By Steve Plunkett

    The city’s plans to renovate Rutherford and Lake Wyman parks — revised to appease their Golden Harbour neighbors — have new opponents: the two new commissioners of the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District.
    Commissioners Craig Ehrnst and Erin Wright, who took their seats in January, were dismayed to learn the proposal includes adding two double boat ramps at Rutherford with a parking lot for 38 boat trailers.
    “I would just hate to see a boat ramp put into that natural habitat there,” said Wright, who frequents the park with her two young sons. “I think it would throw off the whole vibe back there.”
    Ehrnst also was critical.
    “Putting all that concrete and a boat ramp in there — I just have a lot of hesitation to do something that is so permanent,” he said.
    Jennifer Bistyga, the city’s coastal program manager, updated the beach and park commission Feb. 6 and asked members if they would finance part of the $6.5 million project. The district had agreed to contribute $250,000 for the earlier plan, which would have cost $3.5 million, with all but $500,000 coming from the Florida Inland Navigation District and Palm Beach County.
    Commission Chairman Robert Rollins said the Beach & Park District has since committed millions of dollars to potentially acquiring the Ocean Breeze golf course, installing artificial turf at Patch Reef Park and building a new community center at the Swim and Racquet Center.
    “We have a lot of projects on our hands already,” Rollins said.
    Vice Chairman Steve Engel agreed.
    “I don’t see how we can, given what’s on our plate right now,” he said.
    City Council members endorsed building the boat ramps in October.
    The ramps are the biggest change to the Lake Wyman proposal. Gone in the revised plan is a seagrass basin that would have been scooped out of a spoil island that FIND owns. Among other concerns, Golden Harbour neighbors feared the project would bring seagrass-munching manatees too close to boats docking at a proposed day slip.
    “We don’t want to submerge it anymore, but we want to create a coastal hammock,” Bistyga told the beach and park commissioners. “We haven’t gone too far into what we do there, but it will be all upland, there will be no submerging of lands.”
    The revised plan still calls for removing invasive plants, restoring wetlands and a mangrove habitat, restoring and expanding a canoe trail, and extending Rutherford’s boardwalk to Lake Wyman Park.
    At a Feb. 27 workshop, City Council members were loath to take money from FIND. Any project FIND finances must be open to residents of all 12 coastal counties that pay its taxes.
    City residents “are eager to see us do the improvements. They’re not eager to share them,” council member Robert Weinroth said.
    Arthur Koski, the Beach & Park District’s executive director, said commissioners may have money to put toward everything but the boat ramps by 2021, “anywhere from zero to $2 million,” if the city can wait until then. Bistyga’s timetable has construction starting in 2019.
    Bistyga also updated commissioners on the city’s waterfront master plan. Fort Lauderdale-based EDSA Inc.’s first task was to visit all city-owned waterfront parcels and the district-owned Ocean Strand property.
    “Now they’re going to develop ideas that could be passive park ideas, maybe additional boat launch facilities — not motorized boats but kayak and paddleboards — looking at even just enhancing components of Red Reef east [of A1A], maybe some pavilions,” Bistyga said. “So the consultant now is looking at everything.”
    The second task is public outreach, and Bistyga said she hopes something is scheduled in March. EDSA will take that public input and develop conceptual plans for Spanish River, Red Reef and South Beach parks and Ocean Strand.
    The city is also looking to turn its Wildflower property into a passive park, she said.

    The city of Boca Raton’s municipal election will take place March 14, as five candidates will compete for two seats on the City Council. The winners will serve three-year terms.

Profiles compiled by Steven J. Smith

Council Seat A

Patti Dervishi
    Personal: 70; attended Florida International University in Miami; Boca Raton resident for 30 years; unmarried, no children.
    Professional: Was a flight attendant for 20 years with Northeast Airlines and Delta Airlines; worked as a commercial restaurant equipment factory rep.
    Political experience: No political offices held, but worked as a volunteer in the last four presidential elections and for former City Council member Anthony Majhess. Worked as a citizens’ advocate for the City Council for 10 years on development plans.
    Positions on issues: Concerned with planning and zoning issues; believes limits should be placed on development; interested in preserving parks and beaches.
    Quote: “I would like to see that the zoning and planning board become elected officials instead of appointed by the City Council, because I think it’s a conflict of interest. I think our citizens’ rights should come first. The City Council always votes in favor of developers. The current City Council has been in bed with developers for the last 10 years.”

