The Mayor of the City of Opa-locka is the official head of the city of Opa-locka in the U.S. state of Florida.
| Mayor of Opa-locka | |
|---|---|
 Incumbent since 2022John Taylor | |
| Term length | 4 years |
| Formation | 1926 |
In the November 2002 election, voters approved extending the term of the mayor from two to four years.[1]
Mayors of Opa-Locka
edit| Image | Mayor | Years of service | Notes | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ? | 1960–1962 | |||
| ? | 1962–1964 | |||
| ? | 1964–1966 | |||
| Kenton N. Wells | 1966–1968 | [2] | ||
| Robert J. Anderson | 1968–1970 | [3] | ||
| Kenton N. Wells | 1970–1972 | [2] | ||
| Ronald Pierson | 1972–1974 | [4] | ||
| Kenton N. Wells | 1974–1975* | *Wells tied with Albert Tresvant in the general election and they decided to split the two-year term with Wells serving the first year.[5] | ||
| Albert Tresvant | 1975–1976* | First African-American mayor of Opa-locka[6] *Tresvant tied with Kenton Wells in the general election and they decided to split the two-year term with Wells serving the first year.[5] |
||
| Candido Giardino | 1976–1977 | Resigned in June 1977 after suspension by Governor Rubin Askew over corruption charges[7] | ||
| C. William Hartman | 1977–1978 | Acting mayor[8] | ||
|
Willie Young (mayor) | 1978–1980 | [6] | |
|
Willie Logan | 1980–1982 | [6] | |
| Helen L. Miller | 1982–1984 | First female African-American mayor in the state of Florida and the first female mayor of Opa-locka | [9][10] | |
|
John Riley | 1984–1986 | [6] | |
|
Robert B. Ingram | 1986–1998 | First directly elected African-American mayor of Opa-locka[11] Choose to not run for re-election in 1998 in order to run for the school board of Miami-Dade County[12] | [13] |
| Alvin L. Miller | 1998–2002 | Son of former mayor Helen L. Miller | [6][14] | |
|
Myra L. Taylor | 2002–2004 | First mayor elected to a 4-year term. Removed from office in 2004 by governor Jeb Bush after being indicted for defrauding the Internal Revenue Service later pleading guilty to a misdemeanor of failing to promptly file her taxes[15] |
[16] |
|
Joseph L. Kelley | 2004–2010 | Finished term of Myra L. Taylor after special election in September 2004 then elected to a 4-year term in 2006 | [17] |
|
|
Myra L. Taylor | 2010–2018 | [15][18] | |
|
Matthew Pigatt | 2018–2021 | Resigned November 10, 2021[19] | [18] |
|
Veronica Williams | 2021–2022 | As the elected Vice Mayor, she filled the vacancy created by the resignation of Matthew Pigatt. | |
|
|
John H. Taylor, Jr. | 2022–present | John H. Taylor, Jr. was elected to the City of Opa-locka Commission in 2020, was appointed Vice Mayor in 2021 and was elected as Mayor in 2022. |
References
edit- ^ Rabin, Charles (November 6, 2002). "Runoffs Ahead in N. Bay Village, Key Biscayne". The Miami Herald.
Opa-locka residents did vote to change the mayor's term limit from two to four years...
- ^ a b "Kenton Wells Wins Opa-locka's Mayoral Seat". The Miami News. April 22, 1970.
- ^ Barger Jr., Fred J. (April 21, 1970). "Five Seek Three Seats in Opa-Locka Election". The Miami Herald.
- ^ "First Black is Elected in Opa-locka; Pierson, Bowers, Tresvant Lead Vote". The Miami Herald . April 19, 1972.
- ^ a b "Two mayors; one town". Dixon Evening Telegraph. April 20, 1974.
Wells and Tresvant tied in the election for mayor of Opa-locka, so they decided that each of them would serve half the two-year term. Wells will serve the first year
- ^ a b c d e Gordon, Cristina (March 26, 2012). "State of the City Address'". Miami's Community News.
- ^ "Two Opa-locka Officials Suspended". Orlando Sentinel. June 8, 1977.
- ^ Oglesby, Joe (April 19, 1978). "Opa-locka Elects Pastor As Mayor". The Miami Herald.
Hartman served as acting mayor after Giardino's resignation
- ^ "HONORING HELEN MILLER - HON. CARRIE P. MEEK of Florida in the house of representatives Friday, October 4, 1996". govinfo.gov. October 4, 1996.
- ^ "Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HR 9159 By Representative Bush" (PDF). Florida House of Representatives. 1997.
WHEREAS, Helen L. Miller was the first African-American female mayor in Florida...
- ^ Kriegel, Mark (November 6, 1986). "Ingram Wins Opa-Locka's Mayor's Seat". The Miami Herald.
- ^ Ifateyo, Ajowa Nzinga (July 23, 1998). "Mayor's Plans Sparks Election Fever in Opa-Locka". The Miami Herald .
- ^ "RESOLUTION URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO DESIGNATE OPA-LOCKA BOULEVARD/N.W. 135TH STREET FROM N.W. 7TH AVENUE TO N.W. 47TH AVENUE AS THE "HONORABLE ROBERT B. INGRAM, PH.D. BOULEVARD"; APPROVING SUCH DESIGNATION; AND URGING THE CITY OF OPA-LOCKA TO APPROVE SUCH DESIGNATION". miamidade.gov. 2007.
- ^ Martiniez, Draeger (November 12, 2000). "2 Political Novices Join Miller". The Miami Herald.
- ^ a b Mato, Ines (November 10, 2010). "Voters Choose Taylor for Mayor". The Miami Herald.
- ^ Martinez, Draeger (November 10, 2002). "Mayor, 2 Commissioners Take Oath". The Miami Herald.
- ^ "Kelley, Joseph L." ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Kaufman, Maya; Weaver, Jay (November 7, 2018). "Matthew Pigatt defeats legacy politicians to win election as mayor of Opa-locka". Miami Herald.
- ^ Gross, Samantha J. (November 12, 2021). "State law enforcement investigating Opa-locka after allegations made by former mayor". The Miami Herald.