Michael A. Hepburn is a product of the city he now wants to lead.
Born and raised in Miami, Hepburn, 42, was molded into an activist and advocate by his community, and seeks to give back to the place he calls home as a public servant.
“We have the power to make a difference if we choose to. I think a lot of people forget that until we remind them,” said Hepburn.
Hepburn aims to revitalize Miami politics with his candidacy for the city's 44th mayor in this November's municipal election, an already crowded five-candidate race. If elected, he would make history as Miami's first Black mayor.
Empowering voters
Hepburn’s plan for office includes tackling political corruption in Miami by enforcing transparency.
One of his key proposals is a public financing program where every registered voter will be given $20 worth of “democracy dollars” to vote for their candidate of choice, aiming to shift campaign finance power away from lobbyists and special interests.
He also proposes giving residents a direct say in allocating part of the city’s budget and making all government calendars public to increase transparency on official meetings.
"Residents will literally be able to decide how to spend a portion of that budget to directly facilitate the services that they need in their communities," said Hepburn.
He also plans to draft and introduce an affordable housing master plan that he says will expand workforce housing, lower property taxes to a 60-year low, and preserve aging affordable units.
Though the mayor of Miami lacks direct voting power on the commission to put these changes into law, Hepburn aims to appoint a new city manager in lockstep with his platform to effectively enact his vision.
“This movement that we're pushing forward – it's not just me. I need help. I need other commissioners that believe in the things that we're talking about in order to actually bring in a new day,” he said.
A ‘fierce urgency’
Hepburn credits his family for laying the foundation of his service-driven outlook. His mother worked part-time in the Miami Art Museum, and both his father and grandfather served in the military.
Growing up in Little Haiti in the early ‘80s, however, he witnessed firsthand the harsh realities of economic hardship and street violence.
Hepburn vividly remembers a chilling moment from his childhood when he saw a car pull up to a phone booth near his apartment complex. Without warning, the occupants opened fire, killing the man inside the booth. Hepburn was only in the fourth grade.
“You definitely start understanding early that, one, I hope everybody doesn’t live this way, and if they do, we collectively have to come together to make this better, because no one is coming into these neighborhoods to save us,” said Hepburn.
Living in an impoverished community instilled in Hepburn a drive that pushed him to engage in school and community activities.
In high school, Hepburn set his sights on the Miami Herald Silver Knight Award, which recognizes outstanding students. After four years of dedication, including revitalizing his childhood park, he earned the prestigious award and brought it back to Miami Central High, where he was a senior.
“You know that ‘fierce urgency of now’ that Martin Luther King used to talk about? I felt that early,” said Hepburn. “I didn’t necessarily know if I was going to make it to 20 years old. I grew up with that type of urgency.”
Diving into politics
After graduating in 2001, he enrolled in Florida International University and became vice president of the student government association. It was his first foray into politics and public service, introducing him to everything from working with constituents on projects to drafting and advocating for laws.
Instead of pursuing a career in public policy after graduating from FIU in 2008, Hepburn took to a career as an executive, spending the next 12 years working with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and major organizations like the NFL and Miami Heat.
He remained an advocate for the communities he lived in throughout, but in 2017, Hepburn decided to step into the world of local elections for the first time.
“I was at a place in my life where I just felt it was time for us to stop defending democracy and actually fix it,” said Hepburn. “That was the first time I actually started thinking how I can be impactful on a federal level, but also use that momentum to attack issues on a local level.”
In 2018, he entered the race for Florida's 27th congressional district but failed to gain traction among the many contenders. He later ran to represent District 5 in the City of Miami commission in 2021, but attributed his loss to the challenges of connecting with voters during the COVID-19 pandemic. He came out in third place with 9% of the vote, losing to the current Commissioner and Chairwoman Christine King.
A grassroots campaign
Now running for mayor of Miami, Hepburn is taking the lessons learned from his years of campaigning and incorporating them into a new strategy, one focused on forging stronger connections with Miami voters.
“Without giving out our plan, I have a pathway to the votes I need because of the people I currently talk to, the people I previously talked to, and the people that I’m reaching out to,” Hepburn said. “That’s how you stay competitive.”
Hepburn has pledged to not accept any special-interest funds, and assures that the over $100,000 the Hepburn For Mayor campaign has accrued thus far come from his own savings amassed over the four years since his previous bid for office.
He aims to mobilize young voters and members of the Black community who have historically been underrepresented in Miami's mayoral races.
Using positive word of mouth as his currency, Hepburn plans to turn grassroots support into financial backing, offering voters an alternative to recurring figures like Mayor Francis Suarez and Commissioner Joe Carollo on the ballot.
“I don’t have to do it the same way my opponents, like Ken Russell, do it. It gives me some affordability to show I’m the only real reform candidate in this race,” said Hepburn.
Hepburn is running against Ijamyn Joseph Gray, who runs a youth empowerment program known as Encouraging Dreamers; Maxwell Martinez, a former candidate for Miami Board of Commissioners and mayor, and the founder of a digital marketing and app development company; former District 2 Commissioner Ken Russell; and real estate professional June Savage. The election is scheduled for Nov. 4, with a runoff on Dec. 9.
This story was produced by The Miami Times, one of the oldest Black-owned newspapers in the country, as part of a content sharing partnership with the WLRN newsroom. Read more at miamitimesonline.com.