Scott Singer
(incumbent)
    Personal: 40; Harvard University, A.B. cum laude, Government; J.D., Georgetown Law; Boca Raton resident for six years; married, two children.
    Professional: Served as a business lawyer with law firms Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Davis & Gilbert before founding his own practice. Previously was a strategy consultant for Monitor Company, now part of Deloitte. 
    Political experience: First elected to the City Council in 2014; also serves on the state Sober Homes Task Force and policy committees for the League of Cities at the state and county levels.
    Positions on issues: Continue to give Boca residents a seat at the table through outreach and partnership with residents; guard against overdevelopment; protect neighborhoods; enhance green space and waterfront parks and properties; foster innovative solutions for traffic and congestion; keep taxes low; expand support for local schools; maintain public safety; expand economic development efforts; cut red tape.
    Quote: “I’m proud of my work in partnering with residents and bringing needed change to Boca on development and planning issues and look forward to continuing to work together to improve our quality of life, protect neighborhoods, enhance green space, support schools, create more high-paying jobs and ensure a brighter future for Boca Raton.”

Council Seat B

Emily Gentile
    Personal: 65; attended SUNY Suffolk and participated in a management program in IT at Grumman Aerospace Systems; Boca Raton resident for nine years; engaged, two adult children and two grandchildren.
    Professional: Executive business consultant in the financial arena for such companies as Chemical Bank, Chase Manhattan, American Express, Discover Card and Bank of America.
    Political experience: No political offices held, but a current officer of the Beach Condominium Association of Boca Raton and Highland Beach since 2015 and a former president of Children’s Home Society (2001-2004). Also a past chair of the Business Improvement District steering committee, vice-chair of the Downtown Advisory Committee and a member of the Historical Preservation Board. In addition, she currently sits on two committees at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
    Positions on issues: Wants to focus on growth management and traffic congestion in the city; maintain the integrity of local beaches and parks; continue art in public places; encourage business development in the city; keep local labor pool talent local; keep millage rate and taxes low.
    Quote: “I was just endorsed by Councilman Michael Mullaugh, whose seat I’m running for, as well as the firefighters and paramedics. I’m also being honored by Women in Communications for my city and community leadership. My tagline is, ‘Together we can make Boca better.’ That’s what I’m focusing on.”

Andrea Levine O’Rourke
    Personal: 69; B.F.A. in graphic design from Florida Atlantic University; Boca Raton resident for 37 years; married, one child and one grandchild.
    Professional: Owned a desktop publishing and communications business before being tapped by the Chamber of Commerce to be director of communications. Was also director of student services for Harid Conservatory.
    Political experience: No political offices held, but served on the Downtown Advisory Committee (2010-2017). Also served as secretary, then chairman, of the Federation of Boca Raton Homeowners Associations (2011-2017) and was on the board of the Boca Raton Police Department Crime Watch in the early 2000s. Has also served as captain for the Boca Raton Bowl, based at FAU, since its inception in 2013.
    Positions on issues: Concerned with traffic congestion and population density.
    Quote: “I’m interested in responsible, sustainable growth. I think residents need a voice at City Hall. I’ve been a spokesperson for the residential community and I consider myself to be an advocate for the residents of Boca Raton. The officials are the caretakers of our city and I want to make sure that we move forward with responsible, sustainable development and growth for the legacy we leave in the future.”

Andy Thomson
    Personal: 34; B.S. in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech, J.D. from University of Miami; Boca Raton resident for one year; married, three children.
    Professional: Business litigation lawyer with Baritz and Coleman.
    Political experience: No political offices held, but has served as a board member for the Metropolitan Planning Organization since 2016.
    Positions on issues: Public safety — wants to make sure first responders have all the necessary resources and training; preservation of beaches and parks; keeping taxes low.
    Quote: “I am a big believer that elected officials are elected to represent all of their constituents — not just their neighbors and friends, but everyone. It’s my pledge to represent all 90,000 people in Boca. I believe strongly that we are one city with one voice. That’s how I plan to govern.”

    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.”

