Palmetto Bay Mayor Karyn Cunningham believes that everyone has tipping points in life, occasions when enough factors are in play to spur positive change. For her, that moment came after 18 years teaching, when a change in leadership in the United Teachers of Dade prompted her to seek a job with the county education union.
That, she said, was where her interest in politics took root. The Miami-Dade native and longtime village resident traveled throughout the county and to Tallahassee, where her advocacy work saw her meet with legislators and local mayors.
But at home, attending meetings and speaking with other residents, she said she wasn’t hearing the conversations she thought were important to have. She aimed to change that.
