Latest news with #Rosado
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Carollo calls $500K he spent to elect Rosado ‘worst political mistake' of his life
As he left the most recent Miami City Commission meeting this month, a seething Joe Carollo had harsh words for his new colleague, Ralph Rosado: 'You will never be a future mayor.' In less than a month, the longtime city commissioner went from bankrolling Rosado's campaign and celebrating his subsequent victory, to deeply regretting the sleepless nights and mountains of cash he spent to ensure Rosado would become the city's next District 4 commissioner. During the breakneck six-week special election, Carollo's political committee, Miami First, spent over a half-million dollars on Rosado's election. But according to Carollo, his help went far beyond mere financial assistance. In an interview with the Miami Herald, Carollo laid out his winning strategy that he said catapulted Rosado from trailing 25 percentage points behind opponent Jose Regalado to defeating Regalado with 55% of the vote last month. At the end, just 548 votes separated the two. That strategy entailed staying up until 2 or 3 a.m. creating campaign mailers, spending three days filming Rosado's 30-second campaign ad, and ultimately dragging the Regalado name through the mud to decimate any goodwill associated with one of South Florida's most prominent political families. A flurry of anti-Regalado attack mailers accused the former assistant building director of abusing animals and alleged that the Regalado family has ties to international drug traffickers. Rosado, who declined to be interviewed for this story, said in a written statement to the Herald that he ran a 'positive, issue-focused campaign.' Rosado said Carollo's 'insights were appreciated' but that 'ultimately, the decisions about our message, outreach and the contrasts we drew were made by our campaign, and we're proud of the way we connected with voters and executed our plan with integrity and focus.' Rosado's opponent sees it differently. 'It was character assassination,' Regalado told the Herald in a recent interview. 'It wasn't a positive campaign. It was one of the most negative campaigns I've ever seen in my life.' Carollo says he was heavily involved in Rosado's campaign and that Rosado was '100%' aware of what was taking place behind the scenes — including the anti-Regalado smear campaign. But now, weeks after Rosado's swearing-in, Carollo regrets those efforts. 'It's the worst political mistake that I've made in my life,' said Carollo, who was first elected to the Miami City Commission in 1979. His change of heart follows several City Commission votes by Rosado that Carollo took issue with. That includes Rosado's tiebreaker vote in favor of postponing the upcoming November election to 2026 — a measure backed by the mayor — as well as Rosado's vote to shutter the Bayfront Park Management Trust in January of next year. Carollo previously chaired the Trust, but he was ousted from the agency earlier this year, and it was turned over to his rival, Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela. Rosado now joins Gabela on Carollo's ever-evolving list of political adversaries — a roster that currently includes Commissioner Damian Pardo and Mayor Francis Suarez, whose political committee spent over $1 million on Rosado's election. 'I didn't expect anything with Ralph Rosado, with the exception of him coming here to be an honest commissioner,' Carollo said. 'I didn't expect him to come here to be a lap dog — another lap dog — for Mayor Suarez.' Carollo explains his winning strategy While Suarez outspent Carollo 2-to-1 in support of Rosado's campaign, Carollo maintains that his efforts, paired with help from his wife, Marjorie, are the real reason Rosado was victorious. 'It's not just the money. … It's the strategy,' Carollo said. He added: 'Bottom line is that if Mr. Rosado had not had an angel like Joe or Marjorie Carollo, he never, never, never would have gotten elected.' In a sit-down interview with the Herald, Carollo explained a two-prong strategy that he said paved the way for Rosado to defeat Regalado by less than 600 votes. Step one was to run a negative campaign not just against Regalado, but his whole family. Carollo said such a strategy was required in this particular situation, where there was less than two months to campaign and where Rosado was facing off against a member of one of South Florida's most powerful political families. Jose Regalado's father, Tomás Regalado, is a former Miami mayor and city commissioner and currently serves as the county's property appraiser; Jose Regalado's sister is Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado. 'I could've ran just a straight campaign of being positive, and you could not have beaten these people in what really amounted to four weeks of advertising,' Carollo said. 'You could've done it in six months, maybe. But not in four weeks. Not [against] the Regalado name.' Of the $547,000 that Carollo's political committee, Miami First, spent on Rosado's election, the vast majority — over $420,000 — went to radio and television ads, according to campaign finance reports. Another $86,000 was spent on mailers and printing alone. 'You had to expose the negative of the Regalados, and you had to do it in a way that you give people the truth with the proof,' Carollo said. 