By Steve Plunkett

    Mayor Susan Haynie painted election rival Al Zucaro as a visionless complainer; Zucaro in turn said that under Haynie’s watch, problems in the city never get resolved.
    And so it went at a candidate forum Feb. 6 sponsored by the Federation of Boca Raton Homeowner Associations, which also featured questions to the five candidates running for two City Council seats.
    Haynie said her efforts had brought millions of dollars to Boca Raton from the federal, state and county governments, particularly on Interstate 95.
    “I can guarantee you, once that Spanish River interchange opens [on I-95 this fall], we are going to see real solutions in our community,” Haynie said.
    But Zucaro attacked the planning behind the project.
    “That interchange will be a failed roadway the day it opens. It will have more trips on it than its capacity can handle. This isn’t good planning,” he said.
    Zucaro, an immigration lawyer and former city commissioner in West Palm Beach, said he began watching politics in Boca Raton in 2009 shortly after he married local philanthropist Yvonne Boice and moved here.
    “The politics in Boca Raton are really pretty ugly,” he said, recalling the 2012 race in which four City Council members, Haynie among them, appeared in a TV commercial supporting colleague Anthony Majhess’ opponent.
    Haynie said her tenure on the council had led to strong relationships with former Boca Raton mayor and current County Commissioner Steven Abrams, with former council member and current state Rep. Bill Hager, and with U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, who in 2007 defeated Zucaro to keep her job as mayor of West Palm Beach.  
    Zucaro said Boca Raton needs to do a better job of attracting Fortune 500 companies to the city.
    “There is no story teller as to the greatness of Boca Raton, and it is a great city. That’s one of the things I would absolutely do to increase employment, to increase economic viability and to increase the attractiveness of this community as a relocation [site] for jobs,” said Zucaro, who stepped aside as publisher of the BocaWatch blog to run for office.
    Haynie said the council had hired an economic development officer and was pleased to hear her opponent say he loved the city.
    “We are the envy of many communities because of the wonderful things that we have here,” Haynie said.
    Scott Singer, the only incumbent in the council races, called himself “a leader who listens.”
    “I stood alone when necessary to protect residents’ interests,” Singer said, citing his stances against increasing density in the proposed University Village project by Florida Atlantic University and against a 45-year lease of the Wildflower property on the Intracoastal Waterway.
    His opponent for Seat A, Patty Dervishi, a real estate agent and vice president of the Golden Triangle Homeowners Association, said she was running to break up the party being thrown by and enjoyed by council members and developers.
    “Together we will bring the power back to the people,” Dervishi said.
    The race for Seat B to replace Michael Mullaugh, who is term-limited out, pits Emily Gentile, an officer of the Beach Condominium Association and former chairwoman of the city’s Business Improvement District task force, against Andrea O’Rourke and Andy Thomson.
    “As far as we know, I’m the only candidate from the barrier island in about 30 years,” Gentile said. “I am your candidate from the beach, but I’m willing to serve all the citizens — all 90,000 citizens in Boca Raton.”
    O’Rourke, a graphic designer, president of the Golden Triangle HOA and former editor of the BocaWatch website, said she was “a voice of reason” who has taken stands against overdevelopment and for green space.
    “I know so many of you, and so many of you have heard me speak. I will focus my attention on the residents of Boca Raton,” she said.
    Thomson, an attorney, calls himself “a product of Boca Raton”: His parents met as students at FAU.
    “There’s a charm and a character to Boca that is so unique. But growth is going to happen. We have to have rules in place to make sure that the growth that will happen is reasonable, sustainable, structured, so that our city can succeed,” Thomson said.
    The forum was recorded and is being rerun Mondays and Fridays at 7 p.m. and Saturday mornings through March 13 on Comcast local government Ch. 20, AT&T U-verse Ch. 99 and Hotwire Ch. 395.
    The election will be held March 14. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

