FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2020
9BB
AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO THE MIAMI HERALD
MIAMI-DADE STATE ATTORNEY CIRCUIT 11 CANDIDATES Q: What key issues affecting the Black community would you address as county commissioner?
MARK COATS
JOHNNY G. FARIAS
MARLON A. HILL
I’m a homegrown boy with deep roots in our district. I know firsthand the social and economic issues that have been impacting our community for decades. I am aware that the COVID-19 pandemic has been intensifying and multiplying inequalities. As an experienced community leader/builder, I have what it takes to lift our community from economic depression, while creating/supporting the innovative educational and economic programs our community needs for our youths and families.
In my purview as a Miami-Dade commissioner, I will tackle racial disparities in jobs, housing, healthcare outcomes and policing. These disparities destroy the trust between friends, neighbors, families and government. I will move towards the end of residential segregation and invest in education outcomes in partnership with the Miami-Dade Public School System.
I firmly believe that one of the most critical issues and existential threats facing the Black community in South Miami-Dade County is the scourge of violence, especially between young Black males in their teens and twenties. This issue impacts communities across District 9 in disrupting quality of life of residents, threatening public safety, and impeding economic mobility in those neighborhoods. We must engage and confront this challenge without delay.
ELVIS MALDONADO
DID NOT RESPOND BY PRESS TIME
KIONNE MCGHEE
The key issue is the lack of affordability. Our community has struggled due to rising costs of housing and transportation. As we recover from this pandemic, we need to ensure our residents have affordable or workforce housing, reliable transportation options that include rail, and viable businesses that pay decent wages. District 9 will need an experienced public servant to address these issues. As your House Minority Leader, I am ready to lead on day one.
MIAMI-DADE STATE ATTORNEY DISTRICT 11 CANDIDATES Q: In this era of heightened racial issues, how do you see the state attorney position helping to address serious concerns that continue to plague the Black community?
KATHERINE RUNDLE (DEM) Incumbent As the State Attorney’s Office, we will continue our Smart justice initiatives of pre-and post-arrest diversions within the criminal justice system to our therapeutic and rehabilitative pathways. I support greater police accountability and urge that the county reinstate and fully fund a Citizen review panel. As a community leader, we will continue to look for reforms that will eliminate existing social injustices.
MELBA PEARSON (DEM) My platform prioritizes rehabilitative programs that would help reduce crime, reduce the number of people incarcerated, and reduce racial disparities in Miami-Dade. For 27 years, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle has refused to hold bad cops accountable while fueling mass incarceration with a 1990’s “tough on crime” mentality. It’s time for a state attorney who prioritizes the most serious offenses such as gun violence, and is committed to equal justice for all.
