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Every once in a while, someone suggests that I am too old, at 76, to run for mayor. I am tempted to quote Ronald Reagan when he was running for a second term as president and the age issue was broached by an opponent. His now famous quip went something like this: "I am determined not to let age be an issue in this election; I will refrain to refer to my opponent's youth and inexperience…."

Put conversely, my 40 years of political experience reveal a track record that is not possessed by any of the mayoral candidates.

Here's a short summary.

My voice in the public arena has been important for about 40 years and very important at crucial moments. One of those was 1989 when Miami could have destroyed itself in the riots that followed the shooting of two motorcyclists on Martin Luther King Day.

(A documentary is being filmed on that and hopefully released in time for the Miami Film Festival later this year.)

If you read "Miami Dynasty," you will understand the role that I played (often in conjunction with my son, Francis, who is currently the mayor) in making Miami the only city in the world with the five major sports franchises; cobbling together $65 million for Miami Central, which connects to the north via rail with populations exceeding 6 million people; building a Performing Arts Center and a Science Museum; preserving the Marine Stadium and most of the waterfront properties from becoming commercialized and inaccessible to the general public; providing free public transportation within the city with trolleys (Francis) and the PeopleMover (which I had to fight to keep free, by a 7-6 vote); establishing 10 after-school programs, and four vocational schools in the inner city; a summer jobs program with 2700 youngsters employed; constructing Bayside on time and within budget and the first basketball arena also on time and within budget; plus the MLS stadium (mostly by Francis) where I inserted a provision that would compare the fixed annual rental to a percentage of the gross with the higher of the two being what they would be paying; rebuilding Liberty Square at a price-tag of $300 million (as chairman of the Economic Prosperity Committed); filing suit to establish single-member districts in the county and school board (I was the second plaintiff, after Carrie Meek in the former and the first plaintiff in the latter); fighting along with my daughter Olga, (as Chair of Dade Heritage) to preserve the Coconut Grove Playhouse, Marine Stadium and Guzman); and helping Manny Medina overcome the $10 million price tag that FPL put on the building of his Network Access Point (NAP); electing, judges of different ethnic groups, so that they didn't feel underrepresented; fighting for legislation (NACARA) that would protect immigrants from central American countries; leading a delegation of Haitians to the White House to meet with the vice-president to obtain immigration legislation; leading a delegation of Cuban Americans to the Atlanta penitentiary to try to negotiate with the inmates, who were holding the guards hostage; injecting the principles of social justice and fiscal conservatism into both municipal and national government, etc.

Still left to do is significant property tax reform which I am doing through the Speaker and my own state rep; extending free public transportation to all corners of the county; and reforming home insurance by having the state takeover catastrophic insurance; and pushing the cities and counties to self-insure government-subsidized housing – and also require them to rely exclusively on solar power.

In the 40 years that Francis and I have been in office (16 years for him and 17.5 years for me) we have cobbled together about 6000 units of affordable housing. By supporting Hermanos de la Calle, Francis and I together have provided them with 2 1/2 million dollars of funding (80% by Francis). Beginning with my creation of the homeless coalition in conjunction with Governor Chiles and Alva Chapman and continuing by supporting a special bed tax, the homeless trust now has a $65 million budget and places for about 1800 homeless – looking to continue the effort to achieve what Mayor Francis calls "functional zero homelessness." If that sounds too optimistic, bear in mind that we once had 6,000 homeless in the county and now have one-sixth of that.

That's one hell of a track record. But there's much left to accomplish. As Miami's attractiveness has made us enormously prosperous and reduced our unemployment to the unheard-of figure of 1.8%, the cost of living has gone in the opposite direction – making housing unaffordable to many middle-class families and almost all seniors who live on fixed incomes.

I have joined legislative leaders such as Speaker Danny Perez and the chair of the Select Committee on Property Tax Reform, Vikki Lopez, in their initiative to increase the homestead exemption to the median value of a home in Miami-Dade, which is $575,000. This will require that Miami undergo some serious streamlining; and I have experience doing that in my prior stint as mayor.

My four-decade efforts to preserve historic properties like the Marine Stadium will be renewed, as will the continued resistance to those who want to commercialize our waterfront spaces and those who want to dilute our tree ordinance.

As mayor and county commissioner, I always voted with the neighborhoods. That proven track record won for me the unstinting support of neighborhood associations throughout my 17.5 years in city and county commission positions.

And I will not lack for energy or imagination as I, once again, become a MAYOR FOR ALL THE NEIGHBORHOODS.

In the last few days, since I declared my candidacy for Miami mayor again this November, I've been told — by relatives and strangers alike — that at my age, 76, I'm too old for the rigors of public office.

I'm told I should step aside and focus on family, as if elderhood is some quiet waiting room. That's how some put it: encouraging me to dedicate myself to the grandkids and fade from public life after 40 years as mayor of Miami and a Miami-Dade commissioner.

I disagree — forcefully.

I may be older, but age alone doesn't disqualify anyone from leadership. If anything, it brings perspective, steadiness and an even deeper sense of purpose. I can still think, handle public speaking and take decisive action.

And what I see — especially now — is a city that still needs steady hands and seasoned leadership as the current mayor, my son, Francis Suarez, prepares to leave office.

Each month since my youngest grandchild was born, it's clear they need me less — not more. I try to be present at family gatherings, to offer guidance and support. But teenagers don't need babysitters; they need role models. They need someone to fight for their futures beyond the living room.

A Proven Track Record

To say I shouldn't run for mayor because I'm "too old" ignores everything I've done — and all that I still can do. I was Miami's first Cuban-American mayor, serving from 1985 to 1993 and again from 1997 to 1998. This year's polls show that in a crowded race, I have the best chance of defeating the top contender, Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo. That's no small thing.

There's no denying that for four decades, my public voice has mattered — especially in defining moments. In 1989, Miami faced possible collapse after two motorcyclists were shot by then-Miami Police Officer William Lozano on Martin Luther King Day. I helped prevent riots from consuming the city.

Continuing Impact

During my political career, I've played key roles in bringing five major sports franchises to Miami, plus the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center and the Frost Museum of Science. I worked to help preserve Miami Marine Stadium and protect our public waterfront access. I helped keep PeopleMover free and preserve the Coconut Grove Playhouse and other historic landmarks. I've helped grow the Homeless Trust to a $65 million agency with space for 2,000 people.

As a private citizen, my work has continued. I'm championing property tax reform with Tallahassee lawmakers. I'm pushing to extend free public transit countywide. I want the state to take over catastrophic insurance, and I'm advocating for cities to self-insure subsidized housing.