Six candidates are battling to replace outgoing County Commissioner Jean Monestime in the wide-open Aug. 23 race for the District 2 County Commission seat.
If recent community meetings, defaced signs and dirty tricks are any indication, the kettle is bubbling. If no candidate gets more than 50% and the top two candidates get to a Nov. 8 runoff, it will almost certainly boil over.
Big money, major developers and big names are on the line for a district that – despite pockets of affluence – has one of the county’s highest poverty rates at 22.6%, compared with 15% in Miami-Dade overall, and some of the county’s worst rates of gun violence.
(Mark Sell for Biscayne Times)
The open District 2 County Commission seat is making for a crowded race.
Affordable housing, public safety and long-term prosperity are big priorities for all candidates in this district that sprawls from Little River through large sections of Liberty City, Little Haiti, Hialeah, Opa-locka, the unincorporated area of Biscayne Gardens, most of North Miami and much of North Miami Beach west of U.S. 1.
Growing food lines and rising evictions aren’t the only issues in this district in a most unequal of counties, where rents rocketed more than 30% last year to some of the highest in the land.
Infrastructure, chronic flooding and transportation are also urgent issues. The district has nearly 25,500 septic tanks, the most of any in the county, with the water flowing into Biscayne Bay. Water and sewer lines 60 or even 90 years old strain to support a fresh wave of development. Along the eastern end, rail transportation and transit development promise bigger tax revenues to swell the needy coffers of North Miami, particularly along the Brightline north-south rail corridor just west of Biscayne Boulevard.
The district has nearly 200,000 people and 104,121 voters. Its population is 60% Black – roughly balanced between Haitian, Caribbean and African American – 33% Latino and 4.6% white. All of the commission candidates, who include Wallace Aristide, Monique Barley-Mayo, Marleine Bastien, Philippe Bien-Aime, Josaphat “Joe” Celestin and William “DC” Clark, are Black; four are Haitian American.
(Mark Sell for Biscayne Times)
The open District 2 County Commission seat is making for a crowded race.
Newbies in Charge
County commissioners receive $6,000 a year and haven’t had a raise since 1957. The salary is set by charter and voters have rejected all efforts to amend it. Commissioners receive an additional $2,000-a-month allowance, plus health insurance, pension contribution and car allowance. Each district is also issued a county commission credit card.
Thanks to term limits, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava – who in 2020 cut her own annual salary by 20% to $200,000 – will be working with the greenest county commission in recent history, with five seats open on the 13-member panel. The Miami Herald reported that the average tenure of commissioners has shrunk since 2020 from 14 years to nine. When the new commission is sworn in Nov. 22, that average will shrink to 18 months.
While experience will therefore come at a premium, so will ethics, professionalism and efficiency, whether commissioners and district staff are serving constituents, county administration and staff, or lobbyists. Former commissioners say it usually takes about two years to get their bearings.
(Mark Sell for Biscayne Times)
The open District 2 County Commission seat is making for a crowded race.
On ethics, Monestime’s office exits on a troubling note. In early May, authorities arrested his former chief of staff, Mac-Kinley Lauriston, former aide Evelt Jeudy and a bank manager for allegedly stealing $640,000 from the county over five years by fraudulently applying for grants and pocketing the proceeds.
Lauriston ran an unsuccessful North Miami mayoral campaign against Bien-Aime on a fiscal responsibility ticket, but actually won in predominantly white, affluent precincts on the city’s east side. State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said there is no evidence Monestime knew of the scheme.
Money Talks
Longtime lobbyist Ringo Cayard, a Bien-Aime supporter, estimates that a District 2 victory will require $1.5-$1.8 million.
(Miami-Dade County)
The newly drawn District 2 boundary extends from Little River to much of North Miami Beach, North Miami and unincorporated Biscayne Gardens west of U.S. 1. Its boundaries changed slightly in 2021.
Developers and related entities have contributed a big chunk of funding to Bien-Aime’s campaign and political committee, Progressive Advocates for Change. Those include The Related Group, Omega Real Estate, Tate Enterprises and Sergio Rok; all must come before the city council in furthering their interests. Omega’s 358-unit mixed-use, seven-acre Gardens project broke ground July 11 on the north side of 125th Street – the first major project in North Miami’s downtown in half a century.
