News

Anti-gay flyer targets Miami Beach Commission candidate

MIAMI BEACH
Mystery flier stirs up commission race
The Miami Herald
Posted on Fri, Oct. 05, 2007

A new attack flier hit Miami Beach voters' mailboxes Thursday and shook up the sleepy, four-person race to replace term-limited City Commissioner Matti Herrera Bower.

The flier depics crossed-out images of a blond woman, a pink Teletubby and a dark-skinned doll. Though no names appear on the flier, the images presumably are meant to to represent candidates Linda Grosz, who is blond, Frank Kruszewski, who is gay, and Elsa Urquiza.

''Stop the candidates that represent special groups of voters. Vote for a candidate that will balance our budget and that looks and talks like YOU and that will represent you with brains on the Miami Beach Commission dais,'' the flier states.

Kruszewski, who received a copy of the flier, denounced the attack.

''This type of hatred needs to be denounced by everyone. Anyone that remains silent on this fueling their bigotry and hatred,'' he said.

On Friday, Deede Weithorn, the fourth candidate in the race, denied any involvement in the production and dissemination of the flier.

''Frankly, I think the voters deserve better,'' she said.

The flier is credited as a ''paid political advertisement'' of Citizens For a Sound and Balanced Miami Beach. The group is not registered with the Florida Department of Elections and the Miami Beach mailing address listed on the flier does not exist, according to county property records.