Sweetwater elects two new commissioners, three incumbents in Tuesday election

Sweetwater residents on Tuesday ousted the city’s commission president, elected two new commissioners and reelected three incumbents in an election that shook up the city’s leadership.

According to unofficial results, the winners of Tuesday’s contests were current commissioners José Martí, Marcos Villanueva and Reinaldo Rey, as well as challengers Ian Vallecillo, a Sweetwater grant administrator, and Idania Llanio, a former city commissioner who ousted Commission President Cecelia Holtz-Alonso.

Martí won the Group One race unopposed.

In Group Two, with some mail ballots still outstanding, Villanueva beat opponent Jerrie Perez with about 56% of the vote. Villanueva, a former Sweetwater police lieutenant, ran on his record on the city commission, which included establishing term limits for elected officials and getting rid of red light traffic camera contracts.

Villanueva said in his next term he aims to keep “fighting for residents” by supporting legislation that keeps taxes low and also by suing Mayor Orlando Lopez on “nine different allegations” related to city funds and contracts.

“I will continue fighting the mayor of Sweetwater and take him to court and sue him for his abuse of residents,” Villanueva said, without getting into detail. “We are going to file several lawsuits.”

Group Three candidate Vallecillo won nearly 43% of the vote in a four-way contest to replace Commissioner Joniel Diaz, son of former Sweetwater Mayor Jose M. Diaz, who recently resigned.

Vallecillo narrowly beat former Commissioner Jose Guerra, who made news in 2013 when an el Nuevo Herald investigation revealed that Guerra, who worked for a towing company, voted on measures put forward by ousted Mayor Manny Maroño, who owned the company.

The county’s ethics code says public officials should not work in jobs that could “compromise their independent judgment in the performance of their public duties.”

Vallecillo, who works as a grant administrator for the city, racked up endorsements of elected officials like Sweetwater Mayor Lopez, Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman and former Sweetwater Mayor Jose “Pepe” Diaz, state Rep. David Borrero as well as the Miami Realtors and the South Florida Police Benevolent Association.

In Group Four, Llanio won with about 45% of the vote in the three-way contest, defeating Holtz-Alonso and healthcare administrator Betty Vaquez.

“I just want to keep on going and finish what I really want to finish,” said Llanio, who served on the commission from 2015 to 2019. “I am very glad the voters trusted in me one more time. They know I work hard for them.”

Rey, a current commissioner, won the Group Seven race to keep his seat with about 54% of the vote.

Rey was appointed to the city commission in September 2020 to fill the seat left open by Sophia Lacayo, who resigned and pleaded guilty to a perjury charge last year after falsely saying she lived in the city during her election campaign.

“They made the right choice,” said Rey, who will serve out the rest of Lacayo’s term until 2023, when the seat is up for election again. “They can count on me for anything they need.“

About 1,400 out of 10,667 registered voters in the small, west Dade city turned out to elect the next leaders of the city of about 21,000. Because the city does not hold runoff elections, the top vote-getter in each race will serve a four-year term.

In addition to voting in new commissioners, voters also approved a charter amendment that would require the city to establish a reserve fund of no less than 30% percent of the average of the city’s five most recent budgets.