MiamiMiami Politicsdoral

Joe Carollo, 'Crazy' Ex-Miami Mayor, Appointed Doral City Manager (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

LOOK: Like A Phoenix! 'Crazy' Joe Is Back For More
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The seemingly dead political career of outspoken ex-Miami mayor Joe Carollo is getting new life in Doral.

Doral mayor Luigi Boria has appointed Carollo city manager, a move that the city council approved unanimously Wednesday night. Carollo replaces former Miami-Dade County Superintendent Of Schools and interim manager Merritt Stierheim, who told the Miami Herald hiring Carollo was "a terrible decision."

Carollo -- whose new job is worth $144,000 annually -- has a storied career in Miami politics. It all began in 1977 when he unsuccessfully ran for the Miami city commission. He then won a seat in 1979, where he became known as a confrontational firebrand.

After earning the nickname "Crazy Joe" during a controversial tenure, Carollo's burgeoning career was halted in 1987 when he lost reelection.

But after a few years in business, Carollo was elected mayor of Miami in a 1996 special election to finish the term of local stalwart Stephen P. Clark, who succumbed to cancer in office. After losing an outright bid for re-election in 1997 to Xavier Suarez, Carollo successfully sued over allegations of voter fraud and ascended again in 1998.

His three-year tenure at Miami's helm was wrought with both successes and unforgettable missteps, and, well, check out his most memorable moments -- including the infamous Teapot Incident -- to learn a few of the reasons he wasn't elected again:

'Crazy' Joe's Unforgettable Moments
The Endorsement That Wasn't(01 of05)
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After serving out his fifth two-year term as Miami city mayor in 1983, Maurice Ferré (pictured center, 1977) made a press call to highlight an expected endorsement for a sixth term by up-and-coming city commissioner Joe Carollo. What happened when Carollo approached the podium was a denunciation of Ferré, whom he accused of a "racist campaign of hate." Ferré had previously supported Carollo's opponent in a city commission race in 1977. Ferré was later reelected to a sixth term. (credit:Florida State Archives)
Loser's Lawsuit(02 of05)
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Upon the in-office death of longtime Miami mayor Stephen P. "Steve" Clark in 1996, Carollo won his city mayoral seat in a special election held that summer. Running for election outright in 1997, he lost to then-former Miami city Mayor Xavier Suarez. Carollo successfully contested the final results of the November 1997 election in a heated legal battle which ultimately saw him sworn-in and seated in March 1998. (credit:AP)
Elián Outrage(03 of05)
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In 2000, Mayor Carollo pulled out all the stops in denouncing President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno for the removal of Cuban-born immigrant Elián Gonzalez. In the wake of the child's repatriation to Cuba, Carollo railed against the Clinton administration, saying "what they did was a crime" and calling the Justice Department agents "atheists" who "don't believe in God." (credit:AP)
Bananas At City Hall(04 of05)
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In the wake of the Elián debacle, the Mayor reshuffled his cabinet to include mostly Cuban Americans. The action incensed city officials and residents who felt alienated. After an unsuccessful petition called for Carollo's ouster, protesters who felt the Mayor's office fell into irreparable disarray pelted bananas at city hall. (credit:Getty Images)
Throwing The Teapot At His Wife(05 of05)
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The Mayor brought Miamians to shame in 2001 when he threw a terra-cotta teapot at his wife's head. Miami police were called to the bayfront Carollo home in Coconut Grove after a domestic dispute which reportedly left María Ledón Carollo, his second wife, with a golfball-sized lump on her forehead and he with scratches. He ultimately continued his reelection bid that year, losing to Manny Diaz. Ledón Carollo filed for divorce. (credit:Miami Police)

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