Left to right: Emily Gentile, Andrea O’Rourke, Andy Thomson
Today begins qualifying for Boca Raton’s March election. At this point, Mayor Susan Haynie and Seat A Councilman Scott Singer are unopposed. Three candidates – Emily Gentile, Andrea O’Rourke and Andy Thomson — are seeking the Seat B seat of term-limited Mike Mullaugh. Today’s post will feature mini-profiles of those three candidates. They appear in alphabetical order. Though the candidates have filed paperwork and are raising money, they still must qualify for the March 15 ballot. Qualifying ends Jan. 11.
Gentile takes a hands-on approach in the community
If community involvement determined elections, Emily Gentile would be the Seat B favorite.
Gentile, a retired public relations professional, serves or has served on the downtown advisory committee, the historic preservation board, the collaborative care council at Boca Raton Regional Hospital and other business and civic organizations. “I’ve made more of a contribution” than her opponents, Gentile told me. “I know the issues.” She considers herself more experienced than Thomson and more reasonable on development than O’Rourke, who Gentile said would “set the city back 10 years.”
Addressing complaints about overdevelopment, Gentile said, “People are overwhelmed by all that has come out of the ground at one time.” That would be the Mark at Cityscape, Archstone/Palmetto Promenade, the Hyatt Place Hotel and Via Mizner Phase 1.
Though Gentile said Boca Raton has “growth management issues, traffic issues,” she sees no need to “change anything” about Ordinance 4035, the document that governs downtown development by setting rules about how much the city will allow overall, where the city will allow it, and what it will look like.
The Hyatt Place and Via Mizner were approved under Ordinance 5052, which allows extra height if developers adhere to added architectural guidelines. Gentile believes that those two projects better met the appearance goals of Ordinance 5052 than the Mark.
To address concern about downtown development, Gentile wants the city to “put in some of the details,” such as “better lighting,” that would give downtown a better feel. Another priority would be Art in Public Places. She would like downtown to attract more businesses.
Gentile lives on the beach, and supports the recent change that will make development in the beach district intrude less on single-family neighborhoods. She supports Haynie’s wish for a “signature” city complex that would include City Hall and the surrounding public properties. “That would be in line with the growth of the city.” She would like one element to be an arts complex.
Outside of downtown, Gentile wants the city to sell the western golf course and acquire the Ocean Breeze course at Boca Teeca. The offer from Lennar, which has a contract to buy Ocean Breeze, is “the simplest” plan, but Gentile wants the council to “make the best deal.” Like Councilman Robert Weinroth, Gentile wants the council to formally evaluate City Manager Leif Ahnell and City Attorney Diana Grub Frieser. “It keeps everyone on track.”
Gentile summed up her candidacy this way: “I represent no special interest.”
O’Rourke vows to do what’s in Boca’s best interest
Not surprisingly, Andrea O’Rourke disagrees with more recent city council actions than her opponents.
O’Rourke served as editor of BocaWatch, the political website that regularly criticizes the council. O’Rourke cites two examples. The first is what she considers extra floor-to-area ratio for the University Village project on Spanish River Boulevard that allowed the project to be larger. The second is the decision in December 2015 to allow a variance that could permit construction of a single-family home on the beach.
The city’s legal department recommended approval of the variance, and suggested that the property owner could sue if the council refused. O’Rourke calls the beachfront “the Holy Grail. If it means a lawsuit, that’s worth it.”
Despite that time on BocaWatch, however, O’Rourke – like her opponents — does not favor changing Ordinance 4035, which sets downtown development at 8 million square feet of office-equivalent space. As a council member, she would be to encourage “connectivity” between downtown projects. “We don’t have a very good urban environment. Why aren’t people walking?”
Though O’Rourke also serves on the Downtown Advisory Committee, her Boca Raton resume is more political than volunteer. Most recently, she favored the ordinance that blocked a Hillstone restaurant on the Wildflower property. Most notably, she and other residents of the Golden Triangle organized to oppose Archstone/Palmetto Promenade. O’Rourke calls that opposition the beginning of BocaWatch.
After the council approved Archstone, a lawsuit sought to force a public referendum on the project. The opponents won at trial, but lost on appeal. In our interview, though, O’Rourke challenged the perception that she’s anti-development, noting that she worked for the Greater Boca Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Mizner Park. “It transformed our city.”
Archstone, she said, “went against the intent” of Ordinance 4035. The proposed Mizner 200 condo project, she said, may meet the literal requirements of the ordinance, but she questions whether it meets “the spirit.” O’Rourke would prefer that the project become three buildings, as happened with Via Mizner.
