MIAMI-DADE COMMISSION

Monestime, Bell take commission seats

Two newly elected commissioners were sworn in, bringing the biggest change in years to the long-entrenched County Commission.

BY MARTHA BRANNIGAN AND MATTHEW HAGGMAN

MBRANNIGAN@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Newly installed Miami-Dade Commissioner Jean Monestime demonstrated a knack for political drama at a swearing in ceremony Tuesday, depicting his ascent to the powerful local post as a true story of ``the American Dream.''

Monestime, the first Haitian-American elected to the County Commission, joined fellow newcomer Lynda Bell, a former one-term Homestead mayor who succeeded retiring Commissioner Katy Sorenson, on the county dais for the first time Tuesday before a packed house.

Although Bell and Monestime are but two new faces on the 13-member commission, their arrival marks the biggest shakeup in years at County Hall, where incumbents, typically backed by powerful labor unions and lobbyists, are so hard to beat they often run unopposed.

How the two newcomers set priorities and align their interests with other commissioners could have a major impact on the panel, which oversees a $7.3 billion budget, sets property tax rates and decides on key policy and direction for the county.

Monestime, 47, the son of farmers in Haiti, said he came by boat to Miami as a teenager and worked his way through school washing dishes and driving taxi.

``I'm here to remind you that Miami is still the Magic City and the United States of America is still the land of opportunity,'' beamed Monestime, wearing a rose in his lapel. ``Look at me: I'm the proof.''

He represents District 2, a largely depressed swath of the county that spans much of Liberty City, Opa-locka and North Miami. Among other things, Monestime cited plans to hold ``state of the district'' meetings with residents in a bid to rally the community and keep people informed.

Monestime handily beat 12-year incumbent Dorrin D. Rolle in a Nov. 2 runoff, marking the first time a sitting commissioner had been ousted in 16 years.

Rolle had a far larger campaign warchest, but was crippled by a track record of ethical breaches and his failed stewardship of the James E. Scott Community Association, a once venerable nonprofit agency that was liquidated in bankruptcy court after Rolle stepped down. Monestime, a real estate broker and former city councilman in North Miami, waged an aggressive grass-roots campaign, knocking on doors precinct by precinct to raise his profile among both Haitian-Americans and African-Americans.

Meanwhile, Bell, a conservative who once headed Florida Right to Life, moves into the District 8 seat held by Sorenson, a liberal environmentalist. The district stretches from upscale Pinecrest to rural Redland to blue-collar Homestead.

Bell's razor-thin runoff victory over Eugene Flinn, who just ended his final term as mayor of Palmetto Bay, came amid a groundswell of support for Republicans. Though the county election was nonpartisan, Bell tapped into that support after finishing second in the primary.

Bell, who had support from a powerful incumbent county commissioner, Natacha Seijas, has said she hopes to be named to the committee that oversees budget matters. On Tuesday, she pledged to push for fiscally responsible government and to back policies that encourage economic growth.

Her victory marks a rebound for a politician ushered out last year following controversies in Homestead, including her and the council's refusal to stop the waving of the Confederate flag at a Veterans Day parade.

Also sworn in for new four-year terms Tuesday were reelected Commissioners Rebeca Sosa, Jose ``Pepe'' Diaz, Sally A. Heyman and Javier D. Souto.

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Thursday, November 18, 2010