More reasons to be proud of my hometown and my Haitian people.
According to the Haitian Times:
On Tuesday, June 4, residents of North Miami — home to one of the largest Haitian populations in the state — elected Lucie Tondreau as the city’s first Haitian-American female mayor. In a hard-fought election, she defeated Kevin Burns with 55.7 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting. The race for city council was also a contentious race. According to the Miami Herald, in the run-up to Tuesday’s election, many in the Haitian community “expressed concern that open council seats could lead them to lose a majority on the city council, with two white candidates also running for mayor and the District 2 seat.”
With nearly 62 percent of the vote, Carol Keys defeated Mary Irvin to win the city’s District 2 commission seat. In District 3, voters chose Philippe Bien-Aime over Jacques Despinosse.
Tondreau, a former candidate for county commissioner who vowed never to run for political office again, replaces current Mayor Andre Pierre, who could not run again due to term limits. She becomes the third Haitian-American mayor of North Miami — former Mayor Joe Celestin was the first.
Though her political activism enabled her to become a visible figure in Florida’s Haitian community, Tondreau’s career began in New York City, where she hosted some of the first Haitian radio and TV programs. In the mid-80s, Tondreau moved to South Florida, where she advocated for refugees.
