Ken Russell

My father, a World War II veteran, built a successful business in Cuba during the 1950s. But when Castro came to power, his business was seized, and he was forced to leave the country. He continued his international work from Miami and later married my mother, who immigrated from Japan. Together, they built a life grounded in resilience, family, and entrepreneurship.

Miami became our home, and it gave me the foundation to build my own business. Life was good—until I found out the park across the street, where my daughters played, was dangerously contaminated. The city ignored it. But I couldn’t. I organized my neighbors, stood up to City Hall, and got it cleaned up. It wasn’t about politics—it was about doing what was right.

That fight led me to public service. With no big money, no political connections, and no famous last name, I ran for City Commissioner. The insiders laughed. But the people believed. And we won.

As Commissioner, I tackled real problems—fighting corruption, confronting climate threats, advocating for fair wages, and even picking up a chainsaw to clear hurricane debris when no one else would.

Now I’m running for Mayor of Miami—to clean up City Hall, just like I cleaned up that park.

Because Miami belongs to all of us. And together, we’re going to clean it up—for good.