A special recall election that will determine whether or not a Miami-Dade County mayor and a commissioner will remain in office is set for Tuesday.

On Monday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez appeared on a WLRN radio show, in a final attempt to reach out to voters before the recall election. “I’m not passing the buck here, because I’ve been accused of this by another caller,” Alvarez said as he answered a question from one listener.

Alvarez took to radio and television stations on the eve of the recall election to try and build momentum for Tuesday, when voters decide whether he will serve the remainder of his second term.

Opponents blame the mayor for sky rocketing property taxes, job cuts and pay raises for some county employees. However, the mayor stands his ground. “I’ve made mistakes, without a doubt,” said Alvarez, “but what we’re talking about, the budget that occurred in September, was that a mistake? No.”

The man who initiated and led the recall effort against the mayor said this election is too close to call. “I don’t take anything for granted,” said car mogul Norman Braman. “I still feel that this election will be a close election.”

Long time Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natacha Seijas’ job is also at stake. Opponents said she sided with the mayor on his budget and salary raises.

Backers of the recall effort accuse the two leaders of mismanaging county money. They’re upset the mayor approved a 14-percent tax hike on property owners, while approving pay raises for some county workers. Alvarez said he did not have much of a choice. “Neither one of the options is good, but I chose to go with this one, knowing full well that I was going to be in political hot water,” said Alvarez.

Leading up to Tuesday’s special elections, nearly 130,000 votes have already been cast by way of absentee ballots and early voting. Recent polls suggest Alvarez and Seijas trail in the polls by more than 60 percentage points.

If Alvarez and Seijas are recalled, the county commission will have to make an appointment within a month or schedule a special election by early June. If a special election is called, Alvarez has already stated that he would run.

Polls open on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

(Source: WSVN)