The Making of the President 2020: Wayne Messam
Wayne Messam, the Mayor of Miramar, Florida, is one of the declared candidates for the Democratic Party nomination for President whose polling numbers are so low that he does not register on the polling numbers published by Real Clear Politics. The former Florida State Seminole wide receiver has an impressive background, but his name recognition outside of his state is not as great as most of the candidates he is competing with for the nomination. Messam has been the mayor of Miramar since 2015. He was first elected to the Miramar City Commission in 2011 and he defeated incumbent Mayor Lori Cohen Moseley in the 2015 election. Messam is also a general contractor and owner of a construction firm. He announced his campaign to run for the Democratic nomination for President on March 28, 2019.
His full name is Wayne Martin Messam and he was born on June 7, 1974. His parents were both born in Jamaica and he is the fourth of five children, and the first to be born in the United States. Wayne Messam was born and raised in South Bay, Florida. He attended Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida and later attended Florida State University, where he played wide receiver for the Florida State Seminoles from 1993 through 1996. Messam was a member of the 1993 national championship team. During his college football career he caught 62 passes for 793 yards and four touchdowns as a Seminole. Messam graduated from Florida State in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems.
Messam started his own construction company in 2007. He was first elected to the City Commission of Miramar, Florida in 2011, and was elected as the city's mayor in 2015, after vacating his commission seat. He won re-election on March 12, 2019. He currently serves as president of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials. In September of 2016 Messam welcomed former President Bill Clinton to his city. Clinton held a meeting to address clergy and community leaders from Broward and Miami Dade Counties at the city’s Miramar Cultural Center on Wednesday, September 7. Clinton spoke on a number of issues regarding the upcoming 2016 election and complimented Messam on Miramar’s growth, the city’s strong economy and its beautiful City Hall and Cultural Center.
On March 13, 2019, Messam announced the formation of an exploratory committee for a potential run for President. He formally announced his candidacy on March 28, 2019. Messam launched his campaign at a rally at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens on March 30, 2019. In early March, Messam traveled to South Carolina, an early primary state, as part of his 2020 exploration. He plans to travel to New Hampshire in May, with further events planned in Nevada and California. Messam's first quarter fundraising total of $43,531 placed him last among declared "major" Democratic candidates.
Messam's campaign has experienced problems, as earlier this month it was reported by the Miami New Times that sources were claiming that the campaign had failed to pay its staff, allegedly leading to several staff departures. In response, Messam said that the "campaign does not have employees", only "consultants and vendors" working for the campaign.
Messam has called for the cancellation of all student debt. One of his main issues is gun control. He stated in an interview, "I'm very passionate about gun control. Parkland actually is 15 minutes from my city. We actually sent officers to respond there and I even had my own scare. I own a construction management company and I received a frantic call from one of my former employees because we just started work at Fort Lauderdale International Airport and she was screaming that there was an active shooter in baggage claim killing and shooting people and people were running out onto the tarmac. So I know all too well, you know, that was a national story as well." Messam and other Florida mayors have sued the state in order to give municipalities the right to decide whether or not to allow assault-style weapons in city park. Messam said "I'm elected president, my first four years — my goal is to reduce gun violence by 50 percent, and by the end of my administration to end it in total."
Messam has said that he considers health care to be a civil right. On the subject of 'Medicare for All,' he said "It makes sense to provide the reality for Americans, but I'm open to any reform measure that expands health care coverage for all people. There's far too many people across South Florida, the state of Florida, as well as this country that are forced to decide each and every day between seeing a doctor and paying their bills. This is unacceptable. We must make sure that everyone in this country have access to quality health care. And I look forward to all the policy options to make that a reality."
Messam has referred to his nation's withdrawal from the Paris Accord a "a travesty". He adds, "America needs to be a leader in terms of being good stewards to our environment. It's not an issue of just climate change. But when we act, we become more resilient as a state because we'll improve our infrastructure — it'll put Americans to work. It will improve the quality of life for Americans and make our communities safer and keep us more competitive as a nation so that we can maintain our global dominance."
While it may be an understatement to describe Messam's chance to become President in 2020 as a long shot, he will certainly elevate his profile, something that will enhance any aspirations he may have for a greater office in futute,
His full name is Wayne Martin Messam and he was born on June 7, 1974. His parents were both born in Jamaica and he is the fourth of five children, and the first to be born in the United States. Wayne Messam was born and raised in South Bay, Florida. He attended Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida and later attended Florida State University, where he played wide receiver for the Florida State Seminoles from 1993 through 1996. Messam was a member of the 1993 national championship team. During his college football career he caught 62 passes for 793 yards and four touchdowns as a Seminole. Messam graduated from Florida State in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems.
Messam started his own construction company in 2007. He was first elected to the City Commission of Miramar, Florida in 2011, and was elected as the city's mayor in 2015, after vacating his commission seat. He won re-election on March 12, 2019. He currently serves as president of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials. In September of 2016 Messam welcomed former President Bill Clinton to his city. Clinton held a meeting to address clergy and community leaders from Broward and Miami Dade Counties at the city’s Miramar Cultural Center on Wednesday, September 7. Clinton spoke on a number of issues regarding the upcoming 2016 election and complimented Messam on Miramar’s growth, the city’s strong economy and its beautiful City Hall and Cultural Center.
On March 13, 2019, Messam announced the formation of an exploratory committee for a potential run for President. He formally announced his candidacy on March 28, 2019. Messam launched his campaign at a rally at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens on March 30, 2019. In early March, Messam traveled to South Carolina, an early primary state, as part of his 2020 exploration. He plans to travel to New Hampshire in May, with further events planned in Nevada and California. Messam's first quarter fundraising total of $43,531 placed him last among declared "major" Democratic candidates.
Messam's campaign has experienced problems, as earlier this month it was reported by the Miami New Times that sources were claiming that the campaign had failed to pay its staff, allegedly leading to several staff departures. In response, Messam said that the "campaign does not have employees", only "consultants and vendors" working for the campaign.
Messam has called for the cancellation of all student debt. One of his main issues is gun control. He stated in an interview, "I'm very passionate about gun control. Parkland actually is 15 minutes from my city. We actually sent officers to respond there and I even had my own scare. I own a construction management company and I received a frantic call from one of my former employees because we just started work at Fort Lauderdale International Airport and she was screaming that there was an active shooter in baggage claim killing and shooting people and people were running out onto the tarmac. So I know all too well, you know, that was a national story as well." Messam and other Florida mayors have sued the state in order to give municipalities the right to decide whether or not to allow assault-style weapons in city park. Messam said "I'm elected president, my first four years — my goal is to reduce gun violence by 50 percent, and by the end of my administration to end it in total."
Messam has said that he considers health care to be a civil right. On the subject of 'Medicare for All,' he said "It makes sense to provide the reality for Americans, but I'm open to any reform measure that expands health care coverage for all people. There's far too many people across South Florida, the state of Florida, as well as this country that are forced to decide each and every day between seeing a doctor and paying their bills. This is unacceptable. We must make sure that everyone in this country have access to quality health care. And I look forward to all the policy options to make that a reality."
Messam has referred to his nation's withdrawal from the Paris Accord a "a travesty". He adds, "America needs to be a leader in terms of being good stewards to our environment. It's not an issue of just climate change. But when we act, we become more resilient as a state because we'll improve our infrastructure — it'll put Americans to work. It will improve the quality of life for Americans and make our communities safer and keep us more competitive as a nation so that we can maintain our global dominance."
While it may be an understatement to describe Messam's chance to become President in 2020 as a long shot, he will certainly elevate his profile, something that will enhance any aspirations he may have for a greater office in futute,