District 2: Rosy Palomino

This post is part of our voter guide for the Nov. 5 local elections. Head to the main landing page  for a guide to some other key races.

District 2 runs north, mostly along the Biscayne Boulevard corridor, from just south of Southwest 40th Street to Northeast 54th Street.

This interview has been lightly edited. Palomino’s opponents are Jim Fried, Javier Gonzalez, and Ken Russell.

What would your top 3 priorities be as commissioner?

1.  Leaner and smarter government
2.  Public safety
3.  Quality of life for families and seniors

What does a resilient and sustainable city look like to you?

A resilient and sustainable city include elements that make it self-sufficient and can resist both environmental and economic upheaval. We must have a zoning code that allows homes to be built to a standard such in the Florida Keys, tall buildings to generate its own electricity and recycle its water, and allow economic opportunities such as live/work arrangements beyond a home office.

What will you do to increase transparency and accountability for public officials?

We expect public officials to do their job and definitely not pursue personal ambitions by abusing their official role. If a public official is doing their job and truly resolves community needs then heightened transparency and accountability standards are redundant. The most important source of transparency is the public and as commissioner, I would invest in training and engaging a new generation of civic activists in the process.

What steps should Miami take to combat homelessness?

There are several types of homelessness from on the edge, in shelter and in the street. Each situation has it own causes such as youth runaways, poverty, domestic violence, drug abuse, and mental illness. We cannot afford a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, we need more service providers with different services and the funding necessary to provide for them. This includes religious and secular services. We’re all in this together!

How should Miami increase and support affordable housing development?

1. Preserve our naturally affordable housing by protecting our single family home neighborhoods and allowing construction of denser buildings in smaller lots.
2.  Sunset “Special Area Plans” and/or require such zoning applications to go to a referendum.
3.  Allow more live/work living arrangements beyond a home office.
4.  Create a Miami Housing Authority, and get the county out of the way.

How should Miami address its income inequality issues?

Income inequality is a problem of both education and opportunity. We have a very poor, low-skilled work force and on the opposite extreme a highly skilled, wealthy class. We need to attract businesses willing to invest in training our workers and creating bridging over this prosperity gap.

Do you support the plans for Miami Freedom Park? 

I feel the plans for Miami Freedom Park should start over with a competitive bid. However, I feel strongly that we should bring a professional soccer franchise to Miami. Miami cannot afford another Marlins [Park] fiasco!

What steps should the city take to reduce pollution in Biscayne Bay?

Education is key. We need an effective alert system when the Bay has heightened levels of public risk such as due to a sewage leak or algae bloom. We also need to target the source of pollution in the Bay working with the boating community, particularly the cruise ship industry to reduce waste from entering the Bay. Ultimately, the biggest polluter is our aged sewage system that needs to be updated and they need to be reigned in.

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