John McEnroe plays to the crowd  Feb. 18 during the 2nd annual  ‘Tennis on the Ave.’  Grand Slam champions McEnroe and Mats Wilander competed as part of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships.  Photo by Tim Stepien

By Thom Smith

Spring training is here. Time to lather up with sunscreen, put on your team hat and head to the ballpark. But why not make it really special?
Born in Boston, Christine DiRocco can’t remember when she wasn’t a fan, of baseball in general, and the Red Sox in particular.
“We’d go to games when we could, and when we couldn’t, we watched them on TV or listened on the radio,” said DiRocco, who is now the publicist at the Ritz-Carlton in Manalapan. “I absolutely love the game. So I’ve always had this dream of putting together a special baseball package. This year I was finally able to do it.” 
The Ritz has teamed with the Florida Marlins, the St. Louis Cardinals and management at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, to produce the Take Me Out to the Ballgame “Play Ball” spring training package. It offers hotel guests accommodations, a mini-road trip to the stadium, four box seats at a game, a media stat pack, plus a chance to go on the field and behind the scenes, touring the clubhouse. One member of the group can throw out the first ball; another can be honorary bat kid. Beginning rate for a family of four is $799. Call (561) 533-6000.
Both Boynton Beach and Delray Beach are offering more modest but no less exciting day trips that include the bus ride, batting practice, premium seats, and photo ops.
Spring Training with the Schoolhouse, hosted by the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum will take in the Marlins-Mets game on March 20. Tickets are $37.50 for museum members, $47.50 for non-members. (561-742-6780)
Delray’s Parks & Recreation Department is offering a Marlins Spring Training Day Trip on March 24. The $45 tab includes bus ride, seats behind home plate and a $10 food voucher. (243-7350 or roland@mydelraybeach.com.)  

                                      ***

Elwood’s is back. Not in the same place on Atlantic, since that spot’s been taken over by Johnny Brown’s, but it’s still close by the railroad tracks, which is fitting for a barbecue joint. Actually, part of the address is the same — from 301 E. Atlantic to 301 NE Third Ave., formerly occupied by The Annex and Two Thirds Tavern — and Elwood, aka Mike Gochenour, hasn’t changed much either.
Gochenour helped launch the Delray miracle in that old gas station in 1993. He offered live music, including an Elvis impersonator, decent food and cold beer. Bikers loved the place; so did the yuppies. He sold it in ’09, but hinted that, like MacArthur, he might someday return.
And he’s brought with him much of the old staff, a restructured 301 East house band and the promise of special appearances by The Dillengers, Jason Colannino and Black Finger.

***

First time’s a charm … for Chuck Gittleman. He may have been executive chef at newly opened Deck 84 for only three months, but he’s no rookie. He knows how to work with garlic, so much so that he took top honors at the Delray Beach Garlic Fest with three courses featuring goat and garlic and dethroned three-time winner Andy Trousdale of Le Bistro.        

Gitelman offered up a salad of seared spiced goat with shaved fennel/sunflower sprouts, garlic yogurt dressing and plantain croutons; an appetizer of chopped goat steak (Holstein) with a salad of roasted garlic, mushroom and arugula; and a main dish of curried grilled goat, bone in, with garlic spinach, mashed acorn squash and mango relish.
Put it on the menu.

***

  Things looked poorly for one of Delray’s great traditions, the St. Patrick’s Day parade, on March 12. City fees and insurance had doubled in the past two years and organizers had no idea how they would cover it. Word got out, and to the rescue sprang Peter DeRosa and Mark Hasche of PeterMark Salon. They signed on as presenting sponsors.
In turn, Mercedes-Benz of Delray, Bru’s Room, Cigar Connoisseur, Stuart & Shelby Development, and the new Buddha Sky Bar and Atlantic Ocean Club ponied up additional funds.
Buddha Sky Bar and Atlantic Ocean Club went even further. They’re opening a VIP Skybox from noon to 5 where guests can enjoy a lofty view of the parade while sampling complimentary green libations and hors d’ oeuvres for $100.
Of course, there will be the usual pre- and post-parade parties on the front lawn at Old School Square, with live shows at 3:30 and 5:15 by Journey and Bon Jovi tribute bands.         

Oh, yeah, and the parade, an international tribute to firefighters, begins at 2 p.m.

