Karyn Cunningham, Mayor, Village of Palmetto Bay

In an interview with Invest:, Karyn Cunningham, mayor of the Village of Palmetto Bay, discussed resident-driven governance, quality-of-life investments, small business support, and mobility challenges. “It has been my sole goal through policy to protect people’s quality of life and protect the investment that they made in their homes,” Cunningham said.

As mayor in a council-manager system, how do you ensure governance remains resident-driven and aligned with community priorities?

The first step is making sure you are connected by actually connecting. You cannot expect people to come to Village Hall or attend nighttime meetings. You have to meet people where they are. Over the course of my 12 years in Palmetto Bay, I have knocked on about 5,500 doors every two years, whether during my own elections or while supporting others. We only have about 8,500 residences, so that is a significant part of the community.

If residents contact me about an issue, I try to physically go to their street corner or their front door. Since we are a council-manager form of government, I do not dictate to staff, and neither do my colleagues on council. We work through policy or through conversations with the manager to determine whether something can be addressed.

Frequent communication is also important. For 13 years, I used Constant Contact to communicate with residents, and I enjoyed writing those updates. It was a way to send information and allow residents to email or call me about what was on their minds. I am also active on social media, though I do not consider it the be-all and end-all of two-way communication. My cell phone number is on the website, and people reach out directly.

I attend every event I can, because events bring people together and create opportunities for residents to approach me. I have also hosted community connection events, including After Hours with Karyn at local coffee shops, as well as open office hours at Village Hall called The Mayor Is In.

What approaches have been most effective in building trust-based relationships with residents?

There is no single form of communication that works for everyone. Everybody receives information differently, which is why I try to use multiple channels.

The least effective approach is expecting people to come to Village Hall. Some days, during open office hours, nobody comes because they know they can call me or speak to me at an event. They may ask whether I will be at the farmers market opening, for example, and then ask if they can talk with me there.

The most effective approach has been door-to-door communication. That is where you get the real temperature of what people are thinking, what worries them the most, and what inspires them. Like any city, we have some unhappy people, and then we have a much larger number of people who are happy but may have one issue they would like fixed. Small cities often have small problems, but they matter deeply to the people experiencing them.

How has your background in education and advocacy shaped your leadership style?

I learned everything I needed to know teaching first grade. I learned how to break up an argument, how to listen for a really long time to a story that may not make sense at first, and how to interact with people who come in with different experiences.

As a first-grade teacher, children arrived with all different types of personal things happening in their lives. You may have 30 children in a classroom, and every one of them woke up differently that morning. I learned to respect that each person’s perspective is different. Something may not seem like the biggest problem to me, but I have to get into the shoes of the resident and understand why it matters.

The second part of my professional career was with United Teachers of Dade, which is the labor organization for teachers, clerical staff, secretaries, and security. My role initially involved recruiting members and later involved helping people when they had problems in the classroom or at the school site. That experience helped me because you have to listen hard to all the angles and then bring in additional information. That is a lot like city government.

What initiatives have been most impactful in improving quality of life in Palmetto Bay?

Public safety, education, and parks have been major priorities. Palmetto Bay has one of the lowest crime rates in Miami-Dade County. Most recently, we brought crime down by more than 30% in the Village. Numbers can change over time, but public safety is one of the reasons people move here.

Education is another reason. We have one of the best public school systems in Miami-Dade County. Every one of our public schools is an A school. In addition to the four public schools within our 8 square miles, we have about 12 other schools, from pre-K through high school. Education is a major priority for families here.

Parks are also central to our quality of life. We have six public parks, and we are working on a seventh park space. Our tagline is Village of Parks, and we invest heavily in public spaces and events because people like to come together.

We recently unveiled and cut the ribbon on a new recreation room at Coral Reef Park, which is probably our most visited park. We are also breaking ground on a new regional veterans park, which represents a major policy and financial investment. In the fall, we expect to cut the ribbon on an indoor pickleball facility with nine courts, which will be the first of its kind in South Dade.

My home is my biggest investment. My husband and I were both schoolteachers when we bought our home, and when we moved in, we felt like we had made it. I have spoken to thousands of people over my 12 years, and many have shared the same feeling. They are proud to live in this beautiful community. It has been my sole goal through policy to protect people’s quality of life and protect the investment that they made in their homes.

How is Palmetto Bay strengthening its local economy while preserving its village character?

Small business is a big deal in Palmetto Bay. We use the term mom-and-pop businesses a lot because many of them truly are family-owned and locally rooted. We have chains and larger restaurants, and we even have a Barnes & Noble, which is a great sign because people here value reading and education. But the mom-and-pop businesses are central to our identity.

We support businesses in several ways. I created a video series called The Mayor Clocks In, where I literally clock in for a short period of time at a local business to highlight what they do. We have provided $5,000 grants for renovations. We also highlight businesses through events in our parks.

For example, we recently held Battle of the Buns, which was a hamburger contest. We had eight participants, including local restaurants and backyard grillers. It was a fun way to bring people together while showcasing local businesses.

We are also involved with the Economic Development Council of South Dade to support business investment. I think businesses stay here because they feel supported and advertised. Some business owners have later moved into the community because of the shorter commute, the schools, and the amenities we provide.

What progress has been made on reducing congestion and improving connectivity?

I am not going to take a victory lap on traffic. When I was first elected as a councilwoman in 2014, I did not hear much about traffic while knocking on doors. About a year later, we began getting calls, and we went out to the street corners to see what was happening. Residential streets had bumper-to-bumper traffic. We later learned that the Waze app was moving drivers through the community and onto residential streets.

At first, we used speed tables and speed humps. Looking back, they may slow traffic, but they do not keep traffic from cutting through Palmetto Bay. More recently, I brought forward an item to implement a 20 mph speed limit on residential streets. On small residential streets, where people are walking dogs, jogging, or exercising, cars need to move slowly.

On Old Cutler Road, the county has installed multiple traffic circles, which has helped to some degree. The county has also implemented bus rapid transit, though I think it has been less impactful so far.

In 2018, I brought an initiative to create a park-and-ride in Palmetto Bay, which the council approved. We now have a park-and-ride where people can park locally and take a van to access rail. We have also implemented four last-mile options through Freebee.

I also believe traffic is connected to development. Palmetto Bay has not been developer-friendly, and I agree with that approach. From my perspective, one way to address traffic is to slow down development. Public transportation still has kinks to work out, and many people are not ready to rely on it. We are in a period where we are trying to figure it all out, but we do not have all the answers yet.