Christine King named chairwoman of Miami commission — the first woman to hold gavel

Christine King, the newly elected commissioner representing Miami’s predominantly Black district, has been appointed chairwoman of the City Commission. At Thursday’s meeting, she will be the first woman to hold the gavel and lead the commission as they pass city laws and discuss public policy in Miami-Dade County’s largest municipality.

On Tuesday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez appointed King, the District 5 commissioner, to control the flow of legislation and pace of meetings where the city government’s decision-makers debate and the public sounds off. Suarez also named Commissioner Joe Carollo as the vice chairman. In the event both King and Carollo are not available, Suarez named Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla as the third in line to preside over the board. He announced the appointments in a memo where he congratulated his colleagues.

“I would also like to thank Commissioner Ken Russell, who has effectively and efficiently presided over the City Commission for the past year,” Suarez wrote, acknowledging Russell’s role as acting chairman ever since the previous chairman, Keon Hardemon, resigned to be sworn in as a county commissioner in November 2020.

Hardemon served multiple years as commission chairman, making the District 5 seat a politically powerful position in City Hall. He and his family, a longtime force in Miami politics, were staunch supporters of King’s campaign. She handily beat six opponents when she won election Nov. 2, easily avoiding a runoff.

Born in Guyana and raised in Liberty City, King is an attorney and the first woman to serve on the commission in a decade. She represents Overtown, Wynwood, Liberty City, Little Haiti and the Upper East Side.

This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 7:15 PM.