SUNRISE – A 23-year resident of Sunrise, Mark A. Douglas credits that Broward County city for his personal and professional development. On November 5, he will be one of three candidates vying to be its mayor.
A Sunrise commissioner since 2016, Douglas challenges incumbent Michael J. Ryan who was first elected to office in 2010. Community advocate, Niccole Pazos, is the other candidate in the nonpartisan election.
Douglas, a Jamaican who settled in Sunrise with his family in 2001, is a litigation attorney and graduate of Florida International University. He is critical of Ryan, who he says has little presence in the city.
Mark A. Douglas
“Over the past three years, the mayor has disappeared from the area and others have stepped into the breach. Last year, I served as deputy mayor and saw how much of a vacuum the role had developed. Most of the year, he was absent and our community needs an engaged mayor,” Douglas told South Florida Caribbean News.
The New York-born Ryan was returned to his post unchallenged for the last three elections. In posts to his website, he points to commercial development and improved infrastructure among his administration’s achievements.
But Douglas disagrees, saying that it is he and three fellow commissioners who are responsible for that expansion, particularly in the area of construction.
“We spent $154 million on infrastructure, $94 million of that on parks and we’ve built a new city hall for over $60 million. It is one of the biggest investments we have made and I have been at the forefront of making sure that that infrastructure rollout is managed,” he stated.
Douglas, who is in his late 40s, is from Clarendon parish in rural Jamaica. He earned a degree in business administration from the University of Technology in Kingston, shortly before migrating to South Florida in 2001.
In 2016, he became the first minority elected to the Sunrise commission, receiving over 17,000 votes. Douglas points to a strong track record in that position as proof of his capabilities, and has big plans for the city if he is elected mayor.
“We’re a service/delivery region which impacts people’s lives. You need someone who is proactive and has a vision to make sure the city is delivering service to everyone,” he said.