***

  Films by an award-winning veteran, a successful actor making the leap to directing and a dedicated local filmmaker who keeps plugging away: the Palm Beach International Film Festival, as usual, will offer a little bit of everything during its March 23-28 run.
The opener will be Win Win, whose director, Thomas McCarthy, made a name for himself acting in The Lovely Bones, 2012, and in several installments of The Wire. So now he’s behind the camera, barking orders to the likes of Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan and Jeffrey Tambor.
Mark Medoff, by comparison, was making headlines before McCarthy reached puberty, winning a Tony as a playwright for Children of a Lesser God, but he’s acted in,  directed and produced more than his share, including Clara’s Heart. Now the University of Miami grad, who also served as the Burt Reynolds Eminent Scholar at FSU’s theater school, is back as writer and director of festival feature Refuge, starring Linda Hamilton and Christopher McDonald.
And then we have Frank Eberling. He’s had a love affair with a camera in Palm Beach County for more than 30 years. Started as a TV news shooter, branched into documentaries and even dabbled in a couple of locally made features and taught his craft to hundreds of high school and college students. Frank’s latest project is Turkles, which he wrote, directed and filmed. It’s a kids comedy about turtle egg poachers and, as is typical of Eberling’s productions, cast and crew are locals.
The festival will close March 28 with The First Grader, a Kenyan film about the struggle to get the education he could never afford by an 84-year-old man.
As for the suspense, well, most of it has abated along with rumors that the festival would not be held this year.
“That was never true,” festival Executive Director Randi Emerman said. “The only question was about Mizner Park Cinema, because we knew it was going to close. But we’ve got it all worked out.”
Instead of Mizner, the festival’s Boca site will be the new Living Room Theaters on the FAU campus. Screenings also will be held at the Movies of Delray, Lake Worth Playhouse and Muvico CityPlace in West Palm Beach. Boca’s Bridge, recently renovated, is the host hotel this year.
Festival organizers have kept the celeb list a tight secret, but they did let on that this year’s Golden Palm Award will go to the busiest man in movies … Richard Jenkins.
The Visitor, in which he appeared with McCarthy, is just one of 20 credits for Jenkins since 2005, and it earned him an Oscar nomination. Actually, his career stretches back to Silverado (1985) and before, and includes The Witches of Eastwick, Stealing Home, Sea of Love, There’s Something About Mary, Random Hearts, Shall We Dance, Eat, Pray, Love and the just-released Hall Pass. Jenkins will be honored at a new event, the Silver Screen Splash on Friday, March 25, at the Boca Resort & Club swimming pool.
“If it rains, I have a backup,” Emerman said. “And in keeping with our commitment to make this a festival for everyone, people can go to every film and every event, including the Splash, with a Platinum Pass for just $300. A $150 Gold Pass admits to every event except the Splash, and a pass for the festival films is offered to students for $35.” (www.pbifilmfest.org)

***

A car dealership is an odd place for a fashion show, but then the “All About Shuzz,” March 11 at Mercedes Benz of Delray, is not your typical runway event.
Participants, literally, can be “the first” to acquire shoes as they are paraded on the runway — more than 100 pairs from the latest collections of such international designers as Gucci, Chanel, Tory Burch, Prada, Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik and Valentino.
All proceeds from the ticket sale — from $100 to $250 for VIP seating — and a portion of shoe sale cash will go directly to supply shoes to children around the world. In addition, the event will raise money to help support mission trips to Haiti and other countries.
Shuzz is nothing if not ambitious. Its goal is to provide shoes to 10 million poverty-stricken children around the world in the next 10 years. (www.shuzz.org).

Thom Smith is a freelance writer. He can be reached at thomsmith@ymail.com.

Town Clerk Rita Taylor and  Town Manager William Thrasher count votes Feb. 7 at Gulf Stream Town Hall. Photo by Jerry Lower

