Miami Beach officials can’t agree on how to pick new commissioner after Samuelian’s death
Seated near an empty chair shrouded in black to honor their late colleague, Miami Beach commissioners could not agree Friday on how to fill the vacancy created by the death of Commissioner Mark Samuelian.
The City Commission, which has seven seats but now only six members, was at a 3-3 deadlock on Friday on whether to call a special election this November or appoint a temporary replacement until next year’s election.
Commissioners Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, Steven Meiner and Alex Fernandez said they supported calling a special election that would allow residents to choose their new commissioner. The winner would serve until 2025, when Samuelian’s term would end.
Rosen Gonzalez, who became emotional discussing Samuelian’s death, said, “I don’t think he would be very happy about this at all,” referring to appointing a successor without an election.
Nearby, his empty chair was draped in a black cover stating “In loving memory of Mark Samuelian.”
Samuelian died June 22 of an undisclosed illness. A public memorial service will be held in the city Monday afternoon.
“I want what’s fair, I want what’s right, I want what’s democratic,” Rosen Gonzalez said.
Residents and neighborhood group representatives who called into Friday’s meeting largely spoke in favor of a special election.
Mayor Dan Gelber, joined by Commissioners David Richardson and Ricky Arriola, said they support a temporary appointment followed by an election in November 2023. They said holding a special election in four months would not give the public sufficient notice and lead to low turnout. If a special election is held, a runoff, if necessary, would be in December instead of November and there would be no early voting.
“I want to give our residents a meaningful opportunity to have an election,” Gelber said.
Arriola said the city government would slow to a standstill if the commission remains incomplete for a lengthy period.
“We will paralyze the city potentially for another six months if we don’t do an appointment,” he said.
Gelber and other commissioners said it was unfortunate they had to discuss choosing his successor while the community still mourns his death, but the city charter requires it.
Richardson called for a vote Friday to appoint a replacement but the item was deferred until the July 20 commission meeting due to a lack of consensus.
The city charter requires that the commission decide by July 22 — 30 days after Samuelian’s seat became vacant — whether to appoint a temporary replacement or call an election.
If no decision is made by July 22, the seat would remain vacant. City Attorney Rafael Paz said in that scenario, the city would seek to fill the vacancy in the November 2023 election.
This story was originally published July 8, 2022 at 4:05 PM.
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