Miami Lakes town government has a fresh, new look following the overwhelming approval of 10 town charter amendments that were proposed to voters in a May 17 mail-in ballot election.
One of the key amendments approved by 71 percent of those voting reinstates a provision for a run-off election if no one candidate wins over 50 percent of the vote in a general election.
The run-off election was among the changes proposed by the Miami Lakes Charter Revision Commission, which wanted residents to elect council and mayoral candidates by a majority, and became the centerpiece of a campaign between The Graham Companies and a political action committee labeled Concerned Voters of Miami Lakes.
The latter group, whose principals were not identified except for a known political consultant living in Miami Gardens, sent out mailers urging residents to vote no on all of the proposed changes indicating residents would lose their rights and would lead to tax increases.
In a move to defeat what many residents called a campaign of misleading information, The Graham Companies and former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham urged residents to promote good government by changing the town charter.
Graham lent his position on the 50 plus one vote and other charter changes, as The Graham Companies sent out door knob hanger flyers with the image of Graham celebrating his first gubernatorial election victory in 1978. Had it not been for a run off election, he would’ve lost.
In a Miami Laker article concerning the significance of approving the amendments, especially the run-off, Graham advocated for “Civic Engagement and Good Governance.”
“I write to you because your vote for the town’s proposed charter changes is very important,” Graham said in the article. “I plan to vote Yes on all proposed Charter Review items. While all of the issues are important, I believe the most significant item is the amendment regarding the majority vote. This issue is personal to me. I finished second in the 1978 campaign for governor. Because Florida had a majority vote election, which required a majority of Florida voters support to be elected, there was a run off. I was then elected and had the honor to serve you for eight years.”
A majority of town voters sided with Graham and now candidates must muster 51 percent of the votes to avoid a run-off election.
“We were certainly blessed by the involvement of Senator Bob Graham on this matter,” said resident Pilar Pedrosa Dalmau. “In my opinion, it really made a difference the way he explained to our community why yes was the right choice.”
The 50-plus-1 amendment becomes effective for the town’s November 8 general election where 13 candidates are vying for the mayoral position and three council seats.
Miami Lakes’ first mayor Wayne Slaton and Councilmembers Ceasar Mestre and Manny Cid have filed papers to run for the top political spot. Current Mayor Michael Pizzi, who claimed the charter changes were an attack against him, has yet to open a campaign account for reelection.
Xiomara Pazos, who unsuccessfully ran against Mestre in 2014, and political neophytes Robin Brown-Beamon and Jose Nodal Jr. are challenging incumbent Councilmember Tony Lama for Seat 3.
Political neophytes Esther Colon, Nayib Hassan, Wendy Milanes, Cardad Vasallo and Alejandro Sanchez are running for Seat 5, which Cid must give up to run for mayor.
Councilmember Nelson Rodriguez is so far running unopposed for his reelection to Seat 1.
In other amendments that were approved, the winner of the mayoral race will now have some limited powers, as 66 percent of voters changed a provision in the charter that will allow all elected officials to nominate the next town manager with public input instead of the mayor having the sole nominating responsibility.
Voters also chose the same format for picking the next town attorney, as 69 percent said yes. The town charter changes also reflect a new structure of government by bringing it more in line with a Council-Manager form of bureaucracy, as 58 percent of voters approved the Charter Revision Commission’s proposal to change the current Mayor-Council-Manager administration.
Other approved charter amendments include having the vice mayor fill the vacancy of the mayor for the duration of the vice mayor’s term, and by special election in the event that the remainder of the mayor’s term is longer than the vice mayor’s term in office; amending the Citizen’s Bill of Rights to provide that the town designate the representatives rather than the mayor to represent the town at all proceeding before the county, state and federal governments; and voters approved a minimum of four council members can call a special meeting instead of the mayor having that sole responsibility.
According to the Miami-Dade Elections Department, among the 17,841 registered voters in Miami Lakes, 3,125 voters cast their mail-in ballots for a 17.52 percent turnout.
Residents’ approval for a revised town charter could be a sign of things to come in November.
Pizzi, who overtly opposed the charter changes and is still mulling a reelection bid, has become a polarizing figure since his arrest in 2013, his subsequent acquittal on public corruption charges, and his legal team’s $2.5 million law suit against the town to recover their fees in his criminal trial defense.
Miami Lakes Charter Revision Commission chairman Dr. David Bennett said the vast majority of voters saw a need for a change on how the government should be operated.
“About 70 percent of the voters have spoken and approved the charter changes” he said.
Bennett said albeit he chaired the group, the rest of the committee members deserve the credit after residents approved all of their charter amendments.
“The Commission as a team did a great job,” he said. “It was an honor to have worked with such a great group of patriots, neighbors and friends.”