Former mayor, wife of ex-councilman among crowded field in North Miami council race

In a seven-person race for North Miami’s District 2 council seat, two candidates have drawn the most attacks from their opponents: former Mayor Kevin Burns and longtime community fixture Michael McDearmaid.

The two council hopefuls have a wealth of government experience, and Burns, the city mayor from 2005 to 2009, is likely the best-known candidate in the race. But their opponents want voters to also know that the pair are registered lobbyists in the city — a title they both played down in interviews.

“McDearmaid and Burns are lobbyists,” said Hector Medina, a retired medical doctor and former mayoral candidate who is running for the District 2 seat in the city’s May 11 election. “You can dress anything you want and put whatever you want on it, but you are a lobbyist.”

Hired by city vendors, developers and sometimes resident groups and nonprofits to help influence public policy, lobbyists have long been criticized by good government advocates as giving undue influence to special interests. Burns and McDearmaid both say they prefer the term “consultant.”

McDearmaid, a community and government relations liaison at the law firm Greenspoon Marder, works at the firm under state Rep. Joseph Geller representing clients in North Miami, among other cities.

But he noted that he’s not typically the firm’s “official lobbyist” on projects, instead playing an advisory role to its attorneys — as he did on a recent development at Northeast 130th Street and 9th Ave. that was controversial among residents for its height in a residential area.

“There’s a little misconception,” McDearmaid said of his lobbying role.

Burns, the mayor of North Miami from 2005 to 2009, refers to himself as a “business consultant” rather than a lobbyist. When a developer sought to bring a Cadillac dealership to the site of the White House Inn motel on Northeast 123rd Street in 2016, “they had a law firm that was their lobbyist,” Burns said. “My job was to get them out in front of the community.”

“You almost have to hire somebody who knows how to navigate the bureaucratic nightmare,” Burns said. “It’s a shame people have to hire somebody like me to maneuver the process.”

Burns said his experience on the inside of North Miami politics — both as a mayor and a registered lobbyist — is an asset. “I know the inner workings of this city better than any other candidate,” he told the Miami Herald.

But some of his opponents, who hope to fill a seat being vacated by term-limited Councilwoman Carol Keys, say independence is critical to represent a district that includes a downtown corridor that is ripe for more development.

“Being a lobbyist for a special interest is a conflict,” said Esther Blynn, a longtime community activist and the wife of former city councilman Michael Blynn.

Blynn runs a civil law practice with her husband, but said she’s developed her own working relationships with city officials in North Miami and other cities that would serve her well in office, independent of her husband’s past role.

And Jessica Wolland — a real estate agent who also owns a company that offers creative classes for children — said she would act independently on the council from her father, Frank Wolland, a former North Miami mayor and a current lobbyist in the city.

“I love my father but I’m not here to represent his interests,” she said. “I am here to represent the interests of my community.”

Kassandra Timothe, a former North Miami public information officer and one-time legislative aide to former state Sen. Arthenia Joyner, said she has refused to take campaign donations from developers in an effort to remain independent.

“I have no big developers [supporting me],” Timothe said. “Just me and my family.”

William Welsh, a former president and current board member for the homeowners’ association in the Sans Souci neighborhood, is funding his own campaign.

“You can’t buy me,” he said. “I don’t owe anything to anybody.”

If none of the seven candidates garners more than 50% of the vote on May 11, the election will go to a runoff between the top two finishers on June 1.

Blynn brings over 45 years of service

Blynn, 78, received a proclamation last year from Keys, the outgoing District 2 councilwoman, honoring Blynn’s work in the community since 1975.

The proclamation declared that March 10, 2020, was “Esther T. Blynn Day” in North Miami, pointing to various ways she’s served the city, including by advocating for new and improved playgrounds and parks through the now-defunct Playful City USA program.

Blynn is also vice president of the North Dade Bar Association and a board member for the North Miami Senior Citizens Foundation. She’s a former prosecutor of child abuse cases and was once clinical director for the master’s program at the Florida International University School of Social Work.

