OUR OPINION: HIALEAH MAYOR'S LEGACY: PRACTICAL, POWER POLITICS

Raúl Martínez's departure from Hialeah City Hall after 24 years, all but three of them as mayor, will create a huge void and a big challenge for his successor. Fortunately, this city has always inspired many of its best and brightest residents to seek public office, and there are a number of able aspirants ready to fill the void.
The next mayor of Miami-Dade County's second-largest city can expect Mr. Martínez's influence to continue to resonate at City Hall. As a strong mayor, his power was considerable - and he seldom hesitated in wielding it.

Mr. Martínez has all the skills and talents it takes to fill a much larger political arena, but he chose - some would say he was forced - to confine himself to his Hialeah fiefdom after surviving bribery charges, alleged vote fraud and other scandals. If Mr. Martínez chafed at the constrictions of not being able to rise higher politically, he never openly showed it.

El Grande - The Big Man - relished hands-on management of Hialeah and used progressive ideas to improve the lives of residents. As the city's top administrator, he controlled all aspects of Hialeah government. The only check on his power was the City Council, which showed evidence of his strong influence as he often got his preferred candidates elected. For nearly a quarter century, Hialeah has had a clearly delineated political line - pro-Raúl and anti-Raúl. There was no in-between. Mr. Martínez's record reflects many of the good and not-so-good consequences of a strong-mayor system of government: it was clear who was accountable; but that much control in one person, per se, was limiting.

First elected to the City Council in 1977, Mr. Martínez won the mayor's race in 1981. A gifted speaker with a quick wit and a keen intellect, he caught the eye of Democratic Party leaders. For a time it appeared as though he would be the first Cuban-American politician to appeal to a cross-section of voters and run for a higher office. But it was not to be. Mr. Martínez was indicted in 1990 on extortion charges. He was convicted, and the judgment later was overturned on appeal. He was acquitted in two subsequent trials on lesser charges. Throughout it all, a majority of Hialeah voters continued to support him.

Mr. Martínez may be retiring from running Hialeah, but don't expect him to slip into obscurity. He is an able champion for his causes and isn't shy about pointing out problems resulting from others' lack of political leadership. His ability to cut through the rhetoric and speak on behalf of constituents has been an advantage on the Metropolitan Planning Council, the county's transportation decision-maker.

Hialeah's next mayor inherits a healthy city, thanks largely to Mr. Martínez's efforts. The new mayor can surely expect to be reminded of that now and again by none other than El Grande himself.