By Rich Pollack

    Highland Beach voters will be visiting a new polling place when they select a mayor and two commissioners on March 14, and they’ll see more names on the ballot than they have in recent memory.
    In a town where candidates — especially incumbents — often run unopposed, the 2017 municipal elections mark a vivid departure from the past.
    Three candidates, Melissa Ebbs, Carl Gehman and Elyse Riesa, are vying for a two-year commission seat that opened up when Commissioner Carl Feldman decided to make a run for mayor.
    Feldman is running against former Vice Mayor Ron Brown for the mayor’s seat, which becomes opens this month when Mayor Bernard Featherman steps down due to term limits.
    In a race for a three-year term on the commission, incumbent Rhoda Zelniker is facing a challenge from architect Barry Donaldson.
    With the appointment of resident George Kelvin last month to fill the seat of Commissioner Lou Stern, who died on Feb. 8, residents are now assured of seeing at least two new faces on the commission and possibly four.
    One reason for the increased interest from candidates this year may be that there are two seats — the mayor’s seat and Feldman’s commission seat — that won’t be filled by the incumbent.
    But Feldman said he is intrigued by the additional interest.
    “I don’t understand this election at all,” he said, trying to explain why so many candidates are running this year. “The town is in great shape.”
    Feldman cites as successes the tax cuts residents have enjoyed for two consecutive years as well as a more collegial attitude among commissioners.
    But Brown, his opponent, thinks the increased interest may be a reflection that some in town are seeking change.
    “I think this commission has pursued a path different from what residents want,” he said.
    Perhaps the biggest change residents will notice when they cast ballots this month is a switch in the polling location.
    As a result of a dispute between Gehman and leaders of St. Lucy Catholic Church, which has hosted the town’s only polling location for many years, town commissioners decided to move the election to the town library.
    To maximize available parking at the town’s municipal complex — which includes the library and Town Hall — town leaders are taking steps to reduce the inconvenience, including limiting the number of town offices open during the election.
    The decision to move the polling place came after church leaders revoked permission to use the facility because of a verbal skirmish with Gehman, who said the church was supporting another candidate. He was upset that a meeting he requested to ask for equal time was canceled at the last minute.
    Church leaders later reversed course and sent word that voters would be welcome, but town commissioners decided to stay with a plan to move the polling place to the library.
    The church came under fire from some residents again last month amid complaints that signs favoring certain candidates were allowed in front of church property and visible to A1A. In response, church leaders asked that all signs be taken down.Ú    
The Highland Beach municipal election will be held on March 14 at the town’s public library, 3618 S. Ocean Blvd. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

    Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the town of Highland Beach is bringing back its Spring Fling community event with food, entertainment and a variety of vendors.
    Set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 25 in the Town Hall parking lot, the free event will also offer residents an opportunity to securely shred important documents, register pets with the Police Department should they get lost or stolen, and hear a musical performance at 12:30 by soloist Errol Dante. There will also be craft-making opportunities for children.
    Commissioners will be cooking up hot dogs and soft drinks will be available, all at no cost to residents. There will also be samples from local restaurants.
    Close to 20 vendors, including Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market and Florida Power & Light, will be on hand to offer information and items for sale.
    To find out more, call Town Hall at 278-4548.

—Rich Pollack

By Rich Pollack

    Highland Beach town leaders last month appointed George Kelvin, an active Highland Beach resident and a commission candidate in 2012, to fill the commission seat that opened with incumbent Lou Stern’s death in early February.
    “George is a man who is very low-key, ethical and honorable,” Mayor Bernard Featherman said.
    A regular at commission meetings since running against Stern five years ago, Kelvin, 89, has served the town on the Code Enforcement Board and the Board of Adjustments and Appeals.
    “He’s put his time into this town and knows the town,” Commissioner Carl Feldman said.
    In nominating Kelvin to fill the vacant spot, Vice Mayor Bill Weitz pointed out that Kelvin has said he had no plans to run for office after serving the one year left in Stern’s three-year term.
    An artist who earned an international reputation as a science and medical illustrator, Kelvin came to South Florida almost two decades ago from Long Island, where he worked with magazines such as Scientific American, Fortune, Science Digest and Hospital Practice.
    A veteran who was drafted in 1945 during the tail end of World War II, Kelvin last year created a flag for Highland Beach that recognizes veterans and their contributions to the country as a whole.
    “I felt that as a community, it’s important for us to recognize the sacrifices of veterans every day, not just on holidays,” said Kelvin, who donated his time and expertise to the project.
    Kelvin said he will focus his energy in the next year on “serving the best interests of our community” and keeping the town beautiful.