By Steve Plunkett
   
Property owners voted to put overhead electric lines underground, but the margin was much closer than in other coastal towns that approved the expense.
Gulf Stream’s tally was 175 for and 153 against, or 56 percent to 44 percent. Jupiter Island registered 90 percent in favor while Jupiter Inlet Colony had 75 percent support.
“It’s a go,’’ Vice Mayor Joan Orthwein said into her cell phone shortly after Town Clerk Rita Taylor announced the results Feb. 7.
The straw ballots were counted by Taylor, Town Manager William Thrasher, Civic Association President Bob Ganger and Ron Bennett, an accountant with the town’s auditing firm.
“Here’s one for Al Gore,’’ Ganger joked while he helped sort the ballots into 18 piles representing each street in Gulf Stream, from Banyan to Wrightway.
Resident Bob Meisel delivered his vote — in favor of the $5 million project — just a few minutes before the 2 p.m. deadline, adding that he thought he had until Election Day, March 8, to get his ballot to Town Hall.
“We have so few votes here,’’ he said, explaining his confusion over the dates.
The week before, town officials shifted from being neutral about the proposal to stating their full-fledged support. Commissioners voted unanimously to cast six votes in favor of burying the wires for the six parcels the town owns.
Besides boosting property values, underground wires will help protect the town’s signature Australian pines along State Road A1A from being overly trimmed by Florida Power & Light Co. crews, Mayor William F. Koch Jr. said.
“We’ve for the last three or four years had to have an arborist stop in and watch them when they come in so they don’t butcher them to death,’’ he said. “They’re not going to last.’’
Koch urged the audience at a special commission meeting to tell their neighbors the project is in their best interest.
“It makes sense,’’ he said. “You’re investing in your own property when you put the undergrounding in. And it’s also investing in the town’s heritage and what it really is. These trees are very important to us.’’
Ganger praised Koch for showing his feelings at a Civic Association meeting the night before.
“The mayor did this town a great service by standing up, endorsing the project for all the right reasons, with passion,’’ Ganger said. “We’re so used to trying to be very civil, very factual and so forth and so on. There comes a point in time when you have to put a little passion into it. ‘’
Koch and Ganger said condo residents seemed most opposed to the project and questioned why a multifamily building should have to pay any more than a single-family home that took up the same land area.
“Three-fourths of the project is on the street — that is, to bring it to your house,’’ Ganger said. ‘’So really, what they’re getting is what everybody else gets. And the issue is, is that fair? Yes, it is fair. Is it equitable? Yes, it is equitable. Do I want to do it? In their case, a lot of them say no.’’
Gulf Stream’s consultants said the cost to put electric, phone and cable TV wires underground for a typical single-family home is $15,218 and on a condo unit is about $8,500. The bill for Gulf Stream School is $44,200, they said.
Town officials plan to look for 20-year financing plans that could make the amount $600 a year for condos and $1,200 a year for single-family homes.
Work will start in the southern end of town first, followed by the northern section at the end of this year. All of Gulf Stream should be finished by fall 2012, the consultants said.
The project does not include Place au Soleil, which was built with its lines placed underground.
                                           

South Palm Beach Election: Candidates

By Tim O’Meilia

The South Palm Beach Town Council unanimously rejected a third attempt by owners of the Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn to change the town’s land use plan to allow a 10-story, 99-unit motel-condominium.
Inn co-owner Pjeter Paloka blasted town officials for not notifying him that the item would be on the Feb. 22 agenda. “It’s further proof that it is impossible for the Inn property to have a fair hearing,” Paloka told the council.
Town Attorney Brad Biggs said the proposal was advertised according to law in the Feb. 14 edition of The Palm Beach Post and that applicants typically are aware of when their proposals will be considered. The Inn item was listed on the meeting agenda.
Paloka also complained that he tried to withdraw the proposal earlier in February.  Biggs said Paloka failed to fill out a formal withdrawal form as required by law. Town Clerk Janet Whipple said a motel representative picked up the form Feb. 11, but it was never returned.
Paloka said he was not prepared to present his plan at the meeting because he had not been notified. The council rejected it with little discussion on its merits. The proposal was nearly identical to the 2009 redevelopment plan that was turned down by the council. A 14-story plan was rejected in 2007.
The town’s Planning Board recommended denial by a 3-2 vote in December. The denial by the council means the Inn cannot apply for a change in the town’s land use plan for a year.
The 50-year-old motel is the only commercial building in town. The Inn, which has two stories, 58 units and a restaurant and bar, has been a lightning rod of controversy since the Palokas first applied for changes five years ago.
While supporters said it would be an upgrade and greatly increase property tax revenue for the town, opponents said it would increase traffic, dwarf nearby condominiums and cut off the neighbors’ oceanfront view.
On March 8, town voters will consider two charter changes that would make it more difficult for the Inn to redevelop. Approving the amendments would limit the height of new buildings east of State Road A1A to 60 feet and would prohibit additional or expanded nonresidential buildings, except public buildings.
In other business, the council learned that a $15 million to $25 million breakwater project won’t begin until 2013, if any money can be found to pay for it.
“We have funding for the design and permits. There is no funding for the project itself,” said Leanne Welch of Palm Beach County’s Department of Environmental Resources Management.
The 1.3-mile project would stretch from southern Palm Beach to the Ritz Carlton resort in Manalapan.
Sixteen visible breakwaters averaging 120 feet long would be placed 200 to 250 feet off shore. Instead of breakwaters, nine 115-foot submerged groins would be placed in front of the Lantana public beach.
Neither the county, the state nor the federal Corps of Engineers has money budgeted for the project. “There is no money for breakwaters,” Welch said. “Our only hope is FEMA and that’s only in case of a hurricane and no one wants that.”
The final design is nearly complete and Welch said the county plans to apply for state and federal permits in the next two months. However, the first draft of an environmental impact study will not be completed until December.
“We need to get the permit finalized, then duke it out for the money,” said Councilman Brian Merbler, who had led the town’s effort to obtain more protection against erosion.
Welch agreed. “The best way to get funding is to have a permit,” she said. State officials want to know “are
you shovel-ready?”                  