'And that's how we did it: the truth with the proof.' (Regalado, meanwhile, has called Carollo's claims completely baseless.) District 4 residents were getting inundated with a sea of negative mailers, television and radio ads. But it couldn't only be negative, Carollo explained, because that would leave voters so disillusioned that they might skip the ballot box altogether. So the second step of his strategy involved offering voters a positive alternative to Regalado. Carollo went as far as offering Rosado almost a complete copy-paste of a mailer Carollo sent out in his own 2021 run for city commissioner, in which Carollo is holding up his grandson. In a visually similar mailer, Rosado is seen holding up his nephew. Carollo said he designed the mailer, although it says it was paid for by Rosado's campaign. Carollo also said that he and wife, Marjorie, spent a total of three full days filming Rosado's 30-second campaign video. That included one day of meeting and interacting with Rosado's family members off-camera, followed by two days of filming. Carollo told the Herald that he and Marjorie directed the video and were heavily involved in its production. That's different from what Rosado has stated publicly. He initially told political blogger Elaine de Valle that Carollo was not with him at Douglas Park filming a campaign video. When de Valle told Rosado that she had a video clip showing Carollo and his wife seemingly directing a shot, Rosado told her he would get back to her but never did, de Valle reported. When the Herald later asked Rosado to clarify the incident, he described something serendipitous, saying Carollo happened to be in the Douglas Park area while Rosado was filming, so he decided to swing by and offer some insights. But that's not true, Carollo said. 'Everything that was said there was written by my wife and myself. Everything,' he said of Rosado's 30-second ad. Mayor's involvement Carollo also described a coordinated effort between himself and Suarez to get Rosado elected. While Carollo would handle the negative campaigning, Suarez would focus on the positive side, Carollo said. Suarez's political committee, Miami for Everyone, spent $1.1 million on Rosado's election, according to campaign finance reports. That includes $900,000 that went directly to Rosado's PAC. Suarez declined to be interviewed for this story. In response to written questions, he denied Carollo's claim that there was a coordinated effort of any sort. 'I'm proud to have supported Ralph Rosado for Commissioner,' the mayor said. 'He ran on a clear, public platform and made his positions known throughout his campaign — including to your publication.' Suarez said Carollo's claims 'come at a very particular time, in light of the recent Commission votes that could impact his and his family's ability to continue making a living out of the city taxpayer's pockets.' 'For the past two and a half years, our office has had a positive working relationship with Commissioner Carollo's office,' Suarez continued. 'However, now Commissioner Carollo is throwing out baseless claims hoping something sticks — but you have to ask: why now, and not a year ago or two years ago? These are the same political tactics we've seen for years, and they're as transparent today as they have ever been.'
Chicago Tribune
11-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Homewood's Rabid Brewing finds new opportunities after losing out on plaza
Abbas Jaffary said Rabid Brewing is a space of healing and compares it to the American sitcom 'Cheers,' where regular customers check in on each other, and Rabid owner Raiye Rosado encourages people from every walk of life to show up, even if they don't buy anything. The brewery has become 'symbiotic' with the local roller derby league, said Jaffary, who has helped the league with administrative tasks for years. He said he often drives more than 20 miles to be involved with the league and brewery, which both collaborate on events and aim to provide an affordable, inclusive community space for members to 'regain their sanity if they had a terrible day at work or stuff going on at home.' Rosado said the hardest part about losing a bid in May to move her brewery into a village-owned space Park Plaza West was the potential loss of community space for the LGBTQ+ community and other 'folks that are othered in some other spaces.' But after the Village Board decision, Rosado said opportunities popped up for other locations for her business to expand its inclusive outreach. Rosado said in the next few months, Rabid Brewing will host more community events in potential new areas, essentially conducting a 'vibe check' to see if the business would fit in with the local customers. The brewery may move within 6 miles of its location in the next year, Rosado said. She looked at a possible space Tuesday. The derby league, called The Chicago Knockouts, is growing alongside the Brewery and has also found a few potential new spaces, Jaffary said. 'We've all just been coming together, just to look out for people and offer places to go,' Jaffary said. 'We need places to go just to have somewhere to center ourselves because people get isolated and when you find a community, you start to gain some sense of sanity and normalcy.' Rosado said the journey to expand started in 2023, when village officials approached her about redeveloping Park Plaza West on 183rd Street after she said her business, at 17759 Bretz Drive, had outgrown its backstreet building. But in May 2025, the village awarded the property to two commercial real estate groups instead. Village Manager Napoleon Haney said the board's decision boiled down to the ability to generate the funding necessary to make improvements, not only on the space that Rabid intended to use, but the remaining parts of the plaza, at 183rd Street and Robin Lane, including the parking lot. The village acquired the 183rd Street retail center in 2023 through Cook County's no-cash bid process. 