O’Rourke supports the Planned Mobility Development concept and “wants to be a cheerleader” for proposed changes to the Midtown neighborhood near Town Center Mall. “I do have some concerns about density.” She is “very excited” about the prospect of a city campus. She favors acquisition of the Ocean Breeze golf course.
O’Rourke called Ahnell “terrific” on finances but “maybe not the best visionary.” She doesn’t consider top management “something we need to fix.” She summed up her candidacy by saying that she would base decisions on “the greater good for the residents of our community.”
Thomson the problem solver
Andy Thomson says, “There’s so much that we take for granted” about Boca Raton. “I view what’s been happening in Boca as very positive. There’s a segment of the city wants to put us back to where we were 15 or 20 years ago. That leads to stagnation.”
With that comment, Thomson separates himself from O’Rourke and her supporters. Thomson would note another difference between himself and both of his Seat B opponents: He’s working full-time – as a lawyer — and raising a family. In that regard, he’s like incumbents Jeremy Rodgers and Scott Singer.
Gentile and O’Rourke would point out that Thomson has lived in Boca Raton only since August and has not served on city boards. Thomson responds that for years he lived just outside Boca’s western border and has a record of service for the Florence Fuller Child Development Centers, the Children’s Home Society, the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, the Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Boca Raton Bowl.
Unlike Gentile and O’Rourke, Thomson does not yet support the city acquiring Ocean Breeze. “I’m not sure if the city needs to be in the golf business,” though he is “intrigued” by the proposal under which Lennar would buy the western course and convey Ocean Breeze.
Like O’Rourke, Thomson would have voted for police and fire pension reform that will save the city nearly $100 million over 30 years. (Gentile declined to take a position.) He likes the look of Via Mizner Phase 1, the rental portion. “I think I would have supported” University Village. He likes the Planning Mobility Development concept “but I want to see more” about how PMD projects under construction turn out. Of Chabad East Boca, Thomson said, “It did seem that they were stretching” to include a museum. A legal challenge on those grounds overturned the council’s approval of the project. Thomson favors formal, annual evaluations of the city manager and city attorney. “We’ve gotten away from it.”
Thomson said, “The issue that most concerns me is traffic” throughout the city, not just downtown. He points to his work with the metropolitan planning organization and his previous career as a civil engineer as qualities that would help him find solutions.
Thomson lives west of Interstate 95. He correctly states that the most strident anti-growthers, who live in and near downtown, “question whether (western residents) should have a voice in Boca.” Council members, he said, should consider “all taxpayers” when they vote.
As a business litigator for the Boca firm of Baritz & Colman, Thomson said, he goes into “divisive” situations and looks for a fair resolution. Thomson summed up his candidacy by saying, “My day job is solving problems,” and he could do the same on the council.
Singer still unopposed
Though Scott Singer has no opponent, he had raised about $57,000 through November. If he remains unopposed, Singer could return those contributions or bank the money for a future race – say, for mayor of Boca.
Though development critics consider him their favorite on the council, Singer has his share of contributions from developers and their representatives. He has received $6,000 from those with projects in the northwest part of the city. He got $1,000 from Angelo Bianco of Crocker Partners, which wants to redevelop Boca Center by adding residential units.
Singer got $4,000 from Compson Associates and related entities. Singer was in the council majority that reduced the minimum size of downtown properties eligible for added height under Ordinance 5052. The action benefited Compson’s Tower 155 project. He got $1,000 from the law firm representing Mizner 200 and $1,000 from Investments Limited, which owns Royal Palm Place and opposes Mizner 200.
Meanwhile, Mayor Haynie’s contribution list looks more like that of a candidate without an opponent. Through November, she had raised only about $16,000.
What’s the deal?
The disbarred lawyer who wants Delray Beach to hold a special election for a city commission vacancy that would last perhaps two meetings must start over.
As Mayor Cary Glickstein had observed, J. Reeve Bright tried to serve process on Glickstein and Commissioner Jordana Jarjura himself. A party in a lawsuit can’t do that. Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Gillen told Bright on Friday that he had to observe the rules.
Bright’s lawsuit stems from the commission’s failure to agree on a appointee for Al Jacquet’s seat. The city argues that scheduling a special election would be needless and costly and would conflict with the regular election on March 15, when Jacquet’s seat is up.
Late-season drama from FAU’s new football coach
Florida Atlantic University’s new football coach got fired Monday from a job he is set to leave.
The University of Alabama canned Lane Kiffin, who supposedly was to have remained as offensive coordinator through Monday night’s national championship game. The action by Alabama coach Nick Saban will mean more publicity for Kiffin and FAU, though not necessarily the right kind of publicity.