Election Results:

(Annexation of unincorporated property contiguous to Town of Gulf Stream)

Yes: 301 votes, 91.77%

No: 27 votes, 8.23%

By Steve Plunkett
   
Gulf Stream Town Hall will host two polling precincts for the first time this month as voters decide whether Gulf Stream should annex the 16.6-acre county pocket just north of town.
Town voters are used to going to Town Hall for elections, but voters in the pocket had to cross the Intracoastal to cast their ballots. This time, however, their usual polling place on Federal Highway was unavailable, so Town Clerk Rita Taylor decided to cut the Commission Chambers in two rather than staff separate sites.
Town commissioners kept to the schedule at their February meeting and approved an annexation ordinance calling for the referendum just 30 days before Election Day. There was no discussion and no one from the public asked to speak.
If either side votes against the measure, annexation will not occur and cannot be considered again for two years.
If approved, the annexation will add about 150 people to Gulf Stream’s current population of 716, according to the Civic Association. The town’s tax base, now $694 million, would grow by about 10 percent, the association said.
Police and fire-rescue services would shift from the county to the town’s police and Delray Beach fire-rescue, which contracts with the town. Newly annexed properties would also be included in the town’s project to put power lines underground.
The issue came up after the county asked Boynton Beach to explore annexing the pocket last year. Residents of the pocket asked Gulf Stream to consider annexing them instead.
The main annexation benefit to Gulf Stream is the long-term opportunity to influence future redevelopment in the pocket, the Civic Association said in a mailing to members.
“Gulf Stream zoning and building codes are more restrictive than either the county or Boynton Beach, favoring more green space, lower multifamily building heights, and lesser population density,’’ it said. “The town also forbids commercial business, such as retail establishments
or hotels.’’                      
                                       

Election Results

Lantana Group 4

Philip Aridas - 325 votes, 52.17%

Susan McCreery - 298 votes, 47.83%

Lantana Election: Town Council Group 3

Lantana: Candidates volley ideas and pass pop quiz

Councilman Tom Deringer’s Group 3 and Councilwoman Elizabeth Tennyson’s Group 4 terms are expiring, with Tennyson not seeking re-election. Council members are elected town-wide to three-year terms at $4,800 salary with no term limits.

Town Council Group 4

PHIL ARIDAS
PERSONAL: 56; married; air conditioning and refrigeration repair degree from Lincoln Technical College, New Jersey; jewelry repair degree from International School of Jewelry, New Jersey.

PROFSSIONAL: Co-owner of Barbara Aridas Designs jewelry store in Delray Beach for 30 years.

POLITICAL: Unsuccessfully ran for Town Council in 2009.

PRIORITY: My main issues with our town that need to be dealt with are new businesses, public safety, concerns with the bridge closing along with keeping our boat ramp accessible to our residents and maintaining general housekeeping for our town to preserve our seaside community.
­—Candidate profiles by C.B. Hanif

SUSAN MCCREERY
PERSONAL: 46; single, B.A business administration, Northwood University; M.B.A., Palm Beach Atlantic University.

PROFSSIONAL: Director of public relations, Northwood University, 18 years.

POLITICAL: Served as an alternate and regular member of planning and zoning board past two years; first run for office.

PRIORITY: Lantana’s history and old-Florida feel set it apart from the rest, so it remains important that creative methods are developed to cut costs and enhance economic prosperity while ensuring that the town maintains its tropical character. I’d be honored to roll up my sleeves to assist the effort. We face challenges ahead with the Lantana Bridge closing, but opportunities as well with the revenue-producing possibilities that the A.G. Holley property has to offer.

Election Results:

Top two win commission seats:

Joseph M. Flagello - 315 votes, 45.92%

Bonnie Fischer - 238 votes, 34.69%

Brian Merbler - 133 votes, 19.39%

Question 1: 

(Maximum 60 foot building height east of A1A)

Yes - 309 votes, 79.03%

No - 82 votes, 20.97%

Question 2:

(Prohibition of new or expansion of existing non-residential uses except for public buildings/uses)

Yes - 293 votes, 75.52%

No - 95 votes, 24.48%

South Palm Beach: Oceanfront Inn takes third strike from council

At the March 22 Town Council meeting, Mayor Donald Clayman, who is running unopposed in the March 8 election, will be sworn in, retaining the seat to which he (as former vice mayor) was appointed after then-Mayor Martin Millar resigned in December.  Councilman Joseph Flagello, who subsequently was appointed to the commission and the post of vice mayor, and Councilman Brian Merbler are among three candidates running for two council seats, with the top vote-getters earning election. Council members serve two year terms with $3,000 salary.

