Wayne Messam, American-born Jamaican is seeking his third term as mayor of Miramar on primary election day Wednesday (March 15).

Messam who became the city’s first black mayor must face opponent Rudy Theophin, who works in financial services with OneBox Funding.

This will be Theophin’s first try for elected office, and he is opposing Messam, a former 2020 presidential candidate who has been leading the southwest Broward County of Florida city since 2015.

According to Theophin, various aspects of city government require attention. He believes that more infrastructure for the city’s historic district and fostering more community-police interaction will resonate with voters.

However, Messam, who was born to Jamaican immigrants, revealed that he still has unfinished projects in what he considers to be one of the country’s most progressive cities.

Messam, who also works as a general contractor, running Messam Construction, was a member of Florida State University’s 1993 national championship football team.

The Sun Sentinel, which supported him when he ran for re-election in 2019, said more large corporations operate in Miramar than in any other South Florida city.

Among them are Royal Caribbean Cruises, Comcast, and Spirit Airlines.

Wayne Messam has lived in the city for 18 years and has made the ballot for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary ticket. However, his campaign was suspended nine months after announcing it, as he failed to qualify for any Democratic debates.

For his last city election, he won 86 per cent of the vote for his second term, beating Josue LaRose.