Sunrise elects first minority to commission long dominated by white men

By SUSANNAH BRYAN | sbryan@sunsentinel.com | South Florida Sun Sentinel

PUBLISHED: November 8, 2016 at 9:19 p.m. | UPDATED: June 9, 2018 at 9:37 a.m.

Political newcomer Mark Douglas made history Tuesday night as the first minority to win a seat on the five-member Sunrise commission.

Douglas, a black attorney from Jamaica making his first run for office, handily beat businessman Vivi Assidon and retired Sunrise officer Steve Del Re.

“I think I won because [I] represented some kind of change,” Douglas said. “I think people felt I was a sincere candidate with a track record of service. And they gave me an opportunity and I’m grateful.”

During his campaign, Douglas billed himself as the best candidate to represent the city’s growing minority population.

He says he plans to focus on solving the city’s traffic woes and will bring more attention to older neighborhoods on the city’s east side that he says have been long neglected by City Hall.

Douglas will take over the seat held by Commissioner Don Rosen for the past 15 years. Rosen has plans to move out of state and chose not to seek re-election.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2016/11/08/sunrise-elects-first-minority-to-commission-long-dominated-by-white-men/