George Morgan is set to become North Miami’s next mayor after a Miami-Dade judge on Monday rejected a request for a special election by incumbent Alix Desulme, who had been on the ballot seeking reelection.
Desulme had asked for the special election to challenge Morgan’s eligibility after finding that Morgan’s qualifying payment was 80 cents short of the required filing fee. The judge instead ruled that Desulme no longer had standing to seek a special election or to challenge the fee payment, and removed him from the race. That leaves Morgan with no opponent. Desulme’s attorney, Ben Kuehne, said his client intends to appeal.
The dispute began earlier when Morgan challenged how Desulme paid his own qualifying fees. That ruling focused on Desulme’s use of bank-issued cashier’s checks instead of checks drawn on his campaign account. Desulme’s legal team then raised the 80-cent shortfall in Morgan’s payment.
Morgan, a registered Republican who has never run for or held elected office, said he did not celebrate the outcome. “It’s an unfortunate circumstance,” he told CBS News Miami. Asked about the shortfall, he said mistakes happen and the test is how leaders respond.
Kuehne said voters should have a choice. “It is dramatically improper that we have no election for the North Miami mayor,” he said.
Morgan also was asked about community concerns over his party affiliation and his views on President Donald Trump. He confirmed his Republican registration but did not directly answer the Trump question. Asked whether Haitian immigrant residents should be worried, he said they should not.
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