The city of Boca Raton’s municipal election will take place on March 14. The winners will serve three-year terms.
Mayors Forum
The Boca Raton Tribune will host a forum March 10 for residents to meet and learn more about the two candidates running for mayor. The forum will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Wayne Barton Study Center, 269 NE 14th St., Boca Raton.
Profiles compiled by Steven J. Smith
Mayor
Susan Haynie
(incumbent) Personal: 61; graduate of Lynn University with a degree in liberal arts and holds a certification in traffic engineering studies from Georgia Institute of Technology and Northwestern University; 45-year resident of Boca Raton; married, five adult children.
Professional: Former engineering analyst for the city of Boca Raton; licensed general contractor for the state of Florida; active in the construction industry.
Political experience: Elected mayor of Boca Raton in March 2014; current president of the Florida League of Cities; chair for the Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization advisory council since 2013; past president of the Palm Beach County League of Cities (2006); gubernatorial appointee for the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council (2001-2007); Florida representative for the National League of Cities Presidential Task Force (2016-2017).
Positions on issues: Continue to advocate for quiet zones as trains on the Florida East Coast Railway line pass through Boca Raton; promote economic development and the retention of jobs; continue to increase levels of service for public safety following the addition of new police and fire rescue personnel in this coming year’s city budget; continue to advocate and secure funding for transportation improvement.
Quote: “I’m running on my record of effective leadership and solutions. Our city has achieved so much in the last several years and I want to continue to address what is left to be done — transportation improvement, planning for our new municipal complex, investing in our waterfront parks and making them attractive for ecotourism and enhancing our security by providing our first responders with the personnel and tools they need to keep us safe.”
Alfred “Al” Zucaro Personal: 68; B.A. in economics from Fordham University, J.D. from Nova University; Boca Raton resident for nine years; married, no children.
Professional: Published a local blog, BocaWatch; served on Palm Beach County’s Planning and Zoning Board, the Tourist Development Council and the Film and Television Commission.
Political experience: West Palm Beach city commissioner (1995-2002).
Positions on issues: Concerned with over-development, traffic congestion, a lack of parking in Boca Raton, balancing the budget and green space preservation — and the City Council’s reluctance to rectify these problems.
Quote: “Our council has approved zoning variances allowing developers to reign, in terms of profit maximization on their build-outs, instead of putting up resident-friendly build-outs. I refer to a 10,000-square-foot-building that went up on the east side of A1A, actually on the beach where turtles nest. The City Council needs to exercise accountability and transparency and they need to hold the city manager responsible for not getting the budget done, instead of kicking the can down the road.”
Comments