Three city council races and a ballot item: A Miami Gardens elections guide

Miami Gardens residents will have a lot of decisions to make come August 23.

Three spots on the city council — Seats 2, 4 and 6 — are up for grabs. An item to amend the city charter is also on the ballot.

Currently held by Vice Mayor Reggie Leon, Seat 2 encompasses the northeast portion of Miami Gardens while Seat 4, occupied by Councilwoman Katrina Wilson, represents the southwest corner of the city. Residents vote for candidates from the specific district as well as the citywide Seat 6, which Councilman Robert Stephens III currently holds.

All three incumbents are running to hold on to their positions. In District 2, Leon will face Raymond Carvil, a retired major with Miami police, and former Miami Gardens Councilwoman Lisa Davis. In District 4, Wilson will battle Miami-Dade educator Mykita Cherry-Prime and North Miami Beach Police Commander Wiren “Chuck” Norris. The At-Large Seat 6 race will pit Stephens against former Miami Gardens Councilman André Williams.

In the races with more than one candidate, if no one receives more than 50% of the vote on Aug. 23, the top two finishers advance to a runoff on Nov. 8.

Charter amendment

The Miami Gardens referendum poses a simple question:

Shall Section 2.3(c) of the City Charter be amended to provide that the City Council may amend residential seat area boundaries by Ordinance to ensure equitable representation in each area?

Section 2.3 of the City Charter outlines the residential boundaries for each of the four district-specific seats. As it stands now, geography is the sole determinant of each district rather than the number of residents. If the referendum is approved, the boundaries would be amended to ensure equal representation based on population in each district.

Seat 2

Reggie Leon: Born and raised in Miami Gardens, Leon, 43, graduated from Florida Memorial University and has worked for United Parcel Service’s Florida district management team for more than two decades. He was first elected to the city council in 2018. Some of his legislative accomplishments include increasing the number of COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites, beautifying parks in District 2 and extending the trolley route to the city’s east side.

Amid the controversy surrounding the Miami Grand Prix, a group of Miami Gardens residents banded together to recall the election of Leon, Stephens and Wilson. The recall fell flat after organizers were unable to collect enough signatures.

Leon has received more than $42,000 in campaign contributions as of May 2022, according to his most-recent campaign treasurer’s report. His endorsements include Miami Gardens Mayor Rodney Harris, Antioch Missionary Baptist Pastor Arthur Jackson III and the South Florida Police Benevolent Association.

Raymond Carvil: A Bahamas native, Carvil, 57, moved to the U.S. at the age of 12. His more than 30-year law enforcement career began in 1986 after being hired by the city of Miami police. In 2001, he became a sergeant-at-arms, working with former Mayor Tomas Regalado for six years. He later was promoted to commander, which earned him criticism from the police union at the time. After graduating from Southern Baptist Theological in 2003, Carvil founded The Living Word Baptist Church, and he’s still lead pastor.

Carvil previously ran for the citywide council Seat 5 in 2016 but finished fourth. He ran again for the same seat in 2020 and finished sixth.

As of May 2022, Carvil has received roughly $19,000 in campaign contributions, according to his treasurer’s report. If elected, he pledges to increase police patrol and visibility, remove red light cameras, create new pathways to the middle class for Miami Gardens residents and limit the spending of taxpayers’ money, according to his Facebook page.

Carvil has also picked up endorsements from the father-son duo of former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez and current Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, according to his Facebook.

Lisa Davis: Davis, 62, is no stranger to the Miami Gardens political scene. She was elected to city council Seat 2 in 2010 and 2014 while also serving as vice mayor. Davis also launched an unsuccessful bid for Miami Gardens mayor in 2020, placing third after accounting for roughly 17% of the vote.

In Davis’ Instagram post announcing her decision to run for her former city council seat, she emphasized her experience and commitment to the community.

“I have always chosen, ‘PEOPLE OVER POLITICS’ and I Always listen to my community, our Seniors, working Class and our Youth!!!” Davis wrote.

While on the dais, she started the Miami Gardens Food & Wine Experience. The event’s success led to her joining the South Beach Wine & Food Festival as a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant in December. She also heads Lisa C. Davis Consulting. Prior to going into politics, Davis was a case manager at South Florida Workforce, according to LinkedIn. She previously studied at Bethune-Cookman University, Broward College and Trinity Theological Seminary of South Florida, according to her Facebook page.

As of May 2022, Davis has received about $6,905 in campaign contributions, according to her treasurer’s report.

