Miami names new city attorney after removal of Victoria Méndez
A 30-year veteran of Miami’s legal team will replace Victoria Méndez as city attorney after a tumultuous year that culminated in Méndez’s removal this month.
The Miami City Commission named Deputy City Attorney George Wysong to be Miami’s top lawyer in a 4-1 vote. He was sworn in Thursday afternoon.
Wysong steps into the role following a year of city politics being plagued by controversy, including the arrest of one commissioner on corruption charges, an FBI investigation into the mayor and accusations of a conflict of interest against the city manager, whose wife’s family’s furniture company has sold the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise since 2020.
Wysong has worked in the city since 1994, first as an assistant city attorney and municipal prosecutor, then as a legal adviser for the police department. In May, he was promoted to deputy city attorney, overseeing land use, transactional and general government matters.
“Throughout that time, the city has had challenging issues, so that’s not new to me,” Wysong told the Miami Herald. “I think that whenever there’s a challenge, you have to rise to it, take it face on and hopefully do our best to make things better.”
Commissioner Damian Pardo, who sponsored the resolution to remove Méndez this month, called Wysong “an excellent attorney.”
“The truth is that we’re providing stability for the city of Miami at a pivotal moment where that’s exactly what we need — stability,” Pardo told the Herald.
A selection committee recommended Wysong after interviewing him and one other candidate on Friday.
Commissioner Joe Carollo was the only no vote, saying he felt the city didn’t follow a proper hiring process and that commissioners should have a chance to meet with all of the qualified candidates. He said the commission was effectively giving a “rubber stamp.”
Commissioner Manolo Reyes disagreed, saying the selection committee “was formed to get politics out of it.”
During a brief speech after he was sworn in, Wysong said he plans to work from a place of “fairness, kindness, humility and respect.”
“Let’s get down to business,” Wysong added.
Méndez, who previously escaped an effort to oust her in 2016, faced renewed pushback at the start of the year following the election of Pardo and Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela, who both ran on anti-corruption platforms.
She remains on staff in the city’s legal department until her contract ends in June.
Méndez faces mounting scrutiny over allegations that she used her position to coordinate a houseflipping scheme with her husband. She is being sued over the allegations, and the Florida Bar has also opened an inquiry.
GEORGE WYSONG HAS WORKED IN THE CITY SINCE 1994.