George Morgan set to become North Miami mayor after judge rejects special election request
George Morgan is set to become North Miami's next mayor after a Miami-Dade judge rejected a request for a special election by current Mayor Alix Desulme, who until Monday was on the ballot seeking reelection.
Desulme sought the special election to challenge Morgan's eligibility after discovering that Morgan's qualifying payment was 80 cents short of the required filing fee.
On Monday, the judge disqualified Desulme from the race, ruling that he no longer had standing to request a special election or to challenge the payment of the filing fee. The decision leaves Morgan unopposed, though Desulme's attorney said his client intends to appeal.
Morgan, a registered Republican running for office for the first time, struck a subdued tone following the ruling.
"I don't celebrate the moment," Morgan told CBS News Miami. "It's an unfortunate circumstance. Our effort is to serve all the city, and we want to now get up and go forward and do what we have to do for all of North Miami".
Desulme's removal came after Morgan challenged the way the North Miami mayor paid his own qualifying fees. That earlier ruling centered on Desulme's use of bank-issued cashier's checks rather than checks drawn directly on his campaign account.
Desulme's legal team then challenged Morgan's payment on the grounds of the 80-cent shortfall.
When asked about the 80 cents, Morgan said, "Nothing is perfect. We want to do the right things, always want to do, and we can make mistakes".
"It's a question of what we do when we make mistakes," Morgan added. "That's the mark, I think, of a leader and a man".
Desulme's attorney, Ben Kuehne, said the fight is about giving residents a choice in who leads the city.
"It is dramatically improper that we have no election for the North Miami mayor," Kuehne said, adding that Desulme intends to pursue an appeal. "He intends to fight not just for himself but for the voters".
Meanwhile, Morgan, the incoming mayor under the judge's order, has never run for or held elected office. When asked about his qualifications, he said, "What a mayor does is work with people and his constituents, and that's the major part of the job".
CBS News Miami also asked Morgan about concerns raised by community members over his Republican affiliation and whether he supports President Donald Trump.
Morgan confirmed that he is a registered Republican but did not directly answer whether he supports Trump. Asked whether Haitian immigrant residents should be concerned, he said they should not.
"We want to treat everyone on a fair and equal basis," Morgan said. "We want to be law-abiding, but that doesn't mean that we want to lose our compassion".