MIAMI (WSVN) - As Miami residents get ready to voice their choice this fall, three of the candidates vying to be the city’s next mayor are making their case as to why they’re the best contender for the job.
When voters choose their next mayor this November, they will choose between two men who have had the job before and several candidates who are seeking it for the first time.
Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo wants his old job back, after serving as Miami mayor for one year in the late 1990s. The 70-year-old was later elected to a full term in 1998.
“I have accomplishments. The others, they have a lot of talk, but I have accomplishments,” he said.
Carollo was elected to the Miami City Commission in 2017.
“I am a proven quantity that knows how to administer a city. I was city manager in one of our local cities, Doral, and in the two years that I was there, I reduced that budget by one-third. I can do the same for Miami,” he said.
Carollo said he wants to focus on building affordable housing if elected.
“Housing is the biggest problem that we have in our city. I’ve already amassed over 2,500 homes that could be built in the areas and the land that I have amassed,” he said. “I intend to do that throughout the city so that we can build tens of thousands of new residences.”
Miami Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins said she wants to get rid of chaos and get things done.
“I’d like to make sure that we restore trust in City Hall. City Hall, it’s in chaos more days than not,” she said. “There’s been distractions, there’s been corruption, so I want to make sure people have confidence in City Hall.”
If elected, Higgins said, she wants to make affordability — and building affordable housing — her priority.
“People need to see that we’re building more affordable housing and that we’re permitting it more quickly,” she said. “People need to see that we’re helping them stay in their homes and making sure that if they need to weatherize and get new windows, that they can get them as quickly as possible.”
Higgins has served on the Miami-Dade County Commission since 2018.
“I have a record of accomplishments. I’ll do the same at the City of Miami, but I promise to do it without scandals,” she said. “I’ve done that on the county commission; I know I can do that at the city.”
Emilio Gonzalez wants to be mayor, after over two decades of service in the U.S. Army and other roles in the federal government
“If we had been in a coma for 30 years and had woken up today, you would see the same names. It’s almost like nothing’s changed. Our city in 2025, our city has progressed,” he said.
Gonzalez said the city needs change.
“The first thing that needs to happen, is we need to have a complete change in attitude,” he said. “We need to tell people, ‘You know what? We’ve had enough of this circus. Let’s move on, let’s grow up. Let’s offer our residents honest, transparent, common sense municipal government so that we can move forward.'”
Gonzalez was appointed by President George W. Bush as an undersecretary in the Department if Homeland Security. He later served as CEO of the Miami International Airport and later as chief administrative officer under current Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
“I’m bringing a lifetime of experience. Ever since I graduated from college and joined the military, I’ve always been in charge of something,” he said. “That is to say, I’ve never been a passive executive, if you will; I’ve been a very active one, and that was throughout my Army career. After I left the military, I bring years if not decades of leadership experience, organizational experience.”
Early voting begins Saturday. Election Day is Nov. 4.
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