Harvey Ruvin Biography

Harvey Ruvin
County Clerk, Miami-Dade County, Florida

Harvey Ruvin is a graduate Industrial Engineer (University of Florida 1959). He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami Law School, 1962. Mr. Ruvin lives in Miami Beach with his wife, Risa. He has two sons, an adult son Eric and Zachary, a teenager.

He was first elected to public office in 1968 at the age of 30. Serving as Mayor of the City of North Bay Village, he became one of the youngest mayors in Miami-Dade County history. In 1972, Ruvin was elected to the Metro Dade County Commission where he served till 1992, becoming the only person ever to be elected to five consecutive 4-year terms to the Commission.

In 1992, he was elected to the Office of Miami-Dade County Clerk and in 1996 and 2000 was re-elected without opposition. The Office's constitutional responsibilities include interaction with the County's $4 Billion plus budget and financial management, Clerk of the Courts, Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners, Recorder of Deeds, Records Management and much more. The Agency has 1400 employees and a $65 million budget funded mostly from its own revenue collections. The Office serves a myriad of functions and touches all branches of local government.

On National and International Levels
Harvey Ruvin served as the President of the National Association of Counties (NACo) (1987-88). He chaired separate NACo Task Forces on Immigration, Environment and Energy, and the Liability Insurance crisis. NACo is the only national organization representing the interests and acting as a clearing house for the more than 3,000 county governments in America.

Ruvin is a past chairman and current member of the Urban Consortium (UC) of Public Technology, Inc. (PTI). PTI is the technology arm of its parents, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties and the International City/County Management Association. The UC is a coalition of the Nation's 50 largest urban government seeking to apply emerging technologies to local government needs.

In addition to his leadership of America's Counties and the Urban Consortium, Ruvin's service at the NATIONAL (where he has served five Presidents in an advisory capacity) and INTERNATIONAL level has included:

• Member, Intergovernmental Science Engineering and Technology Advisory Panel to Office of Science Advisor to the President (Presidents Ford and Carter, 1975-80).
• Member, President's Council on Energy Efficiency, as well as Vice Chairman of Local Government Energy Policy Advisory Committee (President Carter, 1977-80).
• Served a four-year term on the prestigious Advisory Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR). He chaired the ACIR Research committee. (Presidents Reagan and Bush, 1987-91).
• Served as a member of the President Clinton 1988-91 Sustainable Communities Task Force of the President's Council On Sustainable Development (PCSD).
• Member, Board of Directors of the National Association of Counties (1983-present).
• Member, Board of Directors of National Association of Regional Councils (1973-1978).
• Member, Board of Directors of the Community Associations Institute (1978-1982).
• Vice Chairman of National Immigration Forum (1980-1984).
• Delegate to the United Nations World Congress for a Sustainable Future, representing America's Counties at this first-ever international effort to coordinate local governments' environmental initiatives (1990).
• Was the sole spokesperson representing Local Governments World-wide to address the Prep-Com of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in March of 1992.
• Served as Vice-President of the North American section and as a member of the prestigious World EXCOM of the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA), an appointment made jointly by the US Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties and the Canadian Municipal League.
• Served as chair of final communiqué session of the Second Municipal Summit on Climate Control in Berlin (March 1995) which produced the most comprehensive participating statement by local leaders to date on full range of climate change and equity issues.
• Member, Board of Directors of the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks, Board of Directors (NACRC). This is the governing body which oversees the organization's efforts to promote the exchange of ideas for the professional management of county recording, clerk and information management functions.
• Vice Chairman, Executive Committee of ICLEI which is the 15 member governing body of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). ICLEI is membered by 600 local governments from all over the planet, seeking pro-active ways to combat global environmental and sustainability concerns. He serves as President of USA - ICLEI. Inc. - the corporate entity operating the organization's efforts in America.

ICLEI has been designated to represent local government at all United Nations' meetings dealing with the environment and sustainability.