Seat 4

Katrina Wilson: Wilson, 59, has represented District 4 on the city council since 2018. During her tenure, she helped revitalize parks, create vaccination opportunities for senior citizens and grow the Miami Gardens Street Fair & Marketplace, which highlights the community’s small businesses. A graduate of Florida Memorial University, she also started the Field of Possibilities, a two-day seminar that introduced local Black high school student-athletes to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

With more than 30 years of experience in education, Wilson brings a passion for the youth to the city council. She began her career as a part-time clerk before becoming a teacher at Miami Killian Senior High School, where she was nominated for teacher of the year, according to the city of Miami Gardens website. She would later help school board member turned U.S. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (no relation) establish the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project. Wilson was subsequently appointed as principal and CEO of Florida’s first charter school, Liberty City Charter School, in 1996. The school would later close its doors in 2008 but not before Wilson won Miami-Dade Charter School Principal of the Year, according to the Miami Gardens website.

In 2014, Wilson finished third in the Miami Gardens mayoral race to now County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert. Wilson was one of three council members whose election residents wanted to overturn after they voted to approve a deal with Formula One for the Miami Grand Prix. The recall never made the ballot due to a lack of signatures.

As of May 2022, Wilson has collected $11,500 in campaign contributions, according to her treasurer’s report. Some of her donors include the Miami Dolphins Ltd. and South Florida Stadium, which is owned by Stephen Ross.

Mykita Cherry-Prime: Similar to Wilson, Cherry-Prime, 39, worked as an educator in Miami-Dade Public School system. She currently serves as chair of the Progressive Young Adults Advisory Committee, which advises Miami Gardens council members on issues affecting young adults. Cherry-Prime is a graduate of Florida A&M University.

This isn’t the Miami Gardens native’s first time seeking elected office in her hometown. In 2014, Cherry-Prime finished fourth in the race for at-large city council Seat 6.

As of May 2022, Cherry-Prime has raised $2,500 in campaign funds, according to her treasurer’s report.

Wiren “Chuck” Norris: Norris, 48, has spent the majority of his professional career in law enforcement. He worked in the Miami Gardens police department for more than a decade before his retirement in October 2021. Norris currently serves as a commander with the North Miami Beach Police Department.

His education experience includes a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Florida State University, a master’s degree in criminal justice from FAMU and, most recently, an applied science degree in funeral services from Miami Dade College.

As of May 2022, Norris has received $10,350 in campaign contributions, $10,000 of which came from a loan in his name, according to his treasurer’s report. At Faith in Florida’s recent Miami Gardens Candidate Forum, Norris listed crime and transparency as some of the issues he’ll tackle if elected.

Seat 6

Robert Stephens III: Stephens, 28, was appointed to At-Large Seat 6 in 2020 after Miami Gardens Vice Mayor Erahbor Ighodaro resigned to run for state Senate. In his brief tenure, Stephens has created more workforce housing, improved internet accessibility throughout the city and developed the Miami Gardens Higher Education Initiative to help finance high school seniors’ college aspirations.

A career higher education administrator, Stephens graduated from Miami Dade College where he also worked while obtaining his degree. He’s currently employed with Barry University. Stephens is also an ordained minister, having started as a youth pastor in 2013 to eventually founding the Grace Center in 2018.

After voting in favor of a deal that partnered the city with Formula One, Stephens, Wilson and Leon were in danger of having their elections overturned. The group of residents, however, never reached the signature threshold necessary for the item to appear on the ballot.

As of April 2022, Stephens has raised nearly $11,000, according to his treasurer’s report.

André Williams: Williams, 54, has been a consistent face on the Miami Gardens political scene since his 2006 election to Seat 3 of the city council. In fact, the Harvard graduate has been on the ballot every two years since his 2010 campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives ended in the primary. Williams’ past bids include a 2012 second-place finish to Gilbert in the Miami Gardens mayoral race; a 2014 runoff loss to Ighodaro for Miami Gardens city council seat 6; a 2016 runoff loss to former Councilman David Williams Jr. for Miami Gardens city council Seat 5; a 2018 loss to Ighodaro for Seat 6; and, most recently, a 2020 runoff loss to Councilwoman Linda Julien for Seat 5.

A real estate attorney, Williams has practiced law in South Florida since 1993, according to his website. He obtained his law degree from Vanderbilt University. Williams also currently serves as president of the Miami Gardens Chamber of Commerce.

If elected, Williams’ priorities would be increasing the number of police officers, improving residents’ quality of life and continuing to aid the Miami Gardens Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to teach local students about the workplace and further assist the city’s small businesses, according to his website.

As of April 2022, Williams has received $525 in campaign contributions, according to his treasurer’s report.