Pastor Eric Readon Seeking to service the community

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA, USA, February 2, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Pastor Readon considers running for mayor for the outcome not the income.

Seeking to service the community with drawing a salary


Miami Gardens, FL --

When Reverend Dr. W. Edward Mitchell, Jr. of Zion Hope Missionary Baptist Church of Miami Inc. heard the good news he gave a shout of praise.

The good news was that his friend and colleague, Pastor Eric Readon, was considering running for Mayor.

“I like it. That’s great,” said Mitchell. “That is going to pull all the churches together. All the preachers are going to line up with him. He has a strong pillar to mount his campaign on. ”

Readon, who pastors the New Missionary Baptist Church, has been busy this past year. He has had to save his church from bankruptcy, expand his congregation and combat false reports which attacked his character and reputation.

In each of these endeavors, Readon has been successful.


“I’m not scared of a challenge,” said Readon. “I am floating the idea of running for Mayor of Miami Gardens.”

The local pastor has been fighting back against a campaign of false reports designed to attack him for standing up for the community.

But slowly, he is redeeming his good name with a series of personal ads to tell his side of the story which news agencies have neglected.

If Readon runs, he plans to fund his own campaign to the tune of
$500,000 through a small group of wealthy supporters.

If elected, Readon will forgo his salary and give it to families in need in the community. The annual salary for Miami Gardens mayor is $45,479.

“I would go door-to-door doing my best to help the people who need it,” said Readon. “That would include helping people during the holidays or paying their utility bills.”




Readon says he will reach out in a grassroots campaign to the voices of those rarely heard in the community. The young, poor and disaffected residents.

Miami Gardens incumbent mayor Oliver Gilbert is term limited and hence cannot seek re-election to the seat. Earlier this year, Gilbert announced his intentions to replace Barbara Jordan as the District 1 commissioner for Miami Dade County. The competition for the seat increased when Sybrina Fulton, the mother of shooting victim, Trayvon Martin, entered the race in May.

Miami Gardens is the largest city in District 1.

State Senator Oscar Braynon II has announced his intention to return to city politics as well.

“I’m ready to come home,” said Braynon in an interview with FloridaPolitics.com. Braynon won his first election to the Miami Gardens City Council in 2003.

Readon, who has been convicted of a felony in his youth, is taking advantage of the Amendment 4 which allows ex-felons the right to vote.

“Why not run for office too,” says Readon.

Readon said his experiences with the criminal justice system and his reformed life as a pastor will make him more creative in addressing crime in Miami Gardens.

“He is a Biblical scholar,” said Reverend Mitchell. “His comprehension of the scriptures is far greater than many of the PhDs in the region. His father drilled that knowledge into him when he was young.”

“Whether he has a checkered past or not, said Rev. Mitchell. “I have nothing to say bad about him. How many of us don’t have one. We will have to support him.”

Mitchell is not alone in this sentiment. Readon said that in private conversations, Dr. Rev. C.P. Preston, pastor of Peaceful Zion Missionary Baptist Church and state president of Florida’s largest Black convention, said he would certainly support Readon.


Charles Readon, 57, grew up with his brother in Miami Gardens. He has seen his younger brother’s bad times and good.

“My brother is a people’s person,” said Charles Readon, who is now a retired law enforcement officer. “I think he has the charisma to draw the people.”

“I see alot of the people when they get in office they lose touch with the people. But he has a lot of real life experience. He knows the struggles of everyday life and won’t forget where he came from.”

“I think that he would do good for the community,” said Charles Readon.


--
K. Barrett Bilali
Independent Journalist

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