Hialeah mayor pushes to hold off filling council vacancy until Pacheco trial ends

Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald on Jan 13, 2026

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MIAMI — Hialeah has begun a new chapter with a fresh City Council and a new mayor, bringing a sense of hope to many residents after years of political scandals at City Hall. But with one seat now vacant, Mayor Bryan Calvo faces an early challenge as he works to secure a governing majority.

Former Councilman Jesus Tundidor, who ran in the November mayoral election, resigned his Group 2 council seat effective Monday. Calvo, who ran without a political slate, won the mayoral race with 52% of the vote, a 30-point margin over Tundidor. He has already secured the support of three of the six remaining council members, though one of those seats could be at risk if a former council member returns to office.

Calvo said he will propose that the council postpone the appointment to fill Tundidor’s vacant seat for 30 days—the maximum time Hialeah’s charter allows—due to the start of the criminal jury trial former Councilwoman Angelica Pacheco faces, scheduled to begin Jan. 26.

Gov. Ron DeSantis removed Pacheco from office in June 2024 after she was indicted on federal healthcare fraud charges days before. Her seat was initially filed by the appointment of Melinda De La Vega in 2024 as an interim council member, but in the November 2025 elections De La Vega instead ran for a different seat under the expectation that Pacheco might be acquitted.

William “Willy” Marrero ran for Pacheco’s seat and won the runoff on Dec. 9, following an endorsement from Calvo. The term for the seat runs through 2027. If Pacheco is acquitted and returns to office, Marrero would lose his seat on the council.

“If she is acquitted or the charges are dropped, and she returns to her position, that would affect Marrero,” Calvo said. “He would be out, even though he was elected. In that scenario, the most logical solution would be to appoint Marrero to [Tundidor’s] vacant seat.” Hialeah elects its council members at large, meaning all candidates run citywide.

Six candidates have filed for the vacant seat left by Tundidor. The qualification process opened on Dec. 3 and closed on Jan. 5, before Calvo was sworn in—a process he had promised to reopen. Four of the candidates appeared on the November ballot, one previously applied for an interim position, and the remaining candidate, an independent, has an unclear political background in a city where being Republican is almost essential to run for office.

Pacheco was elected in 2023 to Seat 4 after defeating incumbent Vivian Casals-Muñoz, who was backed by the city’s political establishment, including then-Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo. Calvo, a councilman at the time, supported Pacheco.

Hialeah’s City Council has seven seats, making control of a majority essential for any mayor. Last year, the council deadlocked on several issues—from appointments to financial decisions, including the city budget—when interim Mayor Jacqueline Garcia-Roves was unable to cast a tie-breaking vote during her short term. Calvo’s agenda is ambitious, and having a cooperative council will be crucial for advancing his plans.

Calvo, a longtime advocate for holding elections rather than making appointments to fill vacant seats, said he has not ruled out calling a special election. As a council member, he previously pushed for an election to fill Pacheco’s seat—and even sought one for his own seat when he left the council to unsuccessfully run for Miami-Dade tax collector in 2024.

“If an election is chosen, when would it have to be held?” Calvo asked. “If it must happen in the first few months of the year and cost half a million dollars, that’s one scenario. But if it can be postponed until the regular election cycle, that could also be considered—which would obviously be the most democratic option.”