Mayoral Candidates – Philip K. Stoddard

Mayoral Candidates - Philip K. Stoddard
Mayoral Candidates - Philip K. Stoddard
Philip K. Stoddard

Philip K. Stoddard has lived in South Miami for 11 years. He has been a Professor of Biological Sciences at Florida International University for 21 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Psychology, and did postdoctoral research at Cornell University in Neurobiology and Behavior. He has been Mayor of South Miami, CRA Chair, has served on the Green Corridor PACE Board, is a co-founder of Citizens Allied for Safe Energy, a member of the Sierra Club Florida State Lobbying Committee, and a CLEO Institute instructor.
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CANDIDATE PROFILE:
Number of years living in South Miami?

Eleven years

What is your educational background?

BA Swarthmore College, Biology
PhD University of Washington,
Psychology Postdoc Cornell University, Neurobiology& Behavior

What is your present job? And for how long? (If less than 3 months, please also indicate prior.)

Professor of Biological Sciences,
Florida International University,
21 years.

Have you ever served/or now serve on a City Board or Committee? Which one(s)? and when? Also, please note any other civic and community involvement.

Mayor, 4 years
CRA Chair, 4 years
Green Corridor PACE Board, member
Citizens Allied for Safe Energy, co-founder
Sierra Club – Florida State Lobbying Committee, member
CLEO Institute – instructor in climate communicator’s course

What interests you about running for office? (max 50 words)?

I value the opportunity to apply the strong ethical values of my family and university to municipal service, working to protect fair treatment of citizens and to keep corruption from creeping back into South Miami government. Serving as mayor lets me benefit our community by bringing thoughtful and knowledgeable people together to move the city forward.

What are the top three things you will focus on if elected that would help improve the lives of South Miami residents? (max 75 words)

1. Improving our streets for pedestrians and bicyclists. We will continue with traffic calming traffic calming projects, the Citywide Greenways project, and the 80th Street sidewalk will improve neighborhood quality for residents throughout the city.

2. Innovative community policing programs developed in collaboration with the John Jay School of Criminal Justice will make the city safer for all our residents and keep our youth on the right track.

3. I will continue to fight FPL’s plan to force massive high-voltage transmission lines through the heart of South Miami.

How do you believe the city can help local business and job development in our retail/restaurant district, TODD and our commercial zones? (max 100 words)

The city should promote a new hotel and a downtown park, and work with the County to develop the Metro Station property into a municipal asset with a bridge connection to the downtown. We should support the creation of a Business Improvement District in our downtown. We can improve commercial parking by restoring the shared parking ordinance and using smartphone technology to direct drivers to vacant parking. We should create virtual kiosk apps that point visitors to current information and promotions by South Miami merchants. We must continue to support public street events that bring visitors and business patrons into our city.

What would you do to help improve the City’s image, promote South Miami and promote civic and community events that will benefit residents? (max 100 words)

The new city logo and street signs will reinforce the public identity the city, while our new pool will join our Community Center as place that brings our families together. Civic engagement is enhanced through civil conduct in the Commission chamber – I set an example of fair and respectful conduct toward city staff, citizens, and business owners. My engagement of important issues such as climate change, illegal guns, and nuclear safety continue to raise South Miami’s profile locally, nationally, and internationally through strong public relations with the local, national, and international press, and through appearances on public radio.


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