Candidate Jill Lerner, Pinecrest Council Seat 4

Jill Lerner, a lifelong Pinecrest resident and event production manager, is running for Village Council Seat 4, the council’s at-large seat, on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot. She faces incumbent Vice Mayor Ken Fairman and Ramon Gonzalez Diez, according to the official Pinecrest sample ballot. The race is nonpartisan. It shares the ballot with a two-way contest for Council Seat 3. The mayor’s office is already settled: Shannon del Prado drew no opponent and was automatically elected under the village charter, so her name will not appear on the ballot.

At a Glance

Office: Village of Pinecrest Councilmember, Seat 4 (listed by the Village Clerk as the At-Large Seat)
Area covered: The whole Village of Pinecrest; at-large members may live anywhere in the village
Incumbent: No
Opponents on the ballot: Ken Fairman (vice mayor, incumbent), Ramon Gonzalez Diez
Ballot number: 198
Campaign website: jillforpinecrest.com

Background

Lerner’s campaign website says she was born and raised in Pinecrest, attended Pinecrest Elementary, Palmetto Middle School and Palmetto High School, and earned a degree from Florida International University. A profile in Miami’s Community News, published Oct. 2, 2026, reported that she is 43 and that her FIU degree, earned in 2006, is in hospitality management. She and her husband, Frederik, are raising three children who attend local public schools.

Her career has been in hospitality and event production. According to her campaign site, she has spent the past 14 years as a food and beverage event production manager with the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. The Community News profile says she previously ran large restaurant operations with staffs in the hundreds.

Her community résumé is largely school-based. Her campaign site says she has served as a room parent, founded and led a school safety committee of more than 100 volunteers, chaired school initiatives and served on the Palmetto Elementary Performing Arts Board. The Community News profile adds that she runs a Facebook community group of more than 14,000 members, has helped with the Voices for Children holiday drive for foster children, and attended council meetings for about two years before deciding to run.

Lerner is the daughter of Cindy Lerner, a former Pinecrest mayor and former state representative, as noted by Political Cortadito and Florida Politics.

In Their Own Words

Lerner answered three questions in the Miami Herald’s candidate guide, published Sept. 24, 2026. On why she is running:

“Residents want responsible spending, transparency and to be heard before major decisions. I’m running to strengthen communication and ensure council listens before leading.”

Jill Lerner, Miami Herald candidate guide, Sept. 24, 2026

On the most pressing issue facing Pinecrest:

“Amendment 3’s impact. Pinecrest projects $4.45 million in reduced revenue within two years if passed.”

Jill Lerner, Miami Herald candidate guide, Sept. 24, 2026

On taxes, from her campaign website:

“I oppose raising Pinecrest’s millage rate above the current rate of 2.5.”

Jill Lerner, campaign website

And on her reason for running:

“For me, this campaign is not about politics. It is about service.”

Jill Lerner, campaign website

Where She Stands on the Issues

Taxes and spending

Lerner’s campaign site calls affordability, beginning with property taxes, “the most important issue in this election.” She says she would push for a “line-by-line review” of village spending, more transparency in the budget process and a commitment against unnecessary tax increases. If statewide property-tax changes reduce local revenue, her site argues, the village should respond by tightening the budget rather than “automatically” raising local taxes.

In the Herald questionnaire, she said she “stepped up when the millage rate increased to fund capital projects and additional debt,” and argued that the council kept major projects in the budget that require issuing more bonds despite the projected revenue loss from Amendment 3. She said the village must evaluate major expenditures and protect essential services. (For context, the council adopted a rate of 2.503 mills for fiscal 2026-27 on Sept. 22, which the village described as unchanged from the prior year.)

Communication with residents

She says residents should not be surprised by major budget, tax, development or policy decisions, and pledges earlier public engagement and clearer communication from Village Hall. The Community News profile reported she has suggested town halls and advisory committees as ways to involve residents sooner.

Schools, safety and planning

Her site pledges support for schools and families, and calls for careful decisions on growth, infrastructure, traffic, drainage, parks, public safety and environmental preservation. The Community News profile reported she supports an updated Transportation Master Plan to improve traffic flow and more family-oriented events in village parks.

What This Office Does

Pinecrest, incorporated in 1996, is a village of about 18,400 residents (2020 census) covering roughly 7.5 square miles southwest of downtown Miami, according to census-based reference data. It operates under a council-manager form of government.

The Village Council has five members: a mayor, three councilmembers for Seats 1, 2 and 3, who must live in the residential areas those seats represent, and one at-large councilmember who, like the mayor, may live anywhere in the village. The council is the village’s legislative body. It sets policy, adopts the annual budget and property tax rate, and passes local laws, while the mayor presides over meetings. Elections are nonpartisan.

Issues raised in this year’s campaign include traffic, zoning and permitting, parks, policing, public works and peafowl, according to Political Cortadito. Amendment 3 is also a shared concern. A village notice republished by the Pinecrest Tribune said the measure would raise the homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, reduce local government revenue, and first affect the village budget in fiscal year 2027-28.

The Race

Three candidates qualified for Seat 4, according to the Village Clerk:

Ken Fairman, the incumbent vice mayor, elected without opposition in 2022. He co-founded a paving company and has a long record of youth-sports and environmental volunteering. He is campaigning on parks, police and public works, easing permitting, and the budget effects of Amendment 3.
Ramon Gonzalez Diez (listed by the clerk as Ramon Gonzalez-Diez). Florida Politics reported his concerns include the millage rate, congestion and cut-through traffic, public safety, faster building and zoning permits, and greater use of solar power. He had not responded to the Herald’s questionnaire at publication.

Lerner’s campaign site did not list endorsements when reviewed for this profile. Fairman’s site lists endorsements from the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, Miami’s Community News and the Miami Realtors PAC.

Pinecrest’s council seats are decided on the November ballot. The South Dade News Leader’s roundup after the Aug. 18 primary did not include them. If no Seat 4 candidate wins outright on Nov. 3, Pinecrest would hold a runoff on Nov. 17, according to Florida Politics.

How to Vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, and polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters casting a ballot in person on Election Day must go to their assigned precinct.

Early voting: Oct. 19 through Nov. 1, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, at any early voting site in Miami-Dade County, according to the county’s early voting schedule. Nearby sites include the Coral Reef Branch Library and Kendall Branch Library.
Vote by mail: Requests must be received by 5 p.m. on Oct. 22, and completed ballots must reach the Miami-Dade Elections Department by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3, according to the Village of Pinecrest. The South Dade News Leader also reported the Oct. 22 request deadline.
Check your ballot: Sample ballots, precinct lookups and vote-by-mail requests are available from the Miami-Dade County Elections Department.

Community Leadership Alliance is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates. This profile is based on public records, candidate statements and news coverage, including the South Dade News Leader. Candidates who wish to submit corrections may contact us through our Contact page.