'We worked with (Rabid) for a while trying to figure out ways for them to generate the financial wherewithal to be able to make all of that happen,' Haney said. 'But there are other spaces and places on that property that need desperate improvements as well, and that's heavy lifting for a smaller business.' The village's evaluation, presented at a board meeting in late May, concluded a proposal from Caton Commercial Real Estate and Granite Realty partners would better ensure sustainable commercial development, improve property conditions and maximize yield. Yet the village noted in its analysis that Rabid better responded to community needs than the real estate groups. More than 80 community members attended the May Village Board meeting to support Rabid's expansion, which Rosado and Haney both said speaks to Rabid being a safe gathering space. 'It's a scary thing to do what we did, and it's very scary to have it not turn out the way you want, but I highly recommend if you're going to do scary things, you get a huge group like that with you,' Rosado said. 'These people, they're not just drinking beer all day, they get together outside of my space,' Rosado said. She said she hung artwork instead of televisions in the bar to encourage the community members to engage with each other, which she said worked, noting that she's seen customers who met at the bar get married and even get tattoos of the business logo. 'They're really a part of each other's lives in a way that's different than I've seen at most other establishments,' she said. Tobias Cichon, who also owns Rabid Brewing, said the community's support has 'driven extraordinary interest from half a dozen other municipalities.' He looks forward with hope because he said the business has 'the greatest gift any business owner could hope for: a revelatory understanding of how much real love our people have for what we've built for them and with them.' 'We have only our people to thank for whatever good comes next,' Cichon said. Rabid Brewing plans to host its sixth annual event called the Feast of the Goat Queen on July 26, and Rosado said she is already planning next year's feast. Jaffary said he has fond memories of the festival, that it's 'just a good collection of people.' Recently, he said, the derby league and Rabid business communities walked and skated in Homewood's Fourth of July parade with customers of all ages. Both businesses have opportunities for children to participate, such as Rabid's weekly Dungeon and Dragons tournaments for children ages between 8 through 13.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chesapeake Sheriff resigns from Republican party, continues campaign following loss in primary
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) – Chesapeake Sheriff Dave Rosado announced his resignation from the Republican Party Tuesday, after losing the Republican primary earlier this month. Over 12,000 votes were casted for the position but due to the fact there were no Democratic or Independent nominees, voters who received a Democratic ballot had no say in Chesapeake's next sheriff. 'I'm not conceding. I'm not stepping aside. And I'm not going to pretend that what justhappened in Chesapeake was fair,' Sheriff Dave Rosado said. In his statement, Rosado believes that the election was based off who they could control, not the most qualified candidate. 'That is not a fair process. It's a power grab. It's a coronation. And the people ofChesapeake deserve better,' Sheriff Rosado said. 'They didn't want the most qualified candidate. They wanted someone they could control. Iwasn't that – and I never will be.' Rosado is now launching a write-in campaign, 'Write in 'Dave Rosado' to keep our sheriff,' with the goal to give all Chesapeake voters a voice in November's election. 'This wasn't about the people – it was about the power brokers. I will not stand by while thevoices of Chesapeake are silenced,' he said. 'In the coming days and weeks, I will besharing more about what happened behind the scenes, exposing what others won't say andlaying out our plan to win this campaign – and keep our Sheriff's Office focused on service,not politics.' A copy of Rosado's resignation letter is provided below: Letter-of-Resignation-Republican-Party-of-ChesapeakeDownload In a Facebook post Tuesday evening Wallace Chadwick, who won the June primary, issued a statement in response to Rosado's actions. Dave Rosado made the informed decision to enter an open Republican primary — a fair process — where he outspent us 5 to 1, yet still lost by 17 points. Now, unhappy with the results, he is violating his oath and launching a write-in campaign. We won decisively and fairly in June because Chesapeake is ready for change. Voters are tired of an interim Sheriff who has wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars plastering his name and face on everything — and continues to make the office about himself while failing to do the job he is sworn to do. That's why this desperate, last-ditch effort to cling to his title will fail. The Office of the Sheriff doesn't receive a coronation handed down from the former Sheriff and it doesn't belong to any one person — it belongs to YOU, the people. As Sheriff, I will keep the focus where it belongs: serving the citizens of Chesapeake. In November, just as they did in June, voters will send another clear message — change is coming. The Sheriff's Office will return to its true mission: protecting and serving the people, not being used as a political tool or a vehicle for anyone's personal ego. I'm proud to have earned this nomination in a hard-fought primary and will work even harder to win by even larger margins in November to begin serving all people of Chesapeake — regardless of party or creed. Together, we'll restore integrity and purpose, building the best Sheriff's Office in the Commonwealth, working 24/7 on your behalf. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Incumbent Chesapeake Sheriff takes on challenger in Republican primary
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) – The Republican primary for Chesapeake Sheriff sees incumbent Dave Rosado highlighting community engagement, while challenger Wallace Chadwick advocates for technological and training updates. Virginia Primary Voter Guide On the day of the primary, Rosado said, 'I have the right experience, proven leadership and the results. I've worked in the sheriff's office for 23 and a half years. I know every aspect of the office and the command staff. I've worked on a $64 million budget for years. So, I know how to run the office.' Rosado also emphasized the spirit of the office. 'We have so many volunteers as part of our mission statement. Community engagement. So we are known for, protecting our seniors, protecting our children. We are the school resource deputies in all the elementary schools. And that's a program that I've expanded since becoming sheriff. So that is a huge difference.' His Republican challenger Chesapeake Police Officer Wallace Chadwick told WAVY, 'So I'm the candidate that brings change. I'm a constitutional conservative. I believe in the rule of law. I believe in applying that rule of law. You know, it's kind of like having a closet. You know, you shove stuff in that closet for so many years. You know, the closet needs to be cleaned out every now and then.' Chadwick positions himself as an outsider ready to implement necessary changes within the sheriff's office. 'And that's what I'm looking forward to do. there's a lot of changes that need to be applied. Technology needs to be updated. Training needs to be updated. And those are some of the reasons that people are interested in my campaign. They're voting for me because I'm the candidate for change. I'm not from the system. I come from a different system in the police department, and, and that's what I'm looking to do is change some stuff for.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Immigration enforcement at heart of divisive Chesapeake sheriff's race
CHESAPEAKE — One of the region's most divisive races in this election cycle is between two Republicans vying to be Chesapeake's fourth elected sheriff. At the heart of the division in the race is the city's immigration enforcement and cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Sheriff Dave Rosado said the city is following all ICE best practices and has even expanded its partnership. But his opponent, Chesapeake police officer Wallace Chadwick III, argues Rosado only began to hold inmates in custody on ICE detainers after Chadwick criticized the sheriff's office for not doing so. Chesapeake Republican party members on the local, state and federal level are not a united front, and have split support among the two men. The Republican primary is June 17. No other candidates have filed to run as Democrats or Independents, so whoever wins the primary would be the presumptive winner in the fall and secure a 4-year term. The sheriff's office handles jail security, courthouse security, civil enforcement and the school resource program, among other duties. Rosado took the reins in November to fulfill the remaining term for former Sheriff Jim O'Sullivan, who retired after more than a decade. Rosado worked in the Chesapeake Sheriff's office for more than 20 years and became the city's first Hispanic undersheriff in 2022. In the office, he's overseen jail operations, expanded the school resource officer program for elementary schools and led anti-bullying initiatives for students. 'I've been with the office for 20 years, worked all sections of the jail, and I truly love what I do. And I want to continue serving the city,' Rosado said. 'There's no trying to get to know the job. I'm ready today because I've been doing the job.' Chadwick is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and currently serves as a lieutenant and executive officer of the police's Special Operations Division and oversees the maritime operations unit. He's thrown his hat in the race to push against what he said is a tradition in Chesapeake of grooming someone internally within a 'good ole boys' network to step up and take over. He said he was compelled to run to change the 'culture' of the sheriff's office and give deputies 'a voice.' 'We've only had three elected sheriffs since 1963 and those elected sheriffs have been generationally passed down to the next guy,' Chadwick said. 