“If you don’t have money, you’re not in the game,” said Cayard, who helped organize a July 14 fundraiser and greeting session for Bien-Aime at the Miami offices of Holland & Knight, whose partner Pedro Gassant has advocated before the North Miami council for the Related Group and Kayla at the Library, an affordable housing project at 131st Street and West Dixie Highway that was approved by the council and in which Cayard is also involved.
With Bien-Aime as top dog, then, it is little wonder that the other five candidates explicitly or implicitly criticized him at a July 7 meeting of the Biscayne Gardens Civic Association, saying they are “not on the take,” “beholden to no one,” “always available to the residents” and “comfortably pensioned with simple needs.”
One conspicuous dirty trick marred the evening.
Harsh Words
Most candidates got trolled that morning with an anonymous text falsely announcing that the association’s regular monthly 7:30 p.m. meeting was postponed until further notice. Candidates had been invited to a competing 7 p.m. meeting at the Biscayne Gardens Chamber of Commerce, whose president, Bernard Jennings, led an effort last year to incorporate the community of 35,000, which failed with a whopping 83% opposed final vote. Jennings said he had nothing to do with the false cancellation message.
Former North Miami Mayor Celestin used current Mayor Bien-Aime as his foil that evening, calling the city “bankrupt.” In one dramatic moment toward the end of the meeting, Celestin gestured at Bien-Aime and said to the audience:
“I want you to be vigilant. They’re coming for you and the agent is sitting right there. When the developer gives a politician $100,000 or $200.000, it’s not because you’re good looking. It’s because they want something in return … Be careful.”
The audience responded with gasps and guffaws as Bien-Aime folded his arms.
“Government doesn’t create jobs,” he said when given the chance to respond. “Private investment brings jobs to the city … We already have 14 developments – quality developments that are going to change the city of North Miami forever. ... I’m the only one with a real plan and experience to get the job done.”
Prioritizing Housing
Neither Bien-Aime nor Celestin are without blemishes. Former North Miami city employee Janice Antoine sued Bien-Aime – who professed innocence – and the city in 2018 for repeated sexual harassment and assault. The city settled in 2019 with Antoine, who kept her job. Bien-Aime then got elected and reelected mayor. Late last year, he was headed to foreclosure court against the owner of his house, Bien-Aime Family Trust LLC, an umbrella for his businesses, when the hearing was called off and the foreclosure was taken off the books.
Celestin went through a Chapter 11 business bankruptcy reorganization in 2011 and personal bankruptcy in 2021, saying he did so to clear his old corporate debts as he was battling long COVID. He is now back in business building Adventist churches.
All the candidates are taking a close look at addressing the housing situation, whether through affordable or workforce units for the middle class, public housing for lower-income households or assisting hard-pressed residents of single-family homes.
In April, Levine Cava declared a “housing affordability crisis” and has since sought ways to come up with solutions. These include the proposed Building Blocks Workforce Housing Initiative that would offer initiatives to landlords to encourage rents that match county guidelines, increasing the housing supply..
Rent control is under discussion, but local governments’ ability to impose such controls has been severely restricted under Florida Statute 166 since 1977. Rents increased 32% in Miami-Dade last year – four times the national rate.
What the Candidates Have to Say
What are the top three issues facing your district? How would you go about solving your top priority? What sets you apart as a candidate? These are the questions the Biscayne Times posed to the District 2 candidates; here are their answers. Responses have been edited for space and clarity.
Wallace Aristide
Top three issues: Housing, public safety, transportation
“The county’s made tremendous strides in addressing the housing issue through the Tenant’s Bill of Rights and affordable housing initiatives. I’ll continue to work alongside the administration to push forward and expand upon these efforts. The county has also done a great job with the new rapid transit system, but I’d like to see Metrorail expanded more into District 2.
“I’ve solved problems and assisted conditions including homelessness, poverty, violence, education and affordable health care; I have firsthand knowledge in rectifying problematic social ills; and I value the importance of stakeholder input in solving problems.”
Monique Barley-Mayo
Top three issues: Housing, economic development, public safety
“I write grants for a living and will work with the county to make the affordable housing program here self-sufficient. All these developers are coming here and low-income families are moving out of houses. High-rises are not affordable for them. The federal government has 26 agencies and 900 grant programs.
“I’m not a politician; I’m a public servant who grew up in public housing – and I still live in public housing. I know the problems firsthand and the needs, from housing insecurity to public safety to access to good parks and recreation. I’m not taking contributions and am beholden to no one.”
