It's not often that one witnesses public servants accused of felonies of one kind or the other getting a second chance at redemption. Last week saw a high-level international public servant, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and a local politician, Michelle Spence-Jones, City of Miami commissioner, exonerated of serious felony charges. Now, both have reasonable second chances of redeeming their personal lives and careers.

Almost two years ago, Spence-Jones was charged with grand theft, accused of misdirecting a $50,000 county grant to her former family business. From the outset of the charges Spence-Jones declared her innocence, and even after being suspended from the City of Miami's District 5 seat she represented, sought and won re-election, only to be suspended again by former Florida Governor Charlie Crist. Shortly after this charge, Spence-Jones was also accused of taking a bribe related to a city project. However, all these charges have been dropped as prosecutors determined they had no real evidence to convict her.

A vast majority of Spence-Jones' African- and Caribbean-American supporters in the low-income, financially depressed areas of District 5, including Overtown, Liberty City, and Little Haiti, were always convinced the various accusations, suspension, and general vilification of Spence-Jones was another witch-hunt against African-American politicians who sought to spearhead District 5's socio-economic recovery. Residents often drew the correlation of Spence-Jones' experience to that of former City of Miami commissioner, the late Arthur Teele Jr., another African-American who Spence-Jones succeeded, and who, although once an icon in Miami's politics, was a target of prosecution by local and state authorities. The accusations, prosecutions, public trial and humiliation led to Teele's fall from power and his suicide.

It is impossible to cast judgment if Spence-Jones and Teele were subjects of any kind of witch-hunt, but it is certainly coincidental and interesting that two African-Americans who strived to improve the economically depressed community were put off their goal by felony accusations. However, be that as it may, Spence-Jones has been given an unusual second chance to continue the work she began when she was originally elected as the first Black woman to represent District 5 in 2005, now that she has been reinstated to the commission by Governor Rick Scott.

One hopes that Spence-Jones' experience has molded her into a stronger, more determined representative of the community. It is also hoped that she uses her experience and the recent cases of corrupt South Florida politicians, who met their demise, to guide her into being more astute on how and with whom she interacts as a commissioner. In an environment where the ethics of public officials are under severe scrutiny, Spence-Jones must be alert to any seeming act of impropriety on her part.

District 5 needs a representative with the drive and personality of a Michelle Spence- Jones. She has shown she understands the plight of the residents of the district, and the residents love, respect and trust her to alleviate the many problems that beset them.

For far too long District 5 has been plagued by promising rehabilitation plans that fail, claims of corruption and political infighting. The district is the core of Black Miami-Dade, and one besieged in the past by racial riots, and for too many years by rampant unemployment, scant business growth, few opportunities for the youth, and today, by a much too high crime rate.

For far too long Liberty City, for example, has conjured images of fear, danger and social negatives. Good, ambitious people live in Liberty City and other areas of District 5, as in other low income South Florida communities, but so often they have placed their hopes in political leaders that turned hope into despair and failure. In the past, many have offered abundant lip service, but little else, to the community; and while others are quick to disparage the residents, few ever seek to implement solutions to the district's problems. Hopefully, Spence-Jones, as part of her redemption, can change this.

She must now strive to fulfill the faith that her constituents have in her. Now that she is back on the Miami City Commission, her focus should be on the prize that has eluded former representatives of that community – its successful socio-economic development.

There will be those who will try to deter her efforts, as they try to focus on more privileged communities that traditionally have voices that draw positive responses from those in authority.

Spence-Jones said she was blessed on learning the charges against her were dropped and she would be reinstated to the city commission. Many are hoping that she will be really blessed to be the Miami leader who leads the ultimate development of one of the city's more depressed communities.