Alex Penelas
| Alex Penelas | |
|---|---|
| 5th Mayor of Miami-Dade County | |
|
In office October 1, 1996 – November 6, 2004 |
|
| Preceded by | Stephen P. Clark |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Alvarez |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 18, 1961 Miami, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Lilliam |
| Children | William Christopher |
| Alma mater |
St. Thomas University (A.B.) University of Miami (J.D.) |
| Profession | Lawyer Politician |
Alexander "Alex" Penelas (born December 18, 1961 in Miami, Florida) is the former mayor of Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Penelas, an American of Cuban descent, attended college at St. Thomas University. In 1985, he received his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law, where he graduated cum laude and was inducted into the university's prestigious Iron Arrow Honor Society.
Penelas and his wife, Lilliam, have two sons, William and Christopher and a daughter Alexandra.
Penelas served on the city council of Hialeah, Florida from 1987 to 1990. In 1990, he became the youngest county commissioner in Dade County history. On October 1, 1996, Penelas became the first Executive Mayor of Dade County (which was renamed Miami-Dade County in 1997). Unlike the majority of Cuban American leaders in Florida, Penelas is a member of the Democratic Party.
In 1999, People Magazine named Penelas as "America's sexiest politician."
During the Elián González controversy in 2000, Penelas vowed that he would do nothing to assist the Clinton administration and federal authorities in their bid to return the six-year-old boy to Cuba.
Later, presumably in retaliation for the Clinton administration's handling of the Elian Gonzalez matter, Penelas refused to campaign alongside Al Gore during Gore's 2000 presidential bid, and made no comments during the controversy over Miami-Dade County's ballots in the aftermath of the election.
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Wikipedia