Kendrick Meek takes time for Haiti; Rivals for his seat take time to debate

The Miami Democrat -- who represents more Haitian Americans than any other member of Congress -- will be at the UN today for today's Haiti donor conference.

"Today’s meeting is nothing short of a concrete pledge that the international community stands with the Haitian people and is committed to helping our neighbor get back on its feet and come back stronger than ever,” Meek said.

The conference will reunite Meek with one of his biggest boosters: former president Bill Clinton, the UN Special Envoy to Haiti. Also at the one-day event: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Haiti President René Préval. The goal of the conference is to bring together international donors to help rebuild the earthquake shattered country.

The conference comes as the contenders for Meek's congressional seat meet in Miami for a South Florida AFL-CIO-sponsored debate at the PipeFitters hall in Opa-Locka.