Gimenez wins Miami-Dade mayoral race

MIAMI (WSVN) -- Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has been elected to his first full term.

Gimenez finished with more than 54 percent of the vote, beating County Commission Chairman Joe Martinez and five others in Tuesday's election. "I am very humbled by the vote that we recieved here tonight," he said.

Gimenez first took office last summer after former Mayor Carlos Alvarez was ousted in a recall. "I'm greatful to the people of Miami-Dade County for showing confindence in me to lead this community forward for the next four years," he said.

Though Gimenez secured more than 50 percent of the vote in his re-election bid, his victory victory speech was delayed, because Martinez refused to concede the race. "If when the time comes, I will do what I have to do," Martinez said Tuesday night.

As of Wednesday morning, Martinez has yet to concede the race.

Controversey arose when Police Benevolent Association Chief John Rivera called for absentee ballots in the race to be thrown out. "If we allow and want a government of fraud, Carlos Gimenez is your man," he said. "If Carlos Gimenez was a man of integrity, he would tell the elections department, don't count the absentee ballots."

Gimenez unfazed by the comments. "Well you know, John Rivera and I just don't see eye to eye. He just can't stand that I won by well over 20 points and that his message doesn't resinate," he refuted.

Throughout the mayoral race, Gimenez hit a number of main talking points, includin the large amount of work he accomplished in a short period of time-- serving only a year in his first term. "You know, last year we made promises to Miami Dade County. We said we were going to lower taxes and we had the largest tax decrease in Miami-Dade history," he said. "We said that we were going to reorganize county and save another 40 million dollars next year with the reorganization."

As for what you can expect from Gimenez in the next four years... "Now in the next four years, a lot of the work I wanted to get done, is done. So, now we can focus in on what we want to do in the long term, what do we want to leave in the next four or eight years as mayor of Miami-Dade County. I want to leave a base of a competent, transparent and honest government."

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