The Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce’s candidate forum drew a standing-room only crowd Tuesday night at Arts Garage. One candidate got right to the point.
Jim Chard, who is running for Seat 1 on the city commission, said, “This is where the real debate is taking place.” He was referring to the counterprogramming that had drawn five of the nine candidates to an event organized by allies of Mayor Shelly Petrolia.
During his time, Commissioner Ryan Boylston, who is running to succeed Petrolia, said, “I don’t know what that other event is.” Those were the only direct references, but indirect comments popped up regularly about the decision to snub what had been a mandatory event for serious candidates.
“The spirit of collaboration has been missing,” said Seat 3 candidate Nicholas Coppola. It was a common theme. All four, however, took pains to note that they were referring to the time before the current commission was seated last March.
In that election, Angela Burns and Rob Long defeated two Petrolia-backed candidates, leading to what the four chamber attendees called a return to the cooperative approach that enabled Delray Beach’s revival three decades ago. This time, Petrolia is supporting Tom Carney against Boylston and former Commissioner Shirley Johnson, Thomas Markert against Chard and Tennille DeCoste and Juli Casale against Anneze Barthelemy and Nicholas Coppola.
Carney, Johnson, Markert, Casale and Barthelemy went to the Petrolia event, moderated by a former daytime talk-show host whose bits included the “Wheel of Torture.” Guests would be strapped to a spinning wheel while relatives poured slime on them as supposed revenge out of family disputes.
Though the defections shortened the scheduled three-hour chamber forum by about 90 minutes, it might have been addition by subtraction. The audience got to hear thoughts about important issues—education, housing, economic development—and, in the Seat 1 race, to hear contrasting themes.
Chard presented himself as the best candidate based on Delray Beach experience—service on the city commission and historic preservation board, plus lots of community work. DeCoste cited her 22 years working in local government, including a stint at Delray Beach’s human resources director.
Chard showed more specific knowledge of current Delray Beach issues. He pointed out that between 91 percent and 95 percent of students in the city’s public schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Helping them “is our problem,” not that of the school district.
DeCoste discussed policy but also struck a personal note. “I owe Delray Beach my life,” she said, saying that she “hid out” in the city to escape domestic violence. DeCoste added that her son survived the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School.
With Barthelemy and Casale absent, Coppola had the evening to himself. He stressed his service as president of the code enforcement board—“a job I hope to resign from on March 20,” the day after the election—and on his homeowners’ association. The retired electrical contractor also is chairman of Lake Worth Beach’s Compass Community Center, which provides services in a “safe space” to LGBTQ residents.
Boylston ended the forum by noting that no other candidate in Delray Beach ever has served on the commission, the community redevelopment agency and the Downtown Development Authority. He also stressed “collaboration—that’s what this city is about.”
To Boylston, the election will turn on “who is going to bring people together and who is going to drive them apart.” Given where his opponents and the other three candidates had chosen to spend the evening, nobody missed his message.
Financing for Boca House seat race
The Democrat challenging State Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman has raised an astonishing $410,000 for his Florida House District 91 campaign.
Jay Shooster never has run for office. Though he grew up in Coral Springs and lived in West Boca before moving into the district last year, many of his donors live out of state. Shooster also has loaned his campaign $25,000.
In an interview Wednesday, Shooster told me that he decided to run because of “extremism” in the Legislature, such as the six-week abortion ban. People around the country, he said, see Florida as “the incubator” of those policies and want to finance candidates who oppose them.
Shooster, a lawyer, also said he has a network of supporters who financed public litigation in which he participated. He worked for Democratic candidates during the 2022 election. Shooster raised $154,000 from individual donations, which are limited to $1,000, and $260,000 through his political action committee, which can accept donations in unlimited amounts. District 91 includes Boca Raton and West Boca.
Gossett-Seidman, a former Highland Beach town commissioner, had raised $40,500 in direct contributions through Dec. 31. Her committee had raised another $11,500 to defend the seat she won two years ago.
President Biden carried the district by six points. Low mid-term Democratic turnout helped Gossett-Seidman defeat former Boca Raton City Councilman Andy Thomson. The Republican Party spent heavily on ads supporting Gossett-Seidman.
The next fundraising report is due in April.
Lynn University looks to expand on-campus housing
Lynn University wants to keep more students on its Boca Raton campus.
On the agenda for tonight’s planning and zoning board meeting is a site plan amendment for the 115-acre campus on Military Trail across from Spanish River Boulevard. Lynn wants to demolish one dormitory and build three new ones along Potomac Road, the campus’ southern border.
According to the staff memo, the project would mean a net increase of 545 dorm beds but no increase in overall fulltime enrollment, which is roughly 3,000. As such, city planners don’t envision traffic problems from the project. Plans call for 93 bicycle parking spaces, 19 more than required.
The project would give Lynn 2,091 dorm beds. Like Florida Atlantic University, Lynn wants to reduce the number of students who live off campus. City officials likely welcome that approach, since it means fewer students renting in single-family neighborhoods and potentially drawing complaints.
Free tickets to Delray Beach Open
Delray Beach is giving away tickets to the city’s annual professional tennis tournament that begins Feb. 9.
One hundred tickets for each session will be available at the Pompey Park Community Center from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. or until all the tickets are gone. The first giveaway is Feb. 9.
