Miami has a new commissioner: Jeffrey Watson, former Clinton administration official

Jeffrey Watson, a former Miami City Hall staffer and member of President Bill Clinton’s administration, has been appointed to represent District 5 for the next year — a selection that defied conventional political wisdom in a widely watched process to choose a successor to outgoing commissioner Keon Hardemon.

Watson, who decades ago worked in City Hall under former mayor Xavier Suarez, will succeed Keon Hardemon, who was elected to the Miami-Dade County Commission this month, in representing a swath of Miami spanning Overtown, Wynwood, Little Haiti, Liberty City and the Upper Eastside. The area includes the city’s majority-Black neighborhoods.

Watson, 63, has history on Dinner Key. He served as a chief of staff to Suarez, as well as finance administrator for the city’s department of housing and development. He has also worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., as as CEO of Solairgen Energy Corp., and as tax accountant at Arthur Anderson and Company. He is currently self-employed as an economic development consultant.

He served as deputy assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs in Clinton’s White House — one of several Miami-Dade County residents to land spots in that administration. The others included: Attorney General Janet Reno and EPA Administrator Carol Browner.

Watson submitted his paperwork to apply Tuesday evening, a late addition to a field of 15. He referenced his familiarity with some of the commissioners — Reyes worked as a budget analyst and Carollo was a commissioner around the time when Watson worked in City Hall — while he said he would bring experience and resolve as a person with deep roots in the community.

“I rise because there’s an opportunity that comes on the heels of a long journey,” he told commissioners. “I look forward to debating the issues with you, and resolving the issues that confront the residents of District 5, and all of the neighborhoods that make up the district.”

Part of Wednesday’s debate focused on whether the city should hold a special election, which would cost an estimated $300,000. Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla initially moved to call an election in January, and Commissioner Ken Russell offered a second to spur the discussion. Commissioners Manolo Reyes and Joe Carollo dismissed the notion of an election, saying with one year left in the term, the election should be left to the fall 2021.

When Russell withdrew his support and killed the motion, Díaz de la Portilla pointedly offered an observation that he would reintroduce several times through the hearing.

“So your preference is for four white guys to pick the commissioner for District 5?” Díaz de la Portilla said.

Watson said he would commit to not running for the District 5 seat next year when the term ends. Reyes sought the pledge from each of the more than a dozen applicants who submitted resumes and addressed commissioners on Wednesday. Carollo and Russell sided with Reyes ultimately, leaving Díaz de la Portilla as the lone advocate for a special election.

He was also the lone supporter for Christine King, the president of the Martin Luther King Economic Development Corporation and Hardemon’s preferred choice to succeed him. In two rounds of blind ballots, Díaz de la Portilla voted for King. Russell was the first to vote for Watson while Carollo and Reyes initially voted for longtime activist and former educator Nancy Dawkins. Both joined Russell on the second ballot, securing Watson’s path to the dais. Díaz de la Portilla made the vote unanimous after hearing a reassurance from Watson that he would not to keep the seat next year.

Jeffrey Watson Resume by Joey Flechas on Scribd

Watson’s appointment upended expectations from Miami’s political establishment that King, would ascend to power. No one from the public spoke in favor of Watson’s appointment, though the vast majority of speakers skewed in favor of King, with only a few speakers backing some of the other applicants.

King, 35, whose application was supported by a long stream of people who spoke during the public comment period Wednesday, defended her bona fides as a figure in the community with a record of helping businesses succeed and residents seek aid when they faced foreclosure or other hardships. She pointed to the success of the MLK Kitchen Incubator, which has helped start multiple restaurants and fed district residents during the economic downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also stood by her association with the Hardemon family, touting Keon Hardemon’s tenure as commissioner and asking commissioners to listen to his recommendation, as well as the voices of the several dozen who spoke in support of her.

“I am not discouraged by the politics of serving, nor am I affected by untruths or bad press,” she told commissioners. “My record speaks for itself.”

After the vote, King said she will continue to focus on her campaign in the 2021 election, when Watson’s brief term will end and District 5 voters. Early on, she leads the field in fundraising with about $103,000 in contributions so far.

Ronald Page, a 29-year-old federal employee who applied for the appointment and advocated against hold a special election, said afterward he trusted the commissioner’s judgment.

“Remembering his experience and things of that nature, I believe that they did make a good choice,” said Page, who said he had not ambition to run for the seat next year. “When it came to me, I believe there were at least four other more experienced candidates than myself. That gentleman was one of them.”

Mayor Francis Suarez, son of the former mayor who hired Watson, said he was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Suarez has known Watson since he was a boy.

“I did not know at all. I did not know what direction the commission was going to go,” Suarez said. “I thought it was very possible there would be a special election.”