NOVEMBER 2012
Runoffs to Decide Mayor, Two Council Seats Aguilera Wins Council Seat 2 BY RICHARD YAGER
he City of Doral’s new Mayor and two of three City Council seats will be determined in Nov. 27 runoff elections after the Nov. 6 municipal voting. Securing 50% or more of the total votes cast was in doubt in each three contests until final counts became available, three days after polls closed. Results were delayed until Friday, Nov. 9 to complete counting of absentee ballots at Miami-Dade County election headquarters. In the Mayor’s race, former Councilman Luigi Boria got 4,626 votes or 41% of the Nov. 6 balloting, requiring a runoff against Frank Bolanos who narrowly bested Councilman Pete Cabrera for second place by just 73 votes. Question of a possible recount was raised due to the narrow margin between Bolanos (3,330 votes or 29.70%) and Cabrera (3,257 or 29.03%). “The law states there is a recount if the margin is .5% or less,” commented Christina White, MDC Deputy Supervisor of Elections. “This race is outside that margin, so there is no recount… Frank Bolanos and Luigi Boria will continue on to the run-off.” The only outright winner in four Doral contests was Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera by just 107 votes over Clemente Vera, 4,786 to 4,679. For Council Seat 1, Sandra Ruiz with a 48% margin will be challenged in the
$6M Public Works Facility Built for ‘Green’ Standards
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HEALTH CARE CORNER Robotic Removal Catches On By DR. RODOLFO MARTINEZ
Robotic Surgeon obotic removal of the gallbladder today offers more precision and is less invasive than traditional surgical procedure. As one of the most common operations, gallbladder surgery can now be performed without leaving visible scars, an advance slowly catching on, thanks to surgical robots. The cholecystectomy is performed robotically by means of a single 2-1/2 centimeter incision in the belly button. Once healed, the incision is virtually invisible. The laparoscopic technique is performed by making four small incisions, one in the navel itself and the other three in the abdomen. In traditional open surgery, a single seven to ten centimeter incision is made on the right side of the abdomen, below the ribs. While the greatest advantage is cosmetic, there are other important benefits. The company that produces the surgical robot assures that robotic surgery (known as Single-Site da Vinci Surgery) offers minimal scarring, minimal pain, low blood loss, fast recovery, short hospital stay, and high patient satisfaction. Some procedures for gallbladder removal that begin robotically or as a laparoscopy have to be performed as open surgery due to extreme inflammation, or the presence of multiple adhesions or scars. Although the surgeon is very skilled,
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New Public Works building opened on NW 99 Avenue. –––––––––––––––––––––––––
Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez along with City of Doral Council and the Department of Public Works marked the opening of the new Doral Public Works facility at a Nov. 1 ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new two-story, building located at 6100 N.W. 99th Ave. was built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. The 35,000 square-foot structures includes six bays for fleet mainteNov. 27 runoff by Elena Ortega Tauler who polled 38% of the total votes cast. Carlos Ruiz ran third with 12% of the total vote. In the Council Seat 3 race, former Councilman Robert Von Name ran second
nance, a 5000 square-foot warehouse, unleaded gas and diesel storage and dispensing equipment, car wash facility, and hurricane impact windows among other features. The new building is on target to receive a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (U.S.G.B.C). The City will also use the facility as its Emergency Operations Center or E.O.C. during any type of emergency. with 32%, sufficient to require a runoff with Christi Fraga who led a three-candidate field with 45%. Bibiana Salmon placed third with 22% of the votes cast. The Boria-Bolanos contest will choose a successor to Juan Carlos Bermudez who was elected in 2003 as Doral’s first Mayor. Bermudez had thrown his support to Bolanos to succeed him in the Nov. 6 election. The Mayor had also backed Elena Tauler for the Council 1 Seat in a farewell statement published in the Oct. Doral Tribune. Runoff balloting hours at Doral’s eight precincts will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27.
––––– See HEALTH CARE CORNER, page 6