Marleine Bastien
Top three issues: Housing, infrastructure, public safety
“The American Rescue Plan presents a pivotal opportunity to invest in my top three issues. Miami-Dade County received $527.7 million from the Department of Treasury in total; of that, there’s a potential $206.7 million available for District 2’s affordable housing/rental programs, infrastructure improvements and safety.
“For over 40 years, I’ve been involved in every critical fight to better the lives of Miami-Dade County residents. I’ve fought for fair wages, affordable housing, job creation through sustainable economic development and comprehensive immigration reform. I’m not a career politician; I am an advocate who has stood with this community since I arrived in the U.S.”
Josaphat “Joe” Celestin
Top three issues: Housing, transportation, public safety
“I’ll address my top priorities by proposing policies via ordinances to advance my agenda. My integrity, experience, knowledge, education and passion to improve the quality of life in District 2 is what sets me apart.”
William “DC” Clark
Top three issues: Public safety, economic development, a cohesive community
“A great deal of the crime taking place in our communities comes from young adults who were not fortunate enough to go to college and have no direction. I’ll partner with local schools and businesses to develop trade and logistic hubs to train young adults as well as the unemployed to develop their job skills.
“I’ve served practically every inch of this county – whites, Blacks and Hispanics. This district needs someone capable of serving all ethnicities fairly without favoring one against all others. I feel I’m the candidate that can bring this district together to finally realize its true economic and political power.”
Philippe Bien-Aime
Philippe Bien-Aime did not respond to repeated requests from the Biscayne Times.
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(Courtesy of Wallace Aristide)
Longtime educator and administrator Aristide, 58, is the principal of iTech Magnet High School. He touts his long career turning around troubled schools, approachability, service counseling youth and community involvement. He enjoys significant support within the real estate and business community and is the No. 2 fundraiser, with nearly $400,000 raised. He lives in Biscayne Gardens.
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(Courtesy of Monique Barley-Mayo)
Thirty-nine-year-old Barley-Mayo is a grant writer and business consultant, and was a 2020 Miami-Dade mayoral candidate. She is an advocate for more housing assistance and public housing. A cousin of County Commissioner Keon Hardemon – who is advising her rival, Philippe Bien-Aime – she has not sought nor raised any money. She lives in the Little River neighborhood of Miami.What are the top three issues facing your district? How would you go about solving your top priority? What sets you apart as a candidate? Top three issues: Housing, economic development, public safety“I write grants for a living and will work with the county to make the affordable housing program here self-sufficient. All these developers are coming here and low-income families are moving out of houses. High-rises are not affordable for them. The federal government has 26 agencies and 900 grant programs.“I’m not a politician; I’m a public servant who grew up in public housing – and I still live in public housing. I know the problems firsthand and the needs, from housing insecurity to public safety to access to good parks and recreation. I’m not taking contributions and am beholden to no one.”
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(Courtesy of Marleine Bastien)
Bastien, 63, is founder of the Family Action Network Movement. She’s been active in local politics for 40 years with a focus on Haitian American causes, and supports anti-gentrification efforts and extending Temporary Protective Status for immigrant families. She is the No. 3 fundraiser with $225,000 and is endorsed by RISE, the Service Employees International Union and former County Commissioner Katy Sorenson. She lives in Biscayne Gardens.
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(NorthMiamiFL.gov)
A North Miami councilmember since 2013 and its mayor since 2019, Bien-Aime, 58, is the only sitting elected official among the candidates. He came to the council with a background of self-described “humble success” in the used car business and holds a real estate license. He has received extensive support from developers, the real estate industry and a growing list of politicians, and says he has now raised nearly $1 million for his campaign. He lives in North Miami.
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(Courtesy of Josaphat “Joe” Celestin)
Celestin, 65, was North Miami’s first Haitian American mayor (2001-05) and is a licensed contractor. He says his background in engineering, architecture, contracting and elected office will help him effectively address the district’s underlying and urgent infrastructure, environmental and flooding issues. He has raised $33,000 and lives in Biscayne Gardens and North Miami.
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(Courtesy of William “DC” Clark)
A former teacher, retired firefighter and paramedic, one-time bookstore owner and longtime champion of Black and community causes, Clark says he places a premium on integrity and character, and is most concerned with being available to constituents and “bringing the community together” across ethnic, neighborhood and class lines. Clark has raised $62,000 and lives in North Miami.