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 I enjoy the job; I enjoy responding to residents’ requests and solving problems. When I was elected in 2020 my experience determining budgets, setting priorities, balancing business practices, and leading volunteer groups was a tremendous plus and enabled me to assume responsibility from the start. Since then, I have enjoyed the confidence of my fellow commissioners, the mayor, and elected officials from other cities in the county and the county itself. Weston’s elected officials appointed me to the Broward League of Cities (BLOC), a group of one representative from each of the 31 cities in the county, that meets regularly to look for solutions to common problems. BLOC was largely responsible for convincing the school board to more properly fund School Resource Officers (SROs) to remove the monetary burden from many cities, including Weston. Weston elected officials also chose me to represent Weston on the Solid Waste Authority (SWA), the board comprised of a representative from each Broward city, to deal with trash recycling, repurposing, and disposal into 2060. The SWA group, representing 29 cities, then elected me as one of a nine-member executive committee responsible for setting goals, timelines, priorities, and budgets, and finding a knowledgeable, experienced, and dedicated director who will be responsible for assessing resources and establishing a workable plan that will provide the county with solutions for dealing with solid waste into the near future.  

I also want to continue to fight to keep Weston the community envisioned by the city founders: not increasing the city’s density; keeping projects out that intrude into residential communities; fighting against attempts by the county to build a park and ride at the I-75 entrance ramp off Royal Palm; and encouraging a balanced mix of businesses to come to Weston.

God; humans are not the pinnacle of development.  There is a greater power to look up to and emulate.  Family; I have three married children and eight grandchildren nearby.  The community; I have lived in communities in Minneapolis, California, the Boston area, and Clearwater Florida.  Of those areas, none measures up to Weston.  

Weston is a master plan community.  This is the Weston that residents bought into.  Changing this plan would be telling every resident who purchased their home that their view of Weston and what it offered was wrong and it should be changed.  Weston should continue to revolve around the plan put forward by Arvida, which was forward-thinking and studied.   

I voted twice against increasing business taxes. Who does like to pay taxes?  I think most people look at the waste exhibited by our different branches of government and immediately think of how they can get out of paying.  I also think people who see tangible application of their taxes are more amenable.  There is no value to me in a government study that measures the stamina of shrimp by putting them on an underwater treadmill, or research to study duck reproductive organs (actual government funded studies).  However, when I can seeclean, well paved streets, well-manicured greenery, or get a real person when I call city hall plus a prompt return call when I leave a message, I feel a little better that the money I worked so many 80–100-hour weeks to accumulate is more wisely used.  Governments need money to fund projects in the community interest; they also need oversight and constant, constant questioning as to the necessity, extent, or involvement of those projects.

First, let me point out that the city has no control over the school board, which is an independent entity. The city does put good faith efforts into working together to resolve issues. That said, I don’t think there is anything more important in life than protecting the lives of children, especially younger children who are most vulnerable. Weston has been very fortunate in having School Resource Officers (SROs) who have taken their job to heart and serve as an example to students of how an authority figure can also be a model showing caring, dedication, and kindness while protecting and defending. As I mentioned in the answer to question one, the school board has not properly funded SROs. In order to bring the ratio of SROs to pupils to the acceptable level of 1 SRO for every 1,000 students, Weston has had to fund many of the positions. 

I have been and will continue to be a hands-on commissioner, accounting for people’s money and ensuring that actions are in accord with the master plan for the community.  Weston is a fantastic place to live and changes, if any, should be incremental and not disturb the plan that made Weston the great place it is.  

Former commissions were rightly more concerned with building a city and creating the infrastructure to provide necessary services for a city whose population went from a few thousand in 1990 to 70,000 today. As Weston has now built out nearly all of its available space, the challenge is less to keep up with expansion than to maintain the level of service and amenities that have already been provided. As an example, Weston has recently completed an extensive study of the city’s parks; how they are used, the condition of their facilities, and their accessibility. At its inception, the city’s parks were built next to the schools; the theory was that school children had access to the parks during school hours and the city parks had access to school parking lots and restrooms while school was not in session. Consequently, many parks were built without restroom facilities and parking areas. Over a period of years, the school board locked out access to restrooms and fenced in parking lots. Those parks must be reevaluated for usage and accessibility. Also, playground equipment has undergone safety improvements from its original installation, not to mention normal wear and tear. Determining the proper dedication of available park land to the different sports has undergone change over 30 years (nobody heard of pickle ball in 1990). Regional park needs an additional route for entrance and exit to accommodate the huge crowds drawn to city events. The city has no indoor facility for basketball or other activities normally played indoors. These are only a few of the questions that will be determined by the commission.

Bonaventure Resort and Spa also poses a challenge; the area was rezoned five years ago to MF-4, which will accommodate twelve-story buildings. That zoning remains in place, although the company originally granted the variance has sold the property. At this writing, the existing buildings are being demolished, creating an eyesore, but what would be the best use of the property? How to accommodate existing roads and already overcrowded schools? What balance can be struck between building height and maintaining balance with the surrounding community and the concept of Weston itself?

The six plus vacant acres of the Vacation Village Reception Center also presents an opportunity for development that must be balanced against the concept of Weston’s founding and the surrounding community. 

On a national level, I have been involved with attempts to convince the FAA and Broward County aviation officials to have pilots maintain a height of 3,500 feet over Weston, an altitude that is safe under normal conditions given Weston’s distance from the airport. I supported hiring an independent organization to study and appeal the subject of low-flying aircraft with national and local authorities. There has been improvement, but it is not good enough and I will continue to fight to have aircraft maintain a safe but reasonable height over the city.