Like her opponents, Blynn said North Miami’s financial troubles — namely, a multimillion-dollar budget deficit that has persisted in recent years — moved her to run for office.

“I felt I had to step up and step in,” she said. “I could foresee the path that we are on now is not productive and could lead to dire financial consequences.”

Blynn also led a charge through the North Miami Alliance of Homeowners Associations to push Florida Power and Light to bury power lines in North Miami and elsewhere to protect communities from storms. Lines were buried in Pinecrest, albeit not in North Miami.

“I have a strong record of not just talking, but success and cost-saving measures,” she said.

Burns brushes off barbs about his finances

In addition to taking shots at Burns for his work as a lobbyist, several of his opponents pointed to the former mayor’s personal financial struggles to question whether he’s right for the job.

Burns, 62, filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy last year, which allows people to keep their property if they stick to a court-ordered repayment plan. He told the Herald it stemmed from a second mortgage he took out to remodel his house that came with an unexpectedly high interest rate.

Burns has dealt in the past with various court judgments based on liens and other debts, including a judgment of nearly $119,000 from a lawsuit filed against him in 2010 by resident Annie Montgomery. Burns said he still owes money to Montgomery and that the two have a private arrangement.

“I owe no money to anybody else,” he said. “I live well within my means. I make money to pay all of my expenses.”

On top of his lobbying and consulting work, Burns is a Realtor and runs a Christmas tree business that he says is the “longest established independent Christmas tree retailer in South Florida.”

In an interview, he touted his record as mayor, saying he helped improve the city’s financial situation, open a new water plant and open five new schools.

“We turned this city around,” Burns said. “When you have nothing as another candidate to grasp on, let’s see what we can throw mud at Kevin for. I’ll go toe to toe with any of them.”

Medina says he’s more seasoned this time

Medina, 63, made his name in North Miami when he and his neighbors waged a multi-year battle against a dry cleaning business, Spotmaster, complaining about noise from heavy machinery and eventually forcing the business to fold.

Since then, Medina has waged two unsuccessful bids for mayor in 2017 and 2019. But this year, he said he has more help from advisors and more support from the community.

“I know what I’m doing this time,” he said.

Like most of his opponents, Medina blasted the city’s way of doing business and said more should be done to ensure development benefits residents. But he also wants to go a step further, proposing a moratorium on all development until the city’s zoning code is rewritten.

In the past, he said, the city has been so “desperate for some developments” that officials wrote the code in a way that would attract new construction.

“The staff is working for the developers and against the neighborhoods,” Medina said, adding that city employees are simply doing what they’re told. “We have to give proper guidance to city employees to bring in the development we want.”

Medina, who is Puerto Rican, said he hopes to bring Hispanic representation to North Miami. About 30% of city residents are Hispanic, according to Census estimates, but none of the five current elected officials are. “That’s very important to me that everyone has a seat at the table,” he said.

McDearmaid sits on numerous city boards

McDearmaid, 80, is the vice chair of the North Miami Planning Commission. He’s vice chair of the Board of Adjustment. He’s chair of the Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Committee. And he’s served on more than a dozen other boards and committees, both inside and outside the city, over the past three decades.

“When people call and say, ‘Mike, can you?’ ... I usually say yes,” McDearmaid said. “I’ve been in service to this city for the last 30 years continuously.”

McDearmaid said he recuses himself at city board meetings when a project comes up that he’s lobbying for, like the development on 130th Street.

Finding new ways to bring in revenue will be key to the city’s financial success, he said.

“People say we need more code officers. People say the infrastructure is old and failing. We need more sustainability. We need additional parks services. We all agree we need these,” McDearmaid said. “Where’s the money coming from?

One answer, he said, is development. He noted that the projects being built in the city now are generally allowable under city code — even if residents aren’t always thrilled with the results.

