Monday, January 26, 2015

Who is Rosa Palomino?

Rosa "Rosy" Palomino
Candidate for City of Miami commission
Rosy Palomino always taught me that local politics defines our everyday quality of life. So when we complain about why government sucks, you have to look at local government first and ask why is it not working?

I first began my political involvement with national politics. It was Rosy who convinced me I was wasting my time and that if I really wanted to help change policy I would do it by affecting change at the local level.

Since then we have worked on City of Miami issues from zoning, police, street repair, parks and more. I have learned through her and many other people I have met along the way about how a city should work. This is not the stuff of graduate studies but the simple, honest America that we were all told exists... somewhere. This is where America happens, every great tradition, every value elevated but also where every wrong headed social engineer gets their start.

On ongoing project I have combines the talents and knowledge of Bob Powers (he deserves a post of his own) and the business sense of Rosy Palomino in a weekly radio program "Miami After Dark" where we discuss current events, politics, and urban living. We host politicians, market makers and entertainers. We focus on how solutions that make Miami better.


For instance, on the last episode of Miami After Dark radio, we discussed with Sarah Schacht, a Seattle-based ‪#‎OpenGov‬ consultant about why governments go bad. The reason is very common and happens everywhere across the world. And the solution is also simple and easy (and cheap!) to implement with plenty of examples to follow. As Sarah said: "Governments are more alike than different".

Listen to our discussion with Sarah so you can get an idea why Rosa's perspective on how a city should work is the key to creating a freer and better society starting here in our own backyard.

Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/miamiafterda…/miami-after-dark-ep-023


 But wait there's more about Rosy!

Rosy knows that if you really want to change your community you need to put yourself in positions where you can not only be heard. So she decided to run for office and I applaud her for it. She has the guts, the brains and the joie de vivre to tackle the challenges that will come her way.

Rosy filed to run for the City of Miami's District 2 commission seat since the current commissioner guy is term-limited (more on him another time). The commission district represents all the waterfront areas of the City of Miami: Coconut Grove, Brickell, Downtown, Edgewater, Midtown, Baypoint and Morningside.

Her campaign launch party is tomorrow night at The Grove Spot after 6pm. The invitation is below. If you are interested in what could be accomplished to make life, business and civics better than come by and meet Rosy. You won't go disappointed.