WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE
QUESTION: In legislative bodies, relationships are paramount and members must be able to build and leverage connections with people on other sides of the aisle. Describe some instances when you put your differences aside and garnered bipartisan support to deliver something valuable to your neighbors or constituents.
Te Mayonna Brown: “On my campaign trail, I’ve learned that if your goal is to serve people you have to be willing to work with people who don’t always agree with you. I’ve been consistently stating that we have to work together regardless of party. My career has taught me that progress happens when you focus on solutions instead of politics. As I’ve repeatedly said, we have to put people over politics at all costs. As a real estate developer and business owner, I’ve worked with local officials, lenders, contractors, community organizations and residents from different backgrounds with different political views. If we had let our differences get in the way, the projects wouldn’t have moved forward. Families wouldn’t have become homeowners and communities would not have been revitalized. When introducing women to construction, bringing people together from different sectors was essential to create an opportunities. That work required a collaboration, relationship building and keeping the focus on results. If elected to Congress, I will never compromise my principles I’ve shared on the campaign trail. I will always be willing to work with anyone – a Republican, Democrat or Independent, especially when it benefits the people of District 24. I believe leadership isn’t about who gets the credit it’s about getting the results. I want people to be reminded that you are not sending us to Washington to argue. Constituents are sending us to Washington to solve problems and I’ll work with anyone who is serious about lowering the cost of living, expanding homeownership, supporting small businesses, strengthening infrastructure, expanding childcare, and delivering real results for the community. I have learned the people of District 24 don’t care who gets the credit, they care that we get the job done. I won’t compromise my principles, but I will collaborate on solutions.
Marshall Davis: “During 40-year tenure at the center, critical moments arose when county budget deficits, administrative restructurings, or competing land-use proposals—including ideas to repurpose or clear county-owned parcels in Liberty City for school expansions or administrative development—all threatened its independence and footprint. When those moments arose, I rallied a bipartisan community mobilization that saved the center and solidified its place as a permanent neighborhood institution. My advocacy efforts directly impacted MLDAHCAC and other spaces such as the Joseph Caleb Auditorium and the Miami-Dade County Auditorium, when they were moved from Parks and Recreation to the Department of Cultural Affairs. When the Center was viewed as just a building, I reframed the perspective. Rather than making it a partisan issue, I mobilized a coalition that brought together local parents, alumni, Black churches, and grassroots activists alongside civic leaders, business owners, and county department heads. I also vocalized the public safety and economic argument to win over conservative and fiscal-minded decision-makers proving that MLDAHCAC was and is an essential public safety and workforce asset. I convinced people across demographics that closing it would strip away a structured after-school program, increasing county costs related to juvenile delinquency and lost educational attainment. I rallied public support by filling commission chambers with students, alumni, and community members showcasing their talents and academic achievements. This proved to elected officials across the political spectrum that the MLDAHCAC was the beating heart of Liberty City. Beyond saving the facility, my entire 40-year career is defined by navigating complex, multi-party political landscapes to deliver concrete results for District 24. I’ve secured state and county capital across changing administrations. Four decades is a long time, during which South Florida and Tallahassee shifted politically multiple times. I’ve consistently secured state cultural grants and county capital funding under both Republican and Democratic governors, state legislators, and county mayors. I achieved this by running an institution with fiscal accountability, and measurable youth outcomes that any politician would proudly support. Additionally, in a deeply divided political environment, in 2024, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners delivered a unanimous approval across a politically diverse body. This required decades of earned trust, neutral community stewardship, and respect from commissioners of all political affiliations.
Oliver Gilbert: “I’ve spent most of my career in local government, and local government doesn’t let you hide behind a party label. The trash gets picked up or it doesn’t. The roads get paved or they don’t. The budget passes or it doesn’t. That’s the test. Miami Gardens city government is nonpartisan. The Miami-Dade County Commission is nonpartisan. For two years I chaired that 13-member commission — commissioners from different ideological corners, different parts of the county, different priorities — and we passed three county budgets. Not by pretending we agreed on everything, but by finding the work that needed doing and doing it together. As Mayor, I worked with a Republican-controlled Tallahassee, because Miami Gardens needed resources and I wasn’t going to leave them on the table over politics. You make the case, you build the relationship, and you deliver. That’s the job. I’ve also chaired the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization and the Southeast Florida Transportation Council. Those bodies bring together elected officials from different parties and different counties, and nothing moves unless people who disagree on other things agree on this thing. I’ve learned to find that agreement.”
Shevrin Jones: “I serve in a Legislature where my party is in the minority, so every result I have delivered required winning votes across the aisle. When women in Florida prisons were being denied basic hygiene products, I carried the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act and read one woman’s letter aloud on the House floor. It passed without a single no vote. When Black families told me their loved ones’ sickle cell pain was being dismissed, I passed a law requiring pain-management training for prescribers, all one hundred fifty legislators voted yes. After the killing of Corey Jones, I authored Florida’s first statewide police body-camera standards by bringing the Sheriffs Association, the police chiefs, and the unions to the same table, and it passed with near-unanimous support. I built enforceable jail-inspection standards hand-in-hand with the Florida Sheriffs Association and it passed unanimously. And when the majority moved to strip the good-faith standard courts use to weigh whether an officer acted honestly, I pressed through a heated floor fight until the sponsor restored the language which was adopted thirty-seven to nothing. Colleagues on both sides of the aisle made me Vice Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, and my caucus chose me as its next leader. That is what relationships built on trust look like, and it is exactly how I will operate in Congress: firm in my values, and relentless about finding the votes to deliver.”
Kendrick Meek Jr.: “Gridlock in Washington achieves nothing for working families, and true leadership requires the maturity to find common ground without sacrificing core principles. Throughout my career in policy and legal advocacy, I have operated under the belief that a good idea should carry weight regardless of who introduces it. During my time working in the House of Representatives’ Committee on House Administration, I regularly collaborated across the aisle to prepare comprehensive research and brief members on complex public safety and legislative administration bills. I learned that behind the cable news cameras, substantive work happens when you treat colleagues with respect and focus entirely on shared constituent needs. Closer to home, I have successfully built bipartisan coalitions to deliver real results for our neighbors. They include: Clean Slate and Expungement Advocacy: I have partnered with conservative-leaning legal groups and business associations to organize and promote pro bono expungement and record-sealing workshops. We found common ground by framing criminal justice reform as an economic issue, showing that helping non-violent individuals clear their records expands the local workforce and boosts the economy. I’ve also spearheaded Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives. In my corporate legal work, I have negotiated directly with conservative business leaders to implement equitable hiring practices and environmental compliance standards. By focusing on long-term sustainability and community stability rather than partisan talking points, I successfully convinced stakeholders to invest in community-led local programs.
Jean Monestime: “Over the years, I’ve been able to build relationships with many Republicans. Some I was fortunate to serve in office with, and others I met in college. I have collaborated with some on many issues affecting our communities, both while we served together; and most recently after tenure in office ended due to term-limits.
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