The city should take a closer look at its zoning laws, McDearmaid said, while continuing to bring in development that makes sense. “I think many cities have smart development where they bring in development that produces substantial income, but do it with as much consideration as possible,” he said. “There’s always going to be people who are negatively affected by development.”

Timothe finds support in first campaign

Timothe, 31, is the youngest of the seven candidates and the lone Haitian-American in the race. After five years as the city’s public information officer, she has made a splash in her first run for office, raising over $50,000 in campaign contributions — second-most behind McDearmaid.

She initially got the endorsement of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, though it was put on hold after a controversy over the party’s endorsement process.

Timothe said her communications role with the city was “draining” because North Miami holds so many events throughout the year, something several candidates have pointed to as evidence of the city’s wasteful spending habits.

“I think the biggest issue is fiscal responsibility,” Timothe said, suggesting that the city should secure more sponsors for its events and slim down its events budget.

Like many of her opponents, Timothe said the city needs development to grow but also needs to improve the process. She said each proposed project should come with several community forums and an assessment of social and environmental impacts.

“I do feel like it’s time to develop some of these areas, but it has to be done with residents in mind,” she said. “That’s why I haven’t taken any developers’ checks. I want the residents to decide.”

Before working for the city and for Joyner, the state senator, Timothe had a stint as a legislative aide for Tampa Councilwoman Lisa Montelione. She also spent the summer of 2012 working for North Miami’s Museum of Contemporary Art, helping pitch a $15 million bond proposal that residents rejected.

Welsh has advocated for homeowners

Welsh, 61, earned a badge of honor during his four years as president of the homeowners’ association in Sans Souci: Welsh said one city manager told him he was “the biggest pain in his a--” of anyone in North Miami.

The former stock broker and construction worker said he pestered the city about flooding issues in his neighborhood and advocated for more police in Sans Souci in an effort to reduce crime and slow traffic.

The homeowners’ associations in both Sans Souci and nearby Keystone Point “know me for my honesty and integrity,” Welsh said. “As a stock broker, I carry out my fiduciary responsibility, which is to the people, not to myself,” he said. “A lot of people know that I fight for what is right.”

As part of an effort to prevent new developments that aren’t supported by local residents, Welsh said the city should beef up its current rules — which already require a four-fifths supermajority council vote to approve projects — to require approval of the council member whose district would get the project.

“Development has to respect the residents,” Welsh said.

Welsh added that he’d like to see North Miami’s public schools become as prestigious as those in neighboring cities where “people lie” to get their kids admitted.

“I want people to lie, beg, cheat and steal to get into our schools in North Miami,” he said.

Wolland has served the city since childhood

Wolland, 40, served on North Miami’s Youth Opportunity Board when she was just 11 years old. In the years since, she has taught ballet through the city’s parks and recreation department, helped start a “pre-robotics” program at W.J. Bryan Elementary School and volunteered with the library’s virtual storytelling program.

“North Miami is inherently part of who I am and I want to continue serving in a more formal capacity to affect change,” Wolland, who declined an interview with the Herald, said in a written response to questions.

Wolland’s father spent eight years as a city councilman before a stint as mayor in the late 1990s. While touting her independence, Wolland said her father’s political career “instilled a sense of civic responsibility from an early age which I have continually fulfilled throughout my adult life.”

Wolland said the top two issues facing the city are the financial deficit and aging infrastructure. To cut down on the deficit, she said, the city needs to reduce spending on events like last year’s over-budget Super Bowl party and an annual Mardi Gras event.

“We need to focus on spending wisely instead of simply spending,” Wolland said. “There should be a differentiation between needs and wants. Parties, special events and other items that don’t contribute to resolving community or residents’ needs should be less of a priority.”

On infrastructure, Wolland said, “we need to prioritize our aging pipes and water plant.”

“We need to continue to apply for federal grants and look into new methods and innovations for flood mitigation as we face sea level rise,” she said.