By Rich Pollack

    Civilian employees in Highland Beach, in a 9-5 vote, agreed to form a union and be represented by the Florida State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police.
    During an election Feb. 2 in which 18 civilian town employees were eligible to vote, four workers chose not to cast their ballots, according to the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission, which oversees the process.
    Fraternal Order of Police state representative Joe Puleo said the union is now able to begin contract negotiations with the town on behalf of all the eligible civilian employees.
    “Everyone in the bargaining unit will get the benefits of the contract, but no one is obligated to join the union,” Puleo said.
    Among the employees included in the collective bargaining unit are some in the public works, finance and building departments as well as some working in the public library, the town clerk’s office and at the water treatment facility.
    The Tallahassee-based Florida State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police currently represents the town’s police officers, but Puleo said the two bargaining units would negotiate separate contracts.
    Town civilian employees initiated steps to form a union last summer during budget discussions in which town commissioners agreed to make changes to health insurance coverage and other benefits.
    Puleo said he expects contract negotiations with the town to begin shortly.

By Mary Hladky

    Crocker Partners was hoping for quick action in December when the developer asked a city board to approve ordinances that would set the stage for 2,500 rental units and a Tri-Rail station at Midtown just east of the Town Center at Boca Raton.
But its ambitions for a “live, work, play” transit-oriented development have since slowed.
    Crocker was to present the Planning & Zoning Board with more information on Jan. 19 but asked for a delay until Feb. 9, after neighboring homeowner associations voiced objections. The developer made no presentation at that meeting, and the board canceled its Feb. 23 meeting.
    As of the end of February, the city and developer could not say when Crocker would appear again before the board, and two public hearings have not been rescheduled. City Council approval also is needed.
    Crocker Partners managing partner Angelo Bianco and Michael Marshall, a shareholder with the GrayRobinson law firm who represents Crocker, said the city decides when matters are placed on meeting agendas.
    City spokeswoman Chrissy Gibson said the city is awaiting additional information from Crocker.
    Politics undoubtedly plays a role. Voters will decide who will fill the mayor’s and two City Council seats in the March 14 election, and development is a big issue in the campaigns. BocaWatch, a citizens group that opposes what it perceives as city overdevelopment and endorses candidates, has voiced objections to such a large number of rentals.
    Crocker, meanwhile, is reaching out to nearby residents to win their support and get their input. About 300 people attended a recent meeting the developer held at the Crocker Center.
    “There will be a lot of outreach,” Marshall said. “Our client is trying to come up with a development program that will fall under the zoning the city is processing. That is what we are reaching out to the neighbors for.”
    Crocker has not put forward a development plan. Rather, it is seeking city approval of ordinances that would allow a transit-oriented development and residential units in an area where they are not now allowed. If that happens, Crocker could move ahead with a plan.
    One reason Crocker wanted to move quickly was that Tri-Rail had set a March 17 deadline to commit to additional funding for the proposed new commuter rail station that is critical to the developer’s vision of Midtown.
    But with zoning changes sought by Crocker not yet approved, the developer may miss that deadline to show it can achieve a transit-oriented development.
    “We haven’t heard anything final from Tri-Rail,” Marshall said on Feb. 22. “Hopefully, there is going to be an opportunity to secure funding. Right now, it is a hope.”

    The race for Highland Beach mayor pits Ron Brown against Carl Feldman. The winner will serve a three-year term.

Profiles compiled by Steven J. Smith

Mayor

Ron Brown
    Personal: 70; graduated from Indiana University with a degree in business management, then graduated from Troy State University with a master’s degree in international relations; 16-year resident of Highland Beach; married, one child.

    Professional: Fighter pilot in the Air Force from 1972-1996; commercial pilot for United Airlines from 1996-2006. Now retired.

    Political experience: Vice mayor of Highland Beach from 2012-2015.

    Positions on issues: Replace town walkway; improve commission’s relationship with town employees; improve drainage system; improve the use of advisory boards and committees; negotiate for land that would be converted into a passive park; replace town signs; preserve green space.

    Quote: “I look forward to hearing the concerns and solutions of our residents so that we can protect and beautify Highland Beach. I want our commission to be a more active listener as far as improving our residents’ quality of life.”

Carl Feldman
    Personal: 77; graduated from the Massachusetts Apprentice Program with a degree of journeyman tool and die maker and tool die designer, then received a degree in manufacturing and engineering from Northeastern University; resident of Highland beach for 17 years; married, two children, four grandchildren.

    Professional: In 1980 he formed Millstar, Izar and Galaxy Technologies, three