On One Hand... Class in the North Bay Village Mayoral Campaign

Cattabriga Makes An Untruthful Claim About Latham's Residency and Family And The Commission on Ethics Stepped In to Stop Her.  Cattabriga Defies Them.  

On one hand we have the Cattabriga campaign. Cattabriga has created a false narrative, dragging Latham and his family through the mud with malicious untruths about where he lives and implying that he does not meet the residency requirements.  

Following the finding of the Commission on Ethics that Cattabriga needed to publicly state that she disavows this malicious untruth both from her campaign and third parties.   

Cattabriga does not.  In fact, she doubles down.  

From the Miami Herald, we get this headline:  A mayoral candidate found guilty of spreading malicious untruths says she won’t stop and the article cites her attorney "Cattabriga’s attorney says his client plans to continue making the allegations, despite Tuesday’s ruling."

In fact she doubles down on the lie by taking 8 months of Latham's water bills, carefully editing out the large credit from the 9th month to claim it shows no water usage so how could he live there?  And she gets the mayor to write the same shade in an endorsement email.  

But Cattabriga screamed like a stuck pig when the entirely truthful ad sponsored by an PAC came around the Village.

Latham Responds To Cattabriga's Protest About The Ad

Latham condemned it.  Even though the ad is true, he disavowed it and is asking that it be stopped.  

Here's his statement in its entirety from his Facebook and linked groups:   

I have a lot to say about this but let me be brief:

I don't condone this. I didn't pay for it or order it and while I can’t control the third parties who did, I am sorry this happened.

While I strongly disavow the practice, sadly I can’t say the contents are untrue. I have been witness to and victim of this sort of behavior and more, nonstop, from the outset of this campaign.

While I am an outsider to NBV politics, as my opponent constantly points out, I do understand the hurt the political divisions of our village have caused. Sadly, Laura Cattabriga has been square in the middle of creating those divisions. This is the reaction some have chosen. I don’t think it’s the right course, but so many times in life we reap what we sow.

Nevertheless, to the extent I can, I apologize to Laura for this, because I think this is over the top in our neighborhood.

Laura is right that this is what is wrong with North Bay Village. We need to find higher ground. Not just when it’s politically expedient to do so, but on a daily basis.

Please come by today if you want to chat. - Brent

So I don't know if the truck will stop circulating.  My opinion, if it's true and relevant, it needs to be said and the finding of the Commission on Ethics is both true and relevant and it is Cattabriga who made this an issue.  

But let's look at the two candidates:  

Latham shows class and judgment.  Cattabriga can't even fake that.  I know who I trust.  

Kevin Vericker

November 2, 2018