Miami names new city attorney after removal of Victoria Méndez
A 30-year veteran of Miami’s legal team will replace outgoing City Attorney Victoria Méndez after a tumultuous year in City Hall that culminated in Méndez’s removal earlier this month.
The Miami City Commission named Deputy City Attorney George Wysong to be Miami’s top lawyer in a 4-1 vote. His appointment became effective immediately after the clerk swore him in Thursday afternoon.
Wysong steps into the role following a year in city politics that was plagued by controversy, including the arrest of one commissioner on corruption charges, an FBI investigation into the mayor and accusations of a conflict of interest against the city manager, whose wife’s family’s furniture company has sold the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise since 2020.
Wysong has worked in the city since 1994, first as an assistant city attorney and municipal prosecutor, then as a legal adviser for the police department. In May, he was promoted to deputy city attorney, overseeing land use, transactional and general government matters.
“Throughout that time, the city has had challenging issues, so that’s not new to me,” Wysong told the Miami Herald. “I think that whenever there’s a challenge, you have to rise to it, take it face on and hopefully do our best to make things better.”
READ MORE: Miami will consider George Wysong to be the next municipal attorney
Commissioner Damian Pardo, who sponsored the resolution to remove Méndez earlier this month, called Wysong “an excellent attorney.”
“The truth is that we’re providing stability for the city of Miami at a pivotal moment where that’s exactly what we need — stability,” Pardo told the Herald.
A selection committee recommended Wysong after interviewing him and one other candidate on Friday.
Commissioner Joe Carollo was the only no vote, saying he felt the city didn’t follow a proper hiring process and that commissioners should have a chance to meet with all the qualified candidates. He said the commission was effectively giving a “rubber stamp.”
Commissioner Manolo Reyes disagreed, saying the selection committee “was formed to get politics out of it.”
During a brief speech after he was sworn in, Wysong said he plans to work from a place of “fairness, kindness, humility and respect.”
“Let’s get down to business,” Wysong added.
Méndez, who previously escaped an effort to oust her in 2016, faced renewed pushback at the start of the year following the election of Pardo and Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela, who both ran on anti-corruption platforms.
In January, the commission voted to extend Méndez’s contract only five months, until June — tantamount to a termination. Then, earlier this month, Pardo proposed to immediately remove Méndez from the role, effectively demoting her, though she remains on staff in the city’s legal department until her contract ends, with an instruction to help with the transition for her successor.
Méndez was stripped of her power at a time when she faces mounting scrutiny over allegations that she used her position to coordinate a house-flipping scheme with her husband. She is being sued over the allegations in circuit court, and the Florida Bar has also opened an inquiry.
Wysong on Thursday took a forward-looking approach, saying he hopes to “propel our office to the future.”
