll keep job during campaign
-Appeared in the Miami Herald 8-02-03

Herald.com
by Karl Ross

Dade police chief: I'll keep job during campaign
BY KARL ROSS
kross@herald.com
Miami-Dade Police Director Carlos Alvarez said Friday that he does not intend to step down as the county's
top cop unless his pursuit of the Miami-Dade mayor's seat in 2004 keeps him from his crime-fighting
duties.
Responding to criticism from some political rivals that he should not seek political contributions while
running the police force, Alvarez said:
``I am not any different from the sheriffs in the other 66 counties that make up the state of Florida. I'm
called the director, but I'm basically the sheriff of Miami-Dade County. They have to run for that office.
They have to fund-raise, and they have to campaign.''
Alvarez was appointed to that post by the county manager six years ago. A police officer for 27 years, he
has never run for elected office.
Sources close to the campaigns of other mayoral candidates have suggested that Alvarez, as a sitting police
chief, would have an unfair edge in raising money. They argue that potential donors, particularly lobbyists
or government contractors, would be too intimidated to turn him down.
Alvarez said the criticisms are misguided, comparing any potential conflict to those of other incumbent
politicians.
''Closer to home, the state attorney has to run for office,'' he said. ``It's the state attorney's office that
decides whether you're prosecuted or not. And judges -- who control your fate -- have to do the same.''
Alvarez said that only a few of the thousands of cases his department handles each year involve public
corruption.
Alvarez opened a campaign account last week, but said he is not yet actively soliciting funds. He said he
loaned his campaign money to get started and has hired a Tampa-based campaign advisor with high-level
experience.
Adam Goodman has worked on the congressional campaigns of Republican lawmakers Lincoln Díaz-Balart
and his brother, Mario Díaz-Balart. He advised former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani when he was
reelected in 1997 and also in 2000 during for his U.S. Senate bid, cut short after he was diagnosed with
cancer.
Alvarez said he intends to stay in office at least until November when Miami hosts the Free Trade Area of
the Americas meeting, expected to attract global protesters.
''That is a huge undertaking,'' he said. ``Our department has been working on that for months, and I
definitely want to be at the helm when that happens.''
8/4/2003 http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/6440641.htm?template=contentModul...
By law, county employees must resign or go on unpaid leave once they file qualifying papers making their
candidacy official. The two-week qualifying period does not begin until late June 2004.
''I've not made up my mind as to when I am going to step down,'' he said. ``If I see that I cannot do this
job and run for the position of mayor, I'll be the first one to tell the manager and step down.''

Police director throws hat in ring for mayor
-Appeared in the Miami Herald 7-29-03

Police director throws hat in ring for mayor
BY KARL ROSS
kross@herald.com
Joining an increasingly crowded field, Miami-Dade's top cop Carlos Alvarez said Monday he plans to run for
county mayor next year.
''I have declared as a candidate for mayor of Miami-Dade County,'' according to a memo sent by Alvarez to
the Miami-Dade Police Department's command staff. ``I want to emphasize that no employee . . . is
allowed to work on my campaign while on duty.''
Seth Kaplan, a spokesman for the county's elections department, said Alvarez established an account on
Friday to collect campaign contributions.
The memo, obtained by the Herald, echoes remarks Alvarez made early this year that he intends to leave
law enforcement after 27 years and test his mettle in politics.
Alvarez, who was appointed police director six years ago by, cautioned in his memo that rank-and-file
officers are prohibited from displaying political propaganda on their uniforms or vehicles.
Alvarez was unavailable for comment and did not intend to make a statement about his candidacy until
next week, according to his secretary. He also did not respond to messages left on his pager and answering
machine.
The county's home-rule charter allows Alvarez to continue serving as police director until he files candidacy
papers with the county election department early next summer, said first assistant county attorney Murray
Greenberg. After that he would have to take an unpaid leave or resign, he said.
''There's no conflict, and the memo pretty much echoes what we tell people all the time -- you can't
campaign in the workplace, you can't coerce, anything like that,'' Greenberg said.
But some observers questioned if a sitting police director should solicit contributions from lobbyists or
business executives, especially those who may be the target of corruption investigations.
If he enters the race, Alvarez, 50, would be pitted against several well-known political figures in a field of
eight that includes School Board member Marta Pérez, County Commissioner Jimmy Morales and former
County Commissioner Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, runner-up in the 2000 contest.
Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas cannot seek reelection because of term limits and is campaigning for the
U.S. Senate.
''People who come out of law enforcement backgrounds don't normally have fundraising networks -- and
that's going to be important in this race,'' said Keith Frederick, a Virginia-based pollster who has worked in
the last two mayoral races.

A recent poll of 700 likely countywide voters that Frederick conducted for Morales' campaign showed
Alvarez tied for third.
The poll showed Diaz de la Portilla in front, followed by Morales.
''There's a huge undecided,'' Frederick said.