BONNIE FISCHER
PERSONAL: 58; widowed; one child; attended University of New Haven, Quinnipiac University.

PROFSSIONAL: President of Imperial House; managed and assisted husband’s medical practice in Lake Worth.

POLITICAL: First run for office; worked with Inland Wetlands Commission, Conservation Commission and Naugatuck Regional Agency in Connecticut.

PRIORITY: Has always had a special interest and emphasis on environmental studies so restoration and preservation of beaches is important. Her special interest is to preserve, improve and maintain the charm of South Palm Beach.

JOSEPH M. FLAGELLO (i) 
PERSONAL: 45; divorced; one child; B.S. Florida International University; D.C. Life Chiropractic University.

PROFESSIONAL: Practicing chiropractor.

POLITICAL: Served previous two-year term; appointed to and finishing current term.

PRIORITY: The main issues of South Palm Beach are decreasing tax revenues due to decreasing property values, which directly impact the delivery of services to the community, and protecting our beaches in an effective yet environmentally sensitive way. Decisions on the town’s future land use issues should be decided by the entire community instead of just a legislative body of five individuals.

BRIAN MERBLER (i) 
PERSONAL: 40; married; two children; B.S. communication and business, University of Central Florida.

PROFESSIONAL: Managing partner Brikell Group, strategic marketing, sales and planning business.

POLITICAL: Completing first two-year term. Former planning board alternate; represents town in Florida League of Cities; worked with Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County; active in American Cancer Society.

PRIORITY: I would certainly continue my efforts to gain permitting for our beach breakwater project. In South Palm Beach the beach is the heartbeat of our town. We have to pay attention to a beach that’s critically eroded. My big thing is laser focus on beach permitting and funding. Second big thing is the budget. Raising taxes is not a sustainable plan.

Lantana Election Candidates: Town Council Group 3 | Town Council Group 4

By Tim O’Meilia

Trolleys, festivals and leasing park land to a bridge contractor were ideas suggested by Lantana Town Council candidates to help businesses survive when the East Ocean Avenue bridge is closed for reconstruction late this year.
And no one wants to raise property taxes.
The four candidates in the March 8 town election sketched out their thoughts to about 20 listeners during a forum sponsored by the Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce Feb. 24 on the breezy covered deck of the Old Key Lime House.
Incumbent Tom Deringer said trolleys have been successful in the past in Lake Worth and Lantana and would be a good method to bring people from the Plaza del Mar shopping center in Manalapan to Ocean Avenue and other Lantana shops.
“The town’s got to make that investment in business,” he said, adding that he feared customers of Lantana businesses would simply shop in Lake Worth or Boynton Beach rather than circle around to Lantana when the bridge is closed.
His Group 3 opponent, Joe Farrell, supported an idea already proposed by town administrators: to lease land in Bicentennial Park to the bridge contractor for staging and storage of construction equipment. That may mean removing the playground during construction.
“Bringing in festivals is a great idea but we need parking,” he said.
Group 4 candidate Susan McCreery suggested water taxis might be used to bring shoppers to the mainland. “The parking situation has to be addressed when the bridge is closed,” she said. “The issue affects the whole town.”
Phil Aridas, her opponent, said the town needs innovative ideas to deal with the closure. “Let the restaurant owners bring their ideas to the chamber and then bring them to the council. We don’t have all the ideas,” he said, referring to the candidates.
Farrell said the town must promote beautification of businesses and residences to attract new investment in town. “Once Lantana is prettied up — without raising taxes — then businesses will be attracted to come here.”
McCreery, a member of the town’s planning and zoning board, agreed. “One of my hobbies is beautification,” she said. “When we encourage these efforts, it brings up property values.”
Deringer said town officials have to be welcoming to prospective businesses and not put obstacles in the way of obtaining permits. “We have to let people know we’re business-friendly,” he said.
Aridas proposed that the town create an “easy payment plan” of 30-60-90 days for cash-strapped business owners who must renew their occupational licenses and pay other fees.
“Town beautification is wonderful but cash flow is the biggest problem,” he said.
Mayor David Stewart tested the four, asking them if they knew the town’s property tax rate and how much revenue the town collected from property taxes.
All four were knew the correct numbers:  $3.24 per $1,000 of taxable property value and $2.2 million. Only six years ago, the town collected $7 million.
     

