Miami Beach, Doral among four cities to hold runoff elections for mayor, commissioner
Election Day has passed, but voters in these four Miami-Dade municipalities still need to cast ballots for mayor, commissioner and city council in upcoming runoff elections because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote Tuesday. The runoff races are listed by date.
North Miami Beach: Group 2 Commissioner
Runoff election date: November 22
Candidates: Paule Villard (incumbent) vs. Jay Chernoff
Fewer than 50 votes separated Chernoff, a former North Miami Beach commissioner, from incumbent Villard during Tuesday’s election. Chernoff led with 45.3% of the vote in the Group 2 commissioner race, followed by Villard with 44.7%.
That’s closer than four years ago, when Villard beat Chernoff in a 2018 runoff with over 63% of the vote.
As the Herald previously reported, Villard has received criticism for using the city’s Publix gift card giveaway program to campaign.
READ MORE: North Miami Beach candidates talk public safety, garbage collection ahead of election
Sunny Isles Beach: Mayor
Runoff election date: December 6
Candidates: Dana Goldman (incumbent) vs. Larisa Svechin
The top two finishers in the Sunny Isles Beach mayoral race were separated by a razor-thin margin. Svechin, the former mayor, netted 2,450 votes — 37 more than her opponent — which put her in the lead with 43.2% of the vote, while Mayor Goldman had 42.6%.
The third-place candidate, realtor Anita Funtak, got 808 votes, or 14.3%.
Next month’s runoff will not be the first time Goldman and Svechin have gone head-to-head. Last year, Goldman won a contentious runoff against then-interim Mayor Svechin following the resignation of Mayor George Scholl.
READ MORE: Miami-Dade election night roundup: winners and likely runoffs in crowded municipal races
Miami Beach: Group 2 Commissioner
Runoff election date: December 6
Candidates: Laura Dominguez vs. Sabrina Cohen
The runoff will determine who will fill the seat of Mark Samuelian, who died in June.
Dominguez, Samuelian’s life partner, is a digital marketing professional who had worked as Samuelian’s campaign manager and treasurer. She led in the general election with 41.4% of the vote, followed by Sabrina Cohen, a disability-rights advocate and real estate agent, who received 31.3%.
Cohen, who was endorsed by Mayor Dan Gelber, called herself “a great supporter” of the mayor in her interview with the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Dominguez was endorsed by Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, Gelber’s political rival. Dominguez said she remains “supportive” of the mayor.
Doral: Mayor, City Council
Runoff election date: December 13
Candidates, mayor: Christi Fraga vs. Claudia Mariaca
Fraga, the former vice mayor who became the youngest person in city history to serve as a councilmember in 2012, led on election night with 40.9% of the vote. Councilmember Claudia Mariaca was second with 30.4% of the vote. She edged out Pete Cabrera, who is the longest serving member of the city council. He finished in third place with 27% of the vote.
The winner will succeed Doral Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez, who was elected to the Miami-Dade County Commission District 12 seat in August.
READ MORE: Doral to elect a new mayor and three council members. What to know before voting
Candidates, City Council Seat 1: Susie Castillo vs. Rafael Pineyro
Castillo, the director of corporate relations at FIU, took 43.6% of the vote in the general election. Rafael Pineyro, a management consultant at Pineyro Enterprise Inc. and a former Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation manager, was second with 32.4%.
Candidates, City Council Seat 2: Ivette Gonzalez Petkovich vs. Maureen Porras
Gonzalez Petkovich, an attorney who previously worked at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, led with 43.3% of the vote. About 760 votes separated her from Maureen Porras, the director of immigration legal services at Church World Service, who received 38.1%.
This story was originally published November 10, 2022 at 5:03 PM.
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