Former Miami-Dade school board member elected Doral mayor in runoff race
A former Miami-Dade County School Board member will be the next mayor of Doral, after winning the runoff election on Tuesday over a current council member.
Christi Fraga beat Claudia Mariaca with almost 55% of the vote, according to unofficial results on the Miami-Dade County supervisor of elections website. Fraga, the former vice mayor of the city, had resigned from the Miami-Dade School Board in November.
“I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity for my community and for their vote of confidence, again, in me. They know the leader that I am and the results I will bring to the community,” Fraga told the Miami Herald. “I’m extremely grateful for them giving our team an opportunity. I will not let them down.”
She will succeed Doral Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez, who was elected to the Miami-Dade County Commission District 12 seat in August. Bermudez previously endorsed Mariaca in the race.
A resident of Doral for more than 20 years, Fraga was a newcomer to education and was one of the more vocal members on the board, proposing conservative and at times controversial issues such as a resolution to celebrate the National Day of Prayer. In 2021, Fraga was the only board member to vote against recognizing October as LGBTQ history month.
She had also proposed, then withdrew, a measure similar to one being considered by the School Board this week to only allow the American flag and the flag of the state’s official motto to be displayed in the classroom.
READ MORE: Which flags can be displayed in a Miami-Dade classroom?
Two new council members were also elected — Rafael A. Pineyro and Maureen Porras. Pineyro, a former Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation manager, appeared to win his race for Council Seat 1, beating out Susie Castillo, the director of corporate relations at Florida International University. Pineyro had 51% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
Porras, the director of immigration legal services at Church World Service, won the race for Council Seat 2 with 52% of the vote. She bested Ivette González Petkovich, an attorney who previously worked at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
The other council member elected this year was Digna Cabral, who won Council Seat 4 in the Nov. 8 election. Cabral is vice mayor and clinical research project manager at University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine.
Doral’s canvassing board will convene at 9 a.m. Friday to certify the election results.
This story was originally published December 13, 2022 at 8:47 PM.