Election Results: 

Seat #5:

William "Bill" Quigley - 134 votes, 61.75%

William J. Bernstein - 83 votes, 38.25%

Manalapan Election: Commission Seat 1

Manalapan: Commissioners plan less formal discussion session

Town Commissioner Basil Diamond, whose Seat 1 term has expired, has won Seat 7 unopposed. Seat 3 incumbent Donald Brennen also is elected unopposed.  Seat 7 Commissioner Kelly Gottlieb is running in the Seat 1 race.  Seat 5 Commissioner William Bernstein is seeking re-election. The Seat 5 commissioner is elected by and represents the entire town, but must reside in Point Manalapan. Terms are two years with no salary.

WILLIAM BERNSTEIN (i)
PERSONAL: 65; married; one child; B.A. Penn State University; J.D. New York University Law School.

PROFESSIONAL: Retired Coca-Cola Co. legal counsel.

POLITICAL: Served as zoning commissioner.

PRIORITY: I am opposed to the building of a town sewer system and mandating that residents remove their current septic systems as an unnecessary financial burden. I have always acted independently in the best interests of the town without a private agenda.

BILL QUIGLEY
PERSONAL: 62; married; graduate Florida Atlantic University.

PROFESSIONAL: Broker/Associate with Fite Shavell & Associates, Palm Beach.

POLITICAL: Served as architectural commissioner, town commissioner and vice mayor.

PRIORITY: Bring dignity and cooperation back to Town Hall. Cut expenses and no tax increases. No dipping into reserves unless of extreme emergencies. 

­—Candidate profiles by C.B. Hanif

Election Results:

Top two win commission seats:

Zoanne Hennigan - 313 votes, 39.72%

Ed Brookes - 277 votes, 35.15%

Elisabeth Bingham - 198 votes, 25.13%

Ocean Ridge Election: Candidates say backgrounds distinguish them

The seats of Commissioners Betty Bingham and Terry Brown, the latter who recently resigned, are up for election to three-year terms with $1,200 salary. Of the three candidates for the two seats, the top two vote earners will win election.

ELISABETH BINGHAM (i)
PERSONAL: 81; divorced; three children; B.A. science and philosophy, Sweetbriar College.

PROFESSIONAL: Manager of two office buildings; former travel agency owner, banker.

POLITICAL: Town commissioner for 12 years.

PRIORITY: The major issue is finally finishing off the drainage problems in Ocean Ridge and then trying to do something about the flooding on Ocean Avenue. I would like the commission to be a body that works well together.

ED BROOKES
PERSONAL: 60; married; two children; B.A. political science, DeSales University.

PROFESSIONAL: President Beachcomber Sales Inc.; former vice president Brown Jordan Furniture Co.; former vice president Tropitone Furniture Co.

POLITICAL: Elected to borough council, Coopersburg, Penn.; appointed to school district financial advisory committee, Center Valley, Pa.

PRIORITY: My top priority will be to bring my business experience to the budgetary issues we will be facing. I also see a need to work closely with our neighboring communities to ensure our town’s character and lifestyle.

ZOANNE HENNIGAN
PERSONAL: 60; married; two children; B.S. marketing and management, Syracuse University.

PROFESSIONAL: Retired Intel Corp. director global staffing, information technology manager for finance and human resources.

POLITICAL: President Ocean Ridge Garden Club, five years; board of directors McCormick Mile, three years.

PRIORITY: Resist raising taxes and promote fiscal discipline and austerity. Bring no personal agendas, listen to residents and be their advocate. I will raise community awareness, build trust and consensus, and achieve commitment through open and effective communications.

Election Results

Lantana Group #3

Tom Deringer - 417 votes, 68.25%

Joseph Ferrell - 194 votes, 31.75%

Lantana Election: Town Council Group 4

Lantana: Candidates volley ideas and pass pop quiz

Councilman Tom Deringer’s Group 3 and Councilwoman Elizabeth Tennyson’s Group 4 terms are expiring, with Tennyson not seeking re-election. Council members are elected town-wide to three-year terms at $4,800 salary with no term limits.

Town Council Group 3

TOM DERINGER (i)PERSONAL: 57; married; two children; attended the University of Kentucky in business administration.

PROFSSIONAL: Founder and owner of Palm Beach Tire auto tire and repair shop since 1993.

POLITICAL: Seeking fourth term on Town Council.

PRIORITY: In all nine years I have never raised taxes. One of the biggest things is with the bridge closing. I want to make sure that emergency services and those kind of things continue, on the island side especially. So police and fire are a big priority for me.

JOE FARRELL
PERSONAL: 48; married, B.A. business, Stetson University.

