Michelle Spence-Jones and Willy Gort Prevail in Special Elections

Today's special election to fill two vacant city commission seats resulted with two familiar names returning to City Hall. Or maybe not. Voters in District 1 gave Willy Gort one slot. He previously held a seat until 2001, when he made an unsuccessful bid for the Mayor's office. He replaces...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

January 12, 2010

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Today's special election to fill two vacant city commission seats resulted with two familiar names returning to City Hall. Or maybe not.

Voters in District 1 gave Willy Gort one slot. He previously held a seat until 2001, when he made an unsuccessful bid for the Mayor's office. He replaces the man who succeeded him, Angel Gonzalez, who resigned when it was revealed he secured his daughter a no-show job.

Over in District 5, Michelle Spence-Jones won the seat she was re-elected to in November before she was promptly removed from office by Governor Charlie Crist after turning herself in on charges of grand theft. Crist has promised to remove her again if she's re-elected, but she promises to sue.

In City Hall, they'll join Francis Suarez, son of former-Mayor Xavier Suarez, Frank Carollo, brother of former-Mayor Joe Carollo (both of whom were elected in November), and Marc Sarnoff. Despite his inferences otherwise, Sarnoff is not related to anyone important. Which is actually quite refreshing, considering how much name recognition apparently means to Miami voters.

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