What to Know
- Messam is currently finishing his first term as Mayor of the Broward County city, winning office in 2015 after one city commissioner term.
The growing list of names seeking the Democratic nomination for President could be increasing by one more if the mayor of one South Florida city throws his hat into the ring.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that an attorney for Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam sent a letter to the Florida Division of Elections seeking clarity on the state’s resign to run law, which requires an elected official in Florida who qualifies for a federal election to resign if the terms overlap.
In the letter, attorney Mark Herron wrote that he was asking “on behalf of Wayne Messam, who is contemplating becoming a candidate for the office of president of the United States.”
Messam is currently finishing his first term as Mayor of the Broward County city, winning office in 2015 after one term as a city commissioner. Messam is seeking re-election when voters go to the polls on March 12th.
Under state law, resignations must be submitted 10 days before the first day of qualifying for the office the candidate is seeking. Hernon’s letter contends that presidential candidates do not qualify for federal office in the way described by the state’s law, thus the need for clarification.
The newspaper reports Messam has been in contact with officials in the South Carolina Democratic Party of late, one of the first states in the nominating process to hold elections and the earliest one with a significant African-American population.
Local
During an interview on NBC 6's Impact with Jackie Nespral, Messam said his life experiences have led him to the point of considering a possible run - citing the creation of jobs in the city and one of the nation's fastest growing economies.
The 44-year-old, who is married with three children, has been active in campaigning for Democratic Party candidates in recent elections, including Hillary Clinton’s run for President in 2016 and gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum’s campaign last year.
Born in Palm Beach County to parents that emigrated from Jamaica, Messam’s first claim to fame was as a starting wide receiver for the Florida State Seminoles – winning a national title his freshman season in 1993 before graduating and later being drafted by the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals.
Messam served as the student-body vice president at FSU and later moved to Miramar, working in the pharmaceutical industry before starting his own construction company.
