Hialeah city council appoints 86-year-old to fill seat vacated by mayor’s opponent
The Hialeah City Council has appointed Juan Francisco Junco, 86, as its newest member, making him the oldest person in the city’s history to hold the position. The official announcement came just seven days after The Herald reported Junco’s likely nomination.
Junco fills the vacant seat left by Bryan Calvo, 23, the youngest person ever elected to the council. Junco’s appointment was approved by a unanimous vote Tuesday evening.
Junco’s appointment follows a turbulent period in Hialeah politics, marked by years of conflict between Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo and Calvo. The former councilman’s tenure was characterized by heated debates over critical city issues, including hikes in water and sewer bills, concerns over public safety and an increasing backlog of unanswered 911 calls.
Tensions escalated to the point where Calvo filed a lawsuit against Bovo after calling for an investigation into the city’s 911 center — a request Bovo withdrew. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed. Calvo resigned his council seat to run for Miami-Dade tax collector, but lost in the Republican primary in August.
Junco, a Hialeah resident for the past 60 years, arrived in the city from Cuba at the age of 26. He has been a member of the Hialeah Housing Authority since 2018, most recently serving as vice chair — a position he will have to vacate due to his appointment to the city council. Junco had been recently reappointed to the Housing Authority board, with his term extending through February 2026.
“The opportunity came, and right now what matters most to me is giving back to the city that has given so much to me,” Junco told The Herald. “It has allowed me to take care of my family, secure a job, own property and live a decent life.”
Junco’s career spans decades in the private sector, where he worked as a plant manager and production supervisor from 1969 to 2000. His professional activities appear sparse between 2000 and 2018, after which he began serving as a Housing Authority board member under former Mayor Carlos Hernandez. Junco has also been involved in local politics for years, running for a seat on the Republican Committee in Miami-Dade’s District 6 in 2016, where he finished third He has supported the campaigns of several former Hialeah mayors, including Hernandez and Julio Robaina.
Before Junco’s appointment, Bovo endorsed him over six other candidates, citing his long-standing commitment to the community through his work with the housing authority. “He has devoted many years to serving our community and has actively supported our campaigns, as well as others, in the spirit of public service, just like several of the other candidates who were considered,” Bovo said.
Bovo also emphasized that because Junco is not a career politician, he would not be seeking to hold the seat permanently in the upcoming election. “I know that while he is here, he will serve admirably, continue pushing our agenda, and help craft a vision that moves this city forward,” Bovo said.
With Calvo’s departure, Bovo saw an opportunity to stabilize the city’s leadership. Junco’s appointment marks the second council appointment in 2024, following the federal indictment of Angelica Pacheco on charges of being involved in a multimillion-dollar healthcare fraud case. Pacheco’s removal led to the appointment of Melinda De La Vega, who unlike Junco plans to run for the council in tne 2025 council election.
Junco now holds the distinction of being the oldest person ever to serve on the council in city history, surpassing even former mayor Henry Milander, who died in office at age 75. Lourdes Lozano previously set the record for the oldest council member elected, at 67, in 2011. However, the longest-serving council member was José “Pepe” Yedra, who first took office in 1995 at age 59 and served until his retirement in 2011 at age 75.
Council President Jesus Tundidor defended Junco’s appointment, noting that while other council members are relatively young, having “someone with more experience” would be beneficial.
“I think having an older hand on this council for a period of time will bring a lot of value.”
