Alberto Zaltzberg is running for Aventura City mayor in the Nov. 3 nonpartisan election against Howard S. Weinberg.

Asked in our questionnaire why he is seeking office, Zaltzberg said, "Because the people who built this city are being priced out of homes they already own. In my work I read HOA budgets, reserve studies, insurance renewals and special assessments every week, and I watch retirees on fixed incomes do math they shouldn't have to do." He added, "I also ran because no one else was going to. Aventura hasn't had a contested mayor's race in at least four years, and a government nobody questions stops explaining itself."

Candidate information

Occupation and work history: "Licensed Florida real estate broker and owner of Adonait Business LLC, an Aventura-based brokerage," Zaltzberg said in our questionnaire. "… Day to day that means reading budgets, reserve studies, HOA documents, permits and contracts, which is the same paperwork a mayor has to read. I came to Florida from Buenos Aires in 2001 and have worked in online marketing and real estate here since. In 2022 I ran for Commission Seat 6."

Education: "Licenciatura in Marketing — the Argentine equivalent of a bachelor's degree — from Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE) in Buenos Aires. I'm fluent in Spanish and English," Zaltzberg said in our questionnaire.

Family: "My wife and I have been married more than 20 years. We've lived in Aventura for 15, we own our home here, and our two children go to school in this city — one at Don Soffer Aventura High School, one at Aventura Waterways K-8 Center," Zaltzberg said in our questionnaire.

Party affiliation: "I'm a registered Republican, but Aventura's mayoral race is nonpartisan and I'm running it that way. Reserves, insurance, traffic and pothole don't have a party," Zaltzberg said in our questionnaire.

Family in politics: No, according to our questionnaire.

Experience and public service

Zaltzberg ran for Aventura Commission Seat 6 in 2022, according to Miami-Dade election records. He said in our questionnaire that he serves on his condominium association's board of directors, describing it as "the closest thing to this job that exists in Aventura: you approve budgets, live with the reserve study, negotiate insurance, and answer to neighbors who pay the bill."

If elected, Zaltzberg would become Aventura's first Latino mayor, according to Political Cortadito.

On the issues

Differences from other candidates: Asked what sets him apart, Zaltzberg said in our questionnaire, "I'm the only candidate in this race who lives the problem I'm running on." He added, "I published 24 proposals on traffic, safety, HOA transparency, seniors and parks before I announced I was running, because a candidate should be judged on paper, not on adjectives."

Accomplishments: Zaltzberg said in our questionnaire, "On my condominium's board, we cut our insurance cost by hundreds of thousands of dollars. That's not a talking point — that's a line in a budget that didn't become a special assessment on 400 families."

Conflicts of interest: Asked how he would handle votes on development or zoning matters that could affect his brokerage, Zaltzberg said in our questionnaire, "I will not represent any client in a matter before the City of Aventura. I'll publish a standing recusal list, so no resident has to guess where my interests are. And on close calls I'll abstain — the appearance costs this city more than my vote is worth."

Housing and public servants: Zaltzberg proposes a "Live and Serve in Aventura" program offering monthly rental subsidies of up to $800 and homeownership assistance of up to $25,000 for teachers, police officers, firefighters, paramedics and municipal employees who live in the city, according to his campaign website.

Transportation: Zaltzberg proposes expanding the free Freebee rideshare service with more electric vehicles and extended hours, and creating a municipal subsidy for shared rides during peak hours, according to his campaign website.

Best advice: "Nobody is coming to fix it," Zaltzberg said in our questionnaire.