PROFSSIONAL: Representative for Commercial Flooring Distributors, similar companies past 10 years.

POLITICAL: First run for office.

PRIORITY: If we don’t invest in our town, no one else will either. Help keep Lantana green! We must commit to selling Lantana as a beautiful and desirable place to live and engage in business.

Correction:  In candidate profiles and an accompanying story [Candidates say backgrounds distinguish them] in the March edition, we incorrectly reported that Ocean Ridge commissioners are elected for a two-year term of office. They are elected for a three-year term.

By Tim O’Meilia

Falling revenue, rising fire-rescue costs and the new police union emerged as some of the biggest concerns of Ocean Ridge residents during a candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters at the Town Hall Feb. 24.
Ed Brookes, Zoanne Hennigan and 12-year Commissioner Betty Bingham are vying for two commission seats in the March 8 election.
The trio largely agreed on the major issues and told the 40 or so residents at the forum that their backgrounds separated them from each other.
A 23-year career in marketing and human resources for a multinational firm made Hennigan “an effective and responsive decision maker,” she said. “It’s clear to me we are sorely lacking in communication.”
She said the town must go beyond e-mail blasts and an information kiosk at Town Hall to reach residents. She said a scrolling announcement sign in front of Town Hall might help.
Brookes touted his experience running several businesses and time on a Pennsylvania council make him prepared to handle the commission job. “Our résumés will probably separate us,” he said.
Bingham said her background in small business and her years on the commission make her suited for the position. She said her efforts on the bridge committee helped keep the replacement from being too tall. She said she was well-versed in the town’s ecosystem. “Our beaches are our jewels,” she said.
All three agreed that dipping into the town’s $2.5 million reserves was the right way to handle the town’s falling revenues until the economy rebounds. Bingham and Brookes said the town’s fire-rescue contract with Boynton Beach is becoming expensive for the town, eating up 19 percent of the budget.
Bingham said the 4 percent annual increases are a handicap. Brookes said Boynton Beach’s mayor may be receptive to adjusting the terms of the contract before it expires in 2016.
Hennigan said some town residents “feel they’ve been betrayed” by the decision of the Police Department’s rank-and-file to form a union. “The town has been generous in salaries, benefits and working conditions,” she said.
Brookes suggested that upcoming collective bargaining talks will be an opportunity to reduce costs. “Now everything is on the table. We want the best police department we can afford,” he said.
Bingham agreed. “We may find a lot of things we can do, mostly in benefits,” she said. “We’re going to have to sit down and do some hard talking.”
One area of disagreement was whether the commission should have term limits. “It is healthy to have turnover and change. It’s really what government is about,” Hennigan said. She suggested two or three three-year terms would be enough. Commissioners now serve three-year terms.
Both Bingham and Brookes opposed term limits. “We’re a small town. People can evaluate whether (a commissioner) is an asset,” she said. “Sometimes it’s better to keep what you know rather than what you don’t know.”
Brookes said residents know the commissioners well. “In a town this size, you might quickly run out of people who want to run or who are qualified to run,” he said.
                                        

Election Results:

Seat #1

David S. Cheifetz - 127 votes, 57.47%

Kelly S. Gottlieb - 94 votes, 42.53%

Manalapan Election: Commission Seat 5

Manalapan: Commissioners plan less formal discussion session

Town Commissioner Basil Diamond, whose Seat 1 term has expired, has won Seat 7 unopposed. Seat 3 incumbent Donald Brennen also is elected unopposed.  Seat 7 Commissioner Kelly Gottlieb is running in the Seat 1 race.  Seat 5 Commissioner William Bernstein is seeking re-election. The Seat 5 commissioner is elected by and represents the entire town, but must reside in Point Manalapan. Terms are two years with no salary.

Town Commission Seat 1

DAVID CHEIFETZ
PERSONAL: 70; married; three children; BBA Adelphi University.

PROFESSIONAL: Certified public accountant.

POLITICAL: Chairman architectural commission two years; member architectural commission four years; zoning commissioner; former member Harbor Commission, Westport, Conn.; former director New England Retinal Research Foundation.

PRIORITY: When elected, I shall advocate term limits for commissioners; a reorganization of the Town Commission whereby commissioners have more accountability for town functions based upon their individual skill sets. I shall make myself available at the library, on a regular scheduled basis, to listen to residents’ ideas and suggestions as to how to improve our town.

KELLY GOTTLIEB
PERSONAL: 69; married; three children; attended Pine Manor Junior College, Mass.; Reid Hall, Paris, France; Ecole du Louvre, Paris.

