The Mayor-elect of the City of Key West Dee Dee Henriquez joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM yesterday morning to talk about her plans for her tenure.
She ran unopposed for the position of mayor.
Henriquez said, “I am very humbled and blessed by the support that I have received throughout our community and my city during my campaign. From my understanding, running unopposed for mayor, I don’t believe it’s never happened or if it has, it’s been a very, very long time. I asked the supervisor of elections, if this has ever happened, and she couldn’t recall and that she was going to look into it because it is very unusual to have a mayor’s race go unopposed.”
She received a lot of support once she announced her intention to run.
Henriquez said, “Back in October, I did announce that I was running for mayor. I was approached by numerous citizens and community leaders throughout the city, and asked me if I would run for mayor and I thought about it, talked to my family. I got back with them probably within about a week and I said what, yes, I am going to run for mayor. I would like to bring good government, unity, transparency, communication back to our city. With my 20 years of public service and 31 years in total government, I knew I could make an impact with the challenges we face today within our city government.”
She served for many years at the tax collector.
Henriquez said, “I had seven offices up and down the Keys, starting in Key West and my last office was that mom worker 101 in the Key Largo Tradewinds Shopping Center. I had seven different offices to be able to better serve our county.”
What are the plans once she takes office?
Henriquez said, “The first thing that I’m going to do is I’m going to start uniting people to work together for the good of our beautiful city of Key West and our government. I’m going to rebuild the partnerships within our city agencies, for example, with the Monroe County School system, Keys Energy, the county, even at the state and federal levels. I also would like to bring the business community and the Navy back as a partnership, because we need to work together because working together makes us a stronger community.”
What about the upcoming meeting in response to the recent ousting of City Manager Al Childress?
Henriquez said, “I will not be taking office until August 26th, supposedly, at high noon, unless there’s a recount and if there’s a recount, from my understanding, not until Joyce Griffin, the supervisor of elections, certifies the election, we will not be able to get sworn in. But technically, as of right now, it is going to be August 26, at noon, and then my first meeting is going to be right at five o’clock in reference to the city manager’s position. So what I’m doing right now is I’m doing my due diligence, and I am speaking with the directors and the community and staff. So that that way I can make an informed decision on August 26 at five o’clock.”
What about the bond issue?
Henriquez said, “As a matter of fact, there is a special meeting on that, I believe, I think it’s the second reading on July 18. If that gets passed through the second reading with the current City Commission that will be on the ballot to vote as a referendum, and then it’ll give the opportunity for the residents of the city to be able to decide whether they want that $300 million general obligation bond.”
Donie Lee is the other unopposed commissioner who will be seated, potentially August 26. Does Henriquez know him as the police chief?
She said, “That is correct. Working together as your tax collector, and being in government for 31 years, yes, I’ve had opportunities to do things with our previous chief of police and he is a local born and raised here. So I know Donie Lee very well. Both of us, I know have been working with the police department and the fire department. As I was running for office, I am the type of person that I am very hands on and boots to the ground. So I met with the police department, I met with the fire department, with EMT and I actually did ride alongs with the Police Department, I did a day shift and a night shift. I’ll tell you something really quick. On Saturday on Saturday, they had told me oh no Dee Dee this is going to be a very slow day. And I’m like, okay, I’m here 12 hours, I’m here with you and whatever you guys do. I want to see what you guys do in the course of a day. It wasn’t a slow day. We arrested two people. I was at the jail for four hours and they’re like you sure you want to do this? I’m like, I want to do everything that you guys do, because I want to get a good grasp on what the police department does. Then I did the same thing with the fire department. I was with them for 12 hours and I rode in the ambulance and we took a few to the hospital and we did a few rides when on the fire trucks so I have the utmost appreciation for what they do for our city.”
Henriquez is spending a lot of time in city hall, even now.
She said, “From now until August 26, I am meeting with all of the chairs of all the boards. We have appointments that the mayor and the commissioners have on those boards. So I’m meeting with all of the appointments, making sure that they still want to continue to serve. Next week, July 16, 17th, and possibly the 18th are our budget workshops. So they just sent me all of that information. So I’ll be looking at those budgets within all of those departments very carefully, as well, as everybody knows, I’m kind of a numbers person in your previous tax collector and collecting over $400 million, and always balancing to the penny and looking out for taxpayer dollars. So I will be looking at this budget very carefully, even though I won’t be able to make a decision on it. But at least I’ll be very familiar with it going in on August 26.”
She will also be throwing out the first pitch in a major league baseball game.
Henriquez said, “I was very nervous and excited at the same time and as soon as I got that phone call, I called my husband, I called my son and I’m like, I need to go out to that field and practice pitching, because I cannot make us look bad. So my son and my husband are going to have me out at the field sometime in August, start practicing throwing from the pitcher’s mound.”
What other issues is she looking at for the city?
Henriquez said, “The Duval revitalization. I’ve been very active and involved in that because my family and I, we own Kilwins on Duval Street. So I’m very involved with the Duval revitalization, the fire station three, Bayview Park, Mallory Square, Martin Luther King pool, that’s just to name a few. So there’s a lot of work that needs to be done at City Hall, and I’m ready to get started.”