When I first got wind that our friend Comedian Steve Berke was running for Mayor of Miami Beach, I must say I did not think it was going to go this far. The past six months of Steve Berke’s grassroots-style campaigning has earned him many notable mentions, from the New Times, Miami Herald, NBC, and NOW a spread in Maxim. It’s not his Yale graduate degree or his age that everyone is speaking about, it’s his swagger. From his entourage of models to his goals of decriminalizing Marijuana, Gambling, and Gay Marriage, Berke really makes no apologies.
“Steve’s campaign is founded on revolutionary concepts like logic, honesty, and transparency. Most Politicians try and hide from their dirty past. Steve embraces his!” —– http://www.steveberkeformayor.com/home.php
I think that if there are politicians or others looking at this campaign with disgust or as a joke, they should be a little more honest with themselves and see how different they actually are from Steve Berke. The biggest differences are probably their lack of achievement and athletic ability. Other than that, he’s rocking out just like we all do, have, or aspire to.
“We’re not the Republican Party. We’re not the Democratic Party. We are… the After Party”
Steve Berke- Spread in Maxim
I caught up with Steve to ask him a few questions…
When did you decide you wanted to run for mayor? Right around December of last year.
How has your education prepared you for your career as a politician? Well, it has and it hasn’t. A strong education prepares you to be a good problem solver and deal with life in general. However, politics is full of dirty tricks, semantics, and complicated election laws, so nothing can really prepare you for all the little nuances when you are a novice.
What is your platform? And what is your #1 Priority? My platform is to make Miami Beach a better place for its residents and for the tourists that come here and continue to make us one of the top destinations in the world. Oh, and to kill all Vampires. Miami Beach already has too many blood sucking leeches (i.e. look at our government!).
How would marijuana legalization directly help the city of Miami and also the country? Decriminalizing marijuana would allow our police force to focus on more serious and violent crimes. We shouldn’t be wasting tax dollars on incarcerating people for possession of small amounts of marijuana, because it is a waste of money and our jails are already too overcrowded. Our city is broke right now and operating at a deficit. Why should we be wasting tax payer money on this? The city of Miami Beach does not have a jail, so it costs our residents a significant amount of money to incarcerate people for weed. We should implement a policy where people get a $100 ticket for possessing a small amount of marijuana (under 20 grams). Instead of SPENDING money for incarcerating people for small amounts of marijuana possession, we should be GENERATING money for the city.
As mayor would you partake in accepting bribes? I can usually be bought for a bucket of chicken wings and some mozzarella sticks.
Do you partake in sexting? Sexy Texting? Of course. Anyone who is 30 years old and pretends like they haven’t sent a sexy text is a flat out liar. I’m a single, red blooded American male, and I can sext with the best of ‘em! Although one time I accidentally sent a sext to my sister, because her name is similar to a girl I was dating. That was awkward.
What does it mean to make Miami Beach “more party friendly” and how will that help Miami Beach? We can’t afford to have a Mayor who is anti-nightlife in a city that is famous for its nightlife. That’s like the Mayor of Las Vegas being anti-gambling! Most of Miami Beach’s revenue comes from tourism, and the top 2 reasons why tourists visit this city are to go to the beach and to party. The current Mayor has passed several anti-nightlife laws and noise ordinances which hurt our hotel/hospitality industry, nightlife industry, and restaurant industry. This is both bad for the city’s bottom line and for its reputation, and continuing these policies could damage our tourism industry in a way that could cripple our budget, which would result in increased taxes for our residents. I understand that Miami Beach residents don’t want our city to be a 24/7 party zone, but there are certain laws and ordinances that have been passed that are completely ridiculous. If you want to live in a retirement community, move to Delray Beach. If you want to live where there is action (and occasionally, a little noise), then South Beach is the place for you.
Where do you think you stand in the polls right now? Has your grassroots campaign been working for you? And your entourage of Models? There haven’t been any polls yet. It’s too early. But the way I’m running my campaign has definitely gotten my name out there, and I now regularly see people coming up to me on Lincoln Road shaking my hand and telling me how they support me and love what I’m doing. It doesn’t hurt that I have super hot model friends that are helping on the campaign either! Name recognition is half the battle in politics, and I certainly think that I’ve done a good job with getting residents to know who I am.
What happens after elections… the moment you find out if you win or not? And what will you do to celebrate if you do win? Whether I win or not, I am going to throw a massive election night party on November 1st. Win or lose, we are going to be spraying everyone with champagne and partying till we can’t see straight!
To learn more about Steve Berke or his campaign please visit: http://www.steveberkeformayor.com/
And be sure to Like him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steveberkecomedy
We had bongos and and symbols a bunch of our NUG BRAND flags we basically had a PARADE taking over the Wynwood Walls!! Here are just a couple of photos of the craziness that went down!!
NUGGY AND SOME BOOTY 
“The NugBrand Bird Creamy & NugGirl Margarita”
Northern Lights sponsored by Nug Brand Clothing !