PROFESSIONAL: Formerly worked in public relations department Jaguar Cars, New York City; dealer relations and corporate secretary Inskip distributors, N. New Jersey; private and corporate pilot.

POLITICAL: Served on boards of Rockland (N.Y.) Country Day School and the Rockland Center for the Arts; was a safety counselor for the Teterboro (N.J.) Flight Standards District Office and a representative on the Teterboro Users Group.

PRIORITY: Main issues are the budget, water plant, development and management. I have always been an independent, voting on the merits of each case. Our community needs such independence so as to maintain the fairness of commission decisions.

Manalapan Election: Commission Seat 1 | Commission Seat 5

By Steve Plunkett
   
Feeling pinched by Robert’s Rules of Order and Florida’s Sunshine Law, town commissioners will hold what they hope is a less structured strategy session this month.
They might even sit around the table in front of their dais to get their brains storming.
“I hate the Sunshine Law. It works great for certain circumstances, but it ties the hands of public office-holders,’’ Mayor-elect Basil Diamond said after commissioners wrestled with paying $88,187 for new filter valves at the water plant and $35,840 to replace a leaking underground fuel tank at Town Hall.
“We seem to be always forced into some expenditure,’’ Mayor Pro Tem Robert Evans said during discussion of the fuel tank. ‘’I think the bigger question … is what do we do about this enormous overhead that we have for very few residents?”
“I think ultimately we have to look at the Police Department and say, ‘We’re spending a lot of money here. Do we need to?’ And figure out some way to reduce our per-capita overhead,’’ Evans said.
Commissioner Donald Brennan urged waiting 30 days before deciding whether to replace the tank.
“We have options here,’’ Brennan said. “And what is troubling me is that we don’t pursue the options in the interest of efficiency. We’re turning a bunch of discretionary decisions into mandatory ones — got to do it or Rome is burning down.’’
Such actions have a cumulative effect, Brennan said. “They incrementally add up to a huge number on top of a huge number,’’ he said.
Later, Brennan reported on his fact-finding mission into the status of Plaza Del Mar and said he was comfortable with its management company’s plans.
“These fellows clearly would like to make this thing work,’’ he said.
Brennan said the plaza is part of a real estate package with 11 other malls that is owned by an out-of-state pension fund. Its customer traffic is around 2,500, though; a fast-food restaurant requires 3,000, he said.
“The bridge thing is going to aggravate it, but not that much because they don’t really get much cross-bridge traffic,’’ Brennan said.
He said stories of potential tenants being turned away are not true, but that the management firm will not give information to callers who refuse to identify themselves. He also said the plaza cannot be foreclosed on because it is bundled with the other malls.
“What they’re looking at right now is to try to attract a food-type store that is willing to take the gamble on this subscale traffic,’’ Brennan said. “The other thing that makes sense if they can pull that off is a drive-through bank-type configuration.
“But as a high-end, retail, storefront plaza, it’s a tough haul,’’ he said.
At the March 23 strategy session, commissioners will not follow strict rules of procedure, which constrained their November workshop on the water plant, Evans said.
“We will just chat. We will just talk,’’ Evans said “We’ll have an agenda, of course, but we won’t have microphones, and we won’t have this    formal setting.”              

By Liz Best

OCEAN RIDGE —  Michael N. Pettinicchi of Ocean Ridge died Feb. 16. He was 90 years old.
Born in Lucito, Italy, Mr. Pettinicchi grew up in Waterbury, Conn. He and his wife, Elizabeth, raised their three children in Cheshire, Conn.
He was a World War II veteran, a retired U.S. Army colonel and a senior tax examiner for the state of Connecticut.  Later he was a partner in Michael J. Pappa Associates and Waterbury Beef Foodland Supermarket.
The Pettinicchis  moved to Ocean Ridge in 1980, where they invested in real estate, according to their oldest son, Michael Pettinicchi of Fort Lauderdale.
“He drove to the office [in Boynton Beach] every day, right up to the day he died,” he said.
Mr. Pettinicchi’s family will remember his love of Italian food and his willingness to help others.
“He was always there for us, “said Michael Pettinicchi. “He was sort of a homebody kind of person … And he enjoyed his food. We all do.”
In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Pettinicchi is survived by a daughter, Diana Pettinicchi of San Francisco; a son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Anna Pettinicchi of Cheshire, Conn.; three grandchildren; and a sister, Josephine Guastaferri of Prospect, Conn.
A funeral mass was held Feb. 22 at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach. Entombment with full military honors was held at the Boca Raton Mausoleum.
The family asks that donations in Mr. Pettinicchi’s memory be made to Hospice of Palm Beach County, 5300 East Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33407, or to the charity of your choice.