Ryan Nicol
With Coral Springs City Commissioner Dan Daley setting his sights on the Florida Legislature, attorney and human rights advocate Khurrum Wahid is filing to take his place on the City Commission.
Wahid elected to file Tuesday at City Hall with a news conference planned shortly thereafter.
“I am running because I have always worked to champion individual rights, fight for the little guy, and advance the cause of the average citizen,” said Wahid in a statement announcing his run for Seat 2.
“Speaking for those who do not have a voice is what I have done for the past two decades in the courtroom and through the causes I support. In a time of great political division, I want to bring people together through common sense, community focused leadership here in the Coral Springs City Commission.”
Wahid is a partner at Wahid Vizcaino LLP, which specializes in family law, white collar criminal defense and corporate litigation. He is also the chair of EmgageUSA Foundation and Emgage Action, a pair of organizations aimed at increasing the political activity of Muslim-Americans.
That group was one of several which condemned Hallandale Beach Commissioner Anabelle Lima-Taub over recent controversial comments. Lima-Taub said she wouldn’t put it past U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who is Muslim, to become a martyr and “blow up Capitol Hill.”
Wahid also authored an op-ed last year in the aftermath of the attack in Parkland which killed 17 people, calling for legislation to help curb mass shootings.
“We all have the same hopes for our city; we want our community to be safe, we want taxes to be reasonable and city budgets managed correctly, and we want our leadership to be intentional about working hard for all of our friends, families, and neighbors,” Wahid said on his run for the City Commission.
“I intend to work hard to earn the votes of Coral Springs residents, and if elected, I will be dedicated to serving the needs of the strong and diverse community that make this city so amazing.”
A Coral Springs resident for eight years, Wahid lives in the area with his wife and two daughters. A date for the Seat 2 election has not yet been scheduled, but several candidates are expected to contest the seat. Wahid says he plans to host a campaign kickoff event in the coming weeks, though details are still being finalized.
“I am devoted to doing the work needed to make sure that we can continue to be a leader in South Florida,” Wahid added.
“I am no stranger to working hard. I want to focus on working for you, my neighbors here in Coral Springs.”
