10BB
AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO THE SUN SENTINAL
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
There’s a New Mayor in Town
By Mia Y. Merritt, Ed.D
If we were to gauge the success of Black
men by watching the news and being
influenced by the media, we would be
inclined to believe the myth that Black men
are becoming endangered species, but we
know that this is not the case. It certainly is
not when it comes to Mayor-elect Wayne
Messam. After graduating from Florida
State University with a Bachelor’s Degree
in Management Information Systems in
1997, Messam immediately applied what
he learned in college by starting his own
construction management company called
Messam Construction. The business can boast
of having several fortune 500 companies
under their belt as clients as well as having
provided construction management services
to several high profile South Florida projects
including Broward Center for the Performing
Arts, Broward County New Civil Courthouse
and the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport.
However, the success of Messam
Construction was only the beginning of what
is unfolding to be Messam’s road to success.
His desire for serving and giving back to his
community led him to run and win the seat for
the Miramar City Commission in 2011. Since
then, he has quickly ascended as an effective
and rising local official. After successfully
completing one full term on the Miramar
commission, Messam ran against the 16-year
mayor incumbent, Lori Mosely in March 2015
and won the seat, becoming Miramar’s first
African American mayor. The March 2015
election had three open seats: one open
mayor seat and two open commission seats,
which were all filled by African Americans,
making the Miramar commission an all-Black
dais. I asked mayor Messam how he saw this
drastic change affecting the city, if at all. His
answer was:
“I don’t see any significant issues with our
commission being all Black. The residents
elected each of us to represent them based
on our merits and qualifications. I have the
full confidence that all of my colleagues have
the best interest of Miramar at heart and
will ensure that our policies are a reflection
of the combined interests of the diverse
stakeholders of our community. As mayor,
my goal is to lead our policy making process
to gain consensus that represents all of
Miramar.”
When asked what his top three priorities as
mayor were, his answers were:
1. to rebuild the city’s financial position and
holding the line on taxes 2. redeveloping and
National Black Caucus of Local Elected
Officials, the Florida League of Cities Board
of Directors for the Florida Black Caucus of
Local Elected Officials. Locally, Commissioner
Messam serves on the Board of Directors for
the Broward League of Cities and represents
the organization on the Broward County
Water Advisory Board. His broad network of
colleagues, including federal departments,
state departments, and agencies along with
private sector relationships have benefited
the City of Miramar during his tenure
of service. Along with his public duties,
Commissioner Messam was recently selected
to the Board of Trustees of the Florida State
University Foundation.
We congratulate Wayne Messam on his
recent win as mayor. We are proud of him
and all of his accomplishments and we are
expecting great things to emanate from his
vision and leadership as mayor of the great
city of Miramar.
Mayor Wayne Messam, City of Miramar, Ft. Lauderdale FL
beautifying historic Miramar by attracting
private development and completing key
infrastructure projects, thereby improving the
quality of life for residents, and 3. ensuring
the responsible completion of the ‘Your Bond
Dollars at Work Projects’ which include dozens
of parks, and infrastructure projects city wide
that will service our city for generations to
come. Needless-to-say, the responsibility of
leading a city of almost 130,000 residents is
a great, but enormous task that may become
challenging at times. When asked how he felt
about the responsibility of raising the bar, he
responded:
“I am excited about raising the bar of the
expectations in Miramar. Our potential is
immeasurable. I know by working together
with the Commission, residents, and the
business community, there isn’t anything we
cannot accomplish as a city.”
When individuals embrace and cultivate
the innate gifts and skills that they possess,
that motivation is oftentimes fueled by
someone in their lives who saw greatness
in them and helped them to see it in
themselves. When I asked the mayor who he
attributed his success to, he told me that he
is a man of faith and inherently believes that
his blessings come from God first.
He also honored his parents who he
says immigrated from Jamaica to give his
family an opportunity that they did not
have. He says that the hard work ethic of
his parents instilled the confidence in him to
be successful. He also attributed his success
to his wife and partner Angela Messam of
21 years. He quoted, “She is my strongest
supporter and confidant.”
Of course, I could not end the interview
without asking him how he felt about making
history as the first African American mayor of
Miramar, and he responded:
“I feel humbled because of the symbolism
that comes with the honor. I know that
there is a big obligation to serve with honor
and integrity. I am committed to serving all
Miramar residents with excellence and I will
have an open door policy for community.”
Messam currently serves on the National
League of Cities Board of Directors for the
“I am excited
about raising
the bar of the
expectations
in Miramar.
Our potential is
immeasurable. I
know by working
together with
the Commission,
residents, and
the business
community, there
isn’t anything
we cannot
accomplish as a
city.”