Michelle Spence-Jones To Be Sworn In Thursday
MIAMI (CBS4) - Embattled City of Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones will officially return to her District 5 post Thursday at her swearing in ceremony.
The ceremony will begin at noon at the Black Box Theater at Charles Hadley Park and will be conducted by Attorney Peter Raben, who will administer the oath. The event is free and open to the public.
The event caps off what has been a tumultuous two years for the commissioner, who was suspended from office in 2009 following allegations of grand theft and corruption.
Earlier this year, Spence-Jones was acquitted at trial on charges that she had solicited a $25,000 bribe from a prominent developer. Five months after the acquittal, unrelated grand theft charges were dropped against her.
Due to Spence-Jones' reinstatement, Commissioner Richard Dunn, who was elected to fill her seat, is now ousted. Spence-Jones is entitled to back pay and benefits for the time she was suspended, according to the City of Miami charter.
After Thursday's swearing it, Spence-Jones will return to the commission chambers for a meeting on September 15.
Speaking with CBS4's Jawan Strader after her grand theft charges were dropped last month, Spence-Jones admitted she has a lot of work ahead of her, including a rash of police involved shootings in her district, and deciding the fate of recently suspended Miami Police Chief Miguel Exposito.
