ISSUES & PRiorities (‘21)
The City of Miami is facing issues that no other city has dealt with before and the only time to fix them is now.
Affordable Housing
Residents of Miami pay the highest share of their incomes toward rent in the entire United States & voluntary affordable-housing incentives have failed to persuade developers to build.
For decades, communities have been left bare and residents have suffered with foreign investment squatting on vacant properties. Land shouldn’t be kept off the market for higher profits, given the affordability & climate crises. With so much space, there’s no reason that low and middle-class renters should be forced out of their neighborhoods to ‘compete’ for housing with millionaires.
I will advocate for a vacant-property tax to stop landlords from leaving their properties empty and expedite the effort to pioneer ‘middle-class’ affordable housing.
The space and money can then be used to tackle the affordability crisis with small-scale, infill developments that people can be proud to call home.
Instead of renting property, I believe the best way to build these communities would be by integrating co-operatives, where co-op members buy a share in a project and all members of the association get to vote on co-op rules and management.
Co-ops can create a stronger sense of community responsibility, keep Miami’s residents from getting priced out, and are important for future sustainability and I believe this is how you start to build equity in the community.
Anti-Oppression & Inclusion
Together, we need to address the disparities between, and within, Miami’s racial and ethnic groups in order to combat the racial wealth divide.
The life expectancy in Liberty City is 15 years less than in Brickell because Black communities continue to get neglected and be denied their basic social determinants of health, such as jobs with livable wage, healthcare, social services, etc.
To combat this, individuals (Miami’s leaders) need to be held accountable. We need to make sure that money coming into our community goes to the areas that truly need it. The City of Miami needs someone who will be hands-on towards combatting oppression of all kinds and make the effort.
Attracting investors, bringing new business opportunities that integrate into the community, adding resources, cultivating raw talent, and creating environments of peace, such as parks and workspaces, in these communities are a priority for me.
Public Transportation & Traffic
The City of Miami is being held back from reaching its full potential because of its continuous neglect of this issue. A major metropolitan city needs reliable and accessible public transportation if it wants to grow.
In addition to poorly-coordinated bridge scheduling and traffic signal sequencing, constant construction, and overpopulation in certain areas, inaccessible, unreliable public transportation is one of the reasons we also experience so much car-traffic.
I’d like to work with Miami-Dade County authorities towards a more comprehensive regional network and integrating existing light-rail projects with rapid bus transit for last-mile coverage in the City of Miami.
I would also advocate for the construction and use of bicycle and scooter paths, especially in higher car-traffic areas.
Environmental Crisis
From rising seas to more frequent and powerful hurricanes, coastal erosion, flooding, and vanishing wildlife, the City of Miami’s present and future are both in danger. We need to be proactive in combatting the climate crisis because we have already become ground zero for its effects.
Mentioned earlier, one of the biggest present dangers is climate gentrification. Sea-level rise has developers buying up land in low-income communities, pushing out long-term residents, and replacing affordable housing with upscale developments that only wealthy can afford.
My vision is a City of Miami Civilian Climate Corps rooted in equity and equality, giving thousands of people jobs working on projects to protect the city from sea-level rise, retrofitting buildings to improve efficiency, restoring wetlands, installing solar panels, rebuilding after hurricanes, etc., while getting paid a living wage, having access to healthcare and opportunities to continue their career.
Sustained Investment in Miami’s Youth
Miami must prepare its youth for the jobs of the future through academic excellence and meaningful opportunities to gain real-world experience at a young age
Academics: Wi-Fi connectivity is critical to these pursuits and I will fight to make sure everyone in the City of Miami has access in their home. We need to end the digital divide before it’s used as a tool to push out residents.
Athletes: Cultivate athletes in all different sports and create partnerships with athletic companies to create facilities to develop talent. There’s no reason we shouldn’t have the best athletes in the world in every sport.
Artists: Recognize the cultural value of having a vibrant and influential local scene and partnering with a Miami-bound tech company, such as Spotify, to use our open spaces as a platform for them to develop and then showcase their work.
Crime Prevention
I will advocate for the formation of community-driven public safety alternatives to dealing with crime. Not meant to be an insult to police, I see it as a “trauma-informed community lens” used as a complement to law enforcement.
Investing in community-run trauma recovery centers. From child loss to physical recovery, victims of all types of crimes need personalized recovery programs that suit their trauma. Neglect of victims’ mental health only contributes to the cycle.
