Mayor Masters - Biography
Mayor Thomas A. Masters represents the entire city as a non-voting member of the Riviera Beach City Council, and came to office in April 2007. He was re-elected in April 2009 and again in April 2011. His term ends March 2013.
Mayor Masters came to his City role following more than 20 years of activism in the City, County and nation, battling crime and violence, pushing juvenile justice issues, working to feed the poor, helping young people and ex-felons find jobs. He has led community clean-ups, and met with the Pope.
This activism is long-lived, and started with his religious faith. Formerly known as the "Wonder Boy Preacher," the Rev. Thomas Masters began preaching at age four, was a licensed minister at age 9 and was ordained at age 12.
He was born and raised in Pasadena, Calif., and attended California State University, Moody Bible Institute and Kansas City Baptist College. He came to Riviera Beach in 1987 to serve as senior pastor of New Macedonia Baptist Church, a post he still holds. He became bishop of his church in 2000.
As Mayor, Thomas Masters likes to say, he has been able to "turn advocacy into policy."
To that end, he led the successful effort to create a teen curfew in the city, which has resulted in no young person under age 18 being killed since it was instituted. He won overwhelming passage of a referendum to outlaw the wearing of saggy pants in the city. Internationally, he organized the collection of 28,000 pounds of food for Haiti following the 2008 (ck) hurricane and a planeload of medical supplies, doctors and nurses for the stricken island following the 2010 earthquake. He also has begun formation of a sister-city relationship with Freeport, Bahama.
Mayor Masters has empowered residents to fight crime in their neighborhoods, continues to regularly sponsor job fairs, obtained college scholarships for City students and brought local health care experts together to brainstorm on ways to fight health and lifestyle issues.
He is the City’s liaison to the Riviera Beach Education Advisory Board, and a member of both the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Conference of Black Mayors.
Mayor Masters is a father of three.
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Contact Information: .
600 W. Blue Heron Boulevard, Riviera Beach, FL 33404
Email: mayormasters@rivierabch.com
Office: 561-845-4145
Fax: 561-863-3236
Legislative Assistant Debra LeBlanc-Isaacs, 561-845-4095
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