Appointed Miami commissioner may break his promise to leave quietly in November
Miami Commissioner Jeffrey Watson is quietly raising money for a potential bid to hold onto his District 5 seat nine months after he convinced some of his colleagues to appoint him to the post by publicly pledging to stay out of this year’s Nov. 2 election.
Public records reviewed by the Miami Herald confirm that even though Watson, 63, has not formally opened a campaign account or declared his intention to run, he is raising money for a committee that intends to support his candidacy. In November, the commission appointed Watson to finish the last year of the term vacated by Keon Hardemon, who left City Hall after being elected to the Miami-Dade County Commission.
In late July, a political committee called Fighting for Change filed paperwork that declared support for Watson. The committee did not report any contributions for July, but public records show that Watson registered to solicit contributions for the group days after the committee formed.
On Tuesday, Watson told the Herald he opened the committee to test his ability to raise money and seriously explore a run. He said his time as commissioner has allowed him to see how city services need to be improved for residents in District 5, which includes some of Miami’s poorest neighborhoods but also some of its most commercially established zones. He said he’s also connected with the community, some of whom have encouraged him to run.
“In short order, I have to pull the trigger,” he said. “I’m looking to see if pulling the trigger makes the most sense for me and for the people I represent.”
The qualifying period for the city election ends on Sept. 18. District 5, which covers the city’s majority-Black neighborhoods, includes Overtown, Wynwood, Little Haiti, Liberty City and the Upper Eastside.
Changed minds
The flirtation quickly drew sharp criticism from a well-funded candidate in this year’s race and a commissioner who said Watson was breaking his promise to Miami’s voters.
Before Watson was appointed on Nov. 18, Commissioner Manolo Reyes asked if he would commit to stay out of the 2021 District 5 race, saying he’d only vote to appoint a caretaker for the seat until the elections. Watson made the pledge multiple times.
On Tuesday, Watson said if he decided to run, he would ask Reyes if he would be held to that commitment. Reyes said in an interview that he’d changed his mind after serving with Watson on the commission and seeing the commissioner’s efforts to get Black Miamians vaccinated and financial assistance during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“I would tell him, ‘Listen, I know that I asked you for the commitment, but if you are going to be running because you want to keep on doing what you’re doing with the amount of passion and heart you’ve placed in this community, just go right ahead,’” Reyes said. “He hasn’t talked to me about it, but if he decides to run, I will support him.”
Watson noted he was not legally bound to keep his word.
“I’m entitled to change my mind,” Watson said. “I don’t want to be flippant about it, but I am entitled to change my mind.”
But Watson is already facing criticism from the candidate with the biggest war chest after more than two full years of campaigning. Christine King, an attorney and president of the Martin Luther King Jr. Economic Development Corporation, has raised more than $100,000. She also has the support of the politically powerful Hardemon family.
King told the Herald on Tuesday that Reyes made his position very clear in November, recounting a speech he gave before the appointment where he committed to campaign against anyone who promised not to run, accepted the one-year appointment, and then ran for office anyway.
“Commissioner Reyes gave an impassioned speech about not wanting the commission to be a kingmaker, going the extra mile by saying that for anyone who accepted the appointment and chose to run, he would work against them,” King said.
She advocated for a special election in November, and when commissioners decided to make an appointment, she applied.
“It was my position then and now that the decision should have been left to the residents of District 5,” King said. “Jeffery Watson very affirmatively said he would not run. If Watson goes back on his word and decides to run, he would have deceived both the city of Miami Commission and the residents of District 5.”
Five other candidates have opened accounts to fund campaigns for the District 5 seat: Michael Hepburn, Francois Alexandre, Stephanie Thomas, Zico Fremont and Revran Shoshana Lincoln.
Reyes said Watson has impressed him so much he felt compelled to change his position, particularly after seeing Watson hospitalized with COVID-19 in March amid a campaign to encourage seniors to get vaccinated. Watson had been promoting inoculation in communities while he was ineligible for the shot due to age restrictions. He was released from the hospital about a week before the state lowered the age for vaccine eligibility from 65 to 60.
“I’ve never seen someone appointed work so hard,” he said. “He deserves a chance. He earned it.”
Past precedent
Watson would not be the first appointed District 5 commissioner to commit to stay out of an election and then later launch a campaign. In January 2010, the Rev. Richard P. Dunn II said he would sit out that year’s election, but he changed his mind four months later — a reversal that was endorsed by then-Mayor Tomás Regalado and the city’s four other commissioners. Dunn would go on to win the election that November.
Not long after his appointment, Watson surprised political onlookers when he influenced who would use U.S. Census data to redraw the city’s voting districts. In January, he spearheaded a move to replace the city’s then-redistricting consultant, former Florida Senate President Bill Galvano, after questions were raised regarding the politician’s history with a previous controversial Republican-led effort to redraw districts statewide.
Watson’s motion quickly drew support from three commissioners, leaving only Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla, who pushed to hire Galvano, in opposition. Watson’s recommended replacement, attorney and lobbyist Miguel De Grandy, was later hired.
The reactions to Watson’s possible run forecast what could be a contentious District 5 election with battle lines drawn between sitting commissioners.
On Wednesday, Díaz de la Portilla accused Watson of breaking his promise to Miamians. Díaz de la Portilla had favored holding a special election in November, and when commissioners cast straw ballots for who to appoint, he voted for King twice.
“What is a man if he doesn’t keep his word?” Díaz de la Portilla said. “This was always smoke and mirrors to cling on to power, and people will see through it.”
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 2:55 PM.
