NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – North Miami voters are choosing a new mayor next week and will see some familiar faces on the ballot. There are four candidates running in the race.
Will city hall turn the page on recent drama and dysfunction?
Local 10 News took a look at the candidates.
Residents have seen turmoil at city hall this year — a cyber hack that temporarily shut many services — and unrelated, months earlier, the abrupt firing of a city manager who had been reversing a spiraling budget and holding people accountable.
Mayor Alix Desulme, who stayed largely uninvolved in that turmoil, is running for reelection. He started with the city as clerk and was first elected to the council in 2015. Since, he has had a role in addressing an aging infrastructure, especially the city’s water and sewer system.
The incumbent has three challengers — all familiar faces here — in alphabetical order: Naomi Blemur is a small business owner who had previously lost a race for state agriculture commissioner. Daphne Campbell is a former state senator who lost reelection there after several high-profile scandals. Hector Medina is a longtime city activist and lost his last bid for council by 23 votes.
The candidates will be managing new development versus overdevelopment. Both have contributed to damaging floods in some neighborhoods and high water bills.
Besides a mayor, North Miami voters will be electing two of four councilmembers—a potential seismic change in city leadership—or not.