Miramar voters should elect Nesbeth

It’s time for a youth movement in Miramar, a diverse city of 138,000 in southwest Broward.

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board recommends voters opt for the youngest candidates for two open seats, where the strongest candidates are the youngest and have deep civic roots and years of public service. Miramar commissioners are elected city-wide, so all voters can and should vote in this election. On some issues, all the candidates agree, such as in opposition to a proposed trash incinerator in Miami-Dade near the county line. But on other issues, there are distinct differences.

Seat 4

With former Commissioner Alexandra Davis’ move to the Broward County Commission, voters must decide who will serve the final two years of her four-year term in office until the next city election.

A four-candidate field includes Kertch Joseph “KC” Conze, 51, a lawyer and former assistant state prosecutor; Carson “Eddy” Edwards, 69, co-founder of Riddims Marketing and the Jamaican Jerk Festival; Kerri-Ann Nesbeth, 35, a managing partner at EdFuel, an education management firm; and Pamella “Pema” Reid, 60, a talent acquisition specialist at ChenMed, a health care firm for seniors.

As Edwards acknowledged in an online interview, he has the backing of the Hardemon family, long connected to Miami-Dade politics, whose political involvement is not always benign. Family patriarch Billy Hardemon pleaded guilty to campaign finance law violations in the 1990s. His nephew, Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon Hardemon, steered $385,000 in no-bid contracts to nonprofits controlled by Billy Hardemon and his wife, according to the investigative news site Florida Bulldog.

Billy Hardemon was the subject of a county ethics complaint in 2013 that he worked in Miramar as a de facto chief of staff to current Miramar Commissioner Yvette Colbourne during time that he should have been at his day job with Miami-Dade County Public Works and Waste Management. Colbourne is also seeking re-election in March but faces only a write-in candidate.

A vote for Edwards could give the Hardemons greater influence in Miramar, which we do not believe is in the city’s best interest.

Further, Conze has support from Hans Ottinot, the city attorney in Tamarac and Lauderhill and an ally of Tamarac Commissioner Marlon Bolton, who is swiftly building his own Broward political machine. Given Bolton’s questionable history, including on garbage contracts and a city bailout of a townhouse complex in which he lives, we oppose any further power grabs by Bolton and his cronies.

Of the remaining candidates, Nesbeth is the best qualified, and she is committed to scrutinizing city finances, especially the large amount of tax money spent on festivals and weekend events.

A third-generation Miramar resident, Nesbeth has served on the city Education Advisory Board and as president of her homeowners’ association. She has raised more than $15,000 — modest compared to Edwards and Conze, who have each raised more than $40,000, but more than Reid, whose $1,600 in total contributions will make it difficult for her to compete.

“I am committed to fiscal responsibility and have the most comprehensive plan to prioritize inclusion, innovation, and forward-thinking in Miramar on day one,” Nesbeth wrote in her questionnaire.

We agree. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board endorses Kerri-Ann Nesbeth for Miramar City Commission Seat 4.

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman, and Executive Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com.

Originally Published: February 10, 2025 at 4:32 PM EST https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/02/10/miramar-voters-should-elect-tomlinson-and-nesbeth-endorsement/