'So essentially, they're grooming someone to take over their position and doing everything they can to assure that that way of life goes on.' If elected, Chadwick said he also wants to boost recidivism and rehab programs in the jail as well as change and update data systems for more communication between the sheriff's office and the police department. At the heart of Chadwick's campaign, however, is his criticism of how he said the sheriff's office has failed to cooperate with ICE under Rosado's leadership. ICE detainers are requests to local law enforcement to hold a person in custody for 48 hours past their scheduled release to give federal authorities time to pick them up them for possible deportation proceedings. In the past, federal courts have found some local law enforcement agencies liable for unconstitutional detentions under ICE detainers. Last year, New York City agreed to pay $92 million in damages to immigrants who were unlawfully detained beyond scheduled release dates. 757 Votes: The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press 2025 primary election guide Chesapeake sheriff is being challenged by a city police officer Youngkin directs Virginia State Police and prisons to cooperate with ICE Chadwick alleges the Chesapeake Sheriff's Office was not honoring ICE detainer requests under O'Sullivan or Rosado — at least until he pointed it out and made it a talking point of his campaign. Chadwick's campaign website includes a host of documents he said he received through Freedom of Information Act requests, including emails and memos regarding the city's immigration enforcement policies. Chadwick slams Rosado for releasing a 'convicted child sex predator' instead of holding him for 48 hours before releasing him into ICE's custody. 'The right thing for him to do would have been to take full accountability and say, 'You know what? This was pointed out. We are now changing our policy. We are now in full compliance,'' Chadwick said. 'I would not have had an argument after that, because he came out, took accountability and said, 'Yes, we're doing it.' Instead, he doubled down. He said, 'We've always complied with ICE.'' Rosado denies those assertions. He said he adopted all existing policy when he assumed the role in November, and then policy was reviewed and updated in March following an executive order from Gov. Glenn Youngkin in February requesting sheriffs certify compliance with ICE. The primary update was the implementation of a 48-hour detainer hold, which wasn't part of the policy in November. But after talking with other sheriffs about the executive order, Rosado said Chesapeake implemented the 48-hour hold, deemed an ICE best practice. He explained that when someone is jailed for a charge, ICE is contacted if it's an undocumented immigrant, then contacted again five days before release and each subsequent day until release. And as of this week, the city's ICE partnership was expanded to allow 72-hour holds, which Rosado said gives ICE extra time to process detainers without needing to travel hours away. Rosado said it was possible due to decreased restrictions under the federal administration. 'If (ICE) cannot come or make arrangements for transport at that time or prior, then legally, I cannot keep someone in our facility if the judge has released them, or their time is up, or if they make bonds,' he said. Rosado said when he took over in November, 24 people in the Chesapeake jail had ICE detainers. He said ICE has since picked up most of them, two were transferred to another facility, and four remain in custody. 'It doesn't happen a lot. We are very fortunate that Chesapeake doesn't have those issues,' Rosado said. 'We don't have illegal immigrants running (rampant) in the city … and we do not have dangerous criminal illegal aliens being released by me or this jail into our community. So that is not true, and we work closely and have a great partnership with ICE.' '] Rosado said he believes the attacks from his opponent are politically motivated. 'That's a narrative that someone who doesn't have their strategy is just to be negative when they have nothing to stand on or nothing to represent,' Rosado said. 'My opponent, he's a good cop, and I'm sure that in his role as traffic lieutenant, he's doing a good job, but I couldn't do that job. I don't know what makes him think that he can do my job.' Local, state and federal Republicans are split on who they're backing in the race. Rosado touts endorsements from U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, Virginia Sen. Christie New Craig, Virginia Del. Barry Knight, Mayor Rick West, former Chesapeake Sheriffs John Newhart and O'Sullivan, the Chesapeake Fraternal Order of Police and council member Jeff Bunn. Rosado also boasts the endorsement of Tony Pham, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, Chadwick has in his corner former Congressman Randy Forbes and wife Shirley, outgoing Virginia Del. Baxter Ennis, Virginia Sen. Bill DeSteph, Vice Mayor John de Triquet, former Commonwealth's Attorney Nancy Parr, council members Amanda Newins and Daniel Whitaker and the Chesapeake firefighters' union. As for money in the race, Rosado boasts a more powerful war chest of $218,131 in campaign donations as of March 31. Among his biggest donations are $2,000 from New Craig's campaign committee, $1,000 from Historic Greenbrier Farms owner Kent Basnight and $5,000 from Collins Machine Works. Chadwick has received $75,664 in donations as of March 31, including a $4,743 loan from himself. Donations include $1,000 from Newins' campaign and $1,000 from her individually, $1,000 from Whitaker, $300 from Triquet and a $7,500 in-kind donation from DeSteph. Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133,
