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to organize the Black community on improving the city. In 1964, his first run for the City
Commission received national attention although he lost receiving little white support. In January 1972, Tresvant was nominated by commissioner Bert T. Goodson to fill a vacancy on the City Commission and unanimously appointed due to his record of civic involvement and the commission's desire to have minority representation. His appointment followed on riots that occurred in 1971 after a white police officer shot a black man. At the time, Opa-locka was roughly 35-40% Black and there was no district
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inheriting a department where only 3 out of 28 officers were Black. During his administration, he was able to secure more police protection for Black neighborhoods, appointed more Blacks into city government, and developed infrastructure. In the April 1976 general election, Candido
Giardino was elected as mayor (Tresvant was unable to run due to his remaining two-year term on the City Commission).
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elections to the 5-member City
Commission are held every two years; the top two vote getters are elected to 4-year terms with the first serving a 2-year term as mayor and then a 2-year term as commissioner; the second serving a 2-year term as deputy mayor and then a 2-year term as commissioner; and the third vote-getter serving a 2-year term as commissioner).
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neighborhood of Miami where he was raised by his aunt and grandmother. He attended
Liberty City Elementary School and is a graduate of D.A. Dorsey Senior High School. After school he ran his own upholstery business before getting involved in politics. In 1956, he established the Opa-locka Civic Club
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The two candidates for mayor wound up in a dead heat for the office, tied at 819 votes apiece. Nobody claimed fraud, nobody demanded a recount; the impending mayors just decided to split the term. Kenton Wells, who is white, will be mayor the first year; Albert
Tresvant, who is black, will be mayor
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In the 1974 election, Tresvant tied for first place with Kenton Wells; they decided to split the two-year mayoral term with Wells serving the first year and
Tresvant's term beginning in 1975. Both men would serve as city commissioner during the other's mayor ship. He was sworn in on April 18, 1975.
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with the largest vote-getter becoming mayor. In April 1972, after serving the 3 months of his predecessor's term, Tresvant won a seat on the City
Commission finishing third (656 votes) after Ronald Pierson (831 votes) and Lawrence Bowers (672 votes). His term was for two years (In Opa-Locka,
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over corruption allegations. In July 1977, he was found guilty of conspiracy, soliciting bribes and accepting unlawful compensation in connection with a city building contract along with then mayor
Candido Giardino (the Rev. Willie R. Young was elected mayor in April 1978); the sentence was
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Upon becoming mayor, he inherited a tense situation as riots had occurred during Well's term which
Tresvant blamed on Dade county for repeatedly rejecting Opa-locka's requests for additional funds to provide better housing and drug programs. He also worked to hire more Black police officers
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Wells and
Tresvant tied in the election for mayor of Opa-locka, so they decided that each of them would serve half the two-year term. Wells will serve the first year
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after one juror failed to disclose a past criminal conviction and another juror complained that Tresvant had followed her into the parking lot during the trial. The
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Former Opa-locka city commissioner Albert Tresvant Sr. failed to show up for sentencing on his bribery conviction today and Circuit Court Judge
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493:"Solomon Solution Graces Opalocka - HON. WILLIAM LEHMAN OF FLORIDA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES"
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He was married to Virginia Wilkinson; they had five daughters and a son. He died on July 25, 2004.
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the second. Meanwhile both will be city com- missioners when they are not mayor
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429:"First Black is Elected in Opa-locka; Pierson, Bowers, Tresvant Lead Vote"
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American politician who served as mayor of Opa-Locka, Florida
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In June 1977, he was suspended as commissioner by Governor
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overturned and a new trial ordered by Circuit Court Judge
630:"Judge issues arrest order for former Opa-locka official"
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Oral History Project - The Dr. James Button project
679:"Services Set For Virginia Tresvant of Opa-locka"
409:"2 Untie Opa-locka Election - Split Mayor's Term"
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192:as City Commissioners in Opa-locka were elected
450:"Five Seek Three Seats in Opa-Locaka Election"
385:"Opa-locka Riot Spurred Tresvant to Make Race"
566:"Opa-locka Vice Mayor Seeks Manager's Ouster"
364:"Opa-Locka Gets Its First Black Commissioner"
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543:Saunders, Sterling (August 26, 2009).
501:United States House of Representatives
448:Barger Jr., Fred J. (April 21, 1970).
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564:Grossman, Cathy Lynn (June 7, 1977).
521:"Opa-locka Orders Probe Into Rioting"
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167:and first African-American mayor in
46:April 18, 1975 – April 1976
677:Beatty, Robert (January 27, 2012).
658:"Opa-locka Official Gets New Trial"
607:"Tresvant Guily of Receiving Bribe"
586:"Two Opa-locka Officials Suspended"
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725:African-American mayors in Florida
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505:. April 22, 1974. p. 11233.
313:Daniel, Trenton (July 27, 2004).
256:"Interviewee: Albert W. Tresvant"
87:January 1972 – June 1977
362:Sink, Steve (January 29, 1972).
341:Brecher, John (April 17, 1975).
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656:Buchanan, Jim (July 23, 1977).
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383:Gjebre, Bill (April 18, 1974).
735:People from Brunswick, Georgia
730:People from Opa-locka, Florida
605:Buchanan, Jim (July 9, 1977).
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407:Maeder, Jay (April 18, 1974).
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219:Third District Court of Appeal
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715:Mayors of places in Florida
315:"First Black Mayor in Dade"
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34:Mayor of Opa-Locka, Florida
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343:"Mayor Maps New Opa-Locka"
163:commissioner and mayor of
545:"First Lady of Opa-locka"
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475:Dixon Evening Telegraph
470:"Two mayors; one town"
265:. September 16, 1975.
120:July 25, 2004 (age 78)
261:University of Florida
179:Tresvant was born in
529:. December 17, 1974.
503:Congressional Record
684:South Florida Times
638:. August 23, 1978.
478:. April 20, 1974.
181:Brunswick, Georgia
165:Opa-Locka, Florida
138:Virginia Wilkinson
111:Brunswick, Georgia
75:Opa-locka, Florida
720:Florida Democrats
437:. April 19, 1972.
434:The Miami Herald
280:"Albert Tresvant"
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267:I am 49 now...
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283:. Retrieved
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185:Liberty City
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62:Succeeded by
56:Kenton Wells
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710:2004 deaths
705:1926 births
210:Rubin Askew
169:Dade County
52:Preceded by
699:Categories
233:References
129:Democratic
175:Biography
83:In office
42:In office
194:at-large
143:Children
135:Spouse
496:(PDF)
287:2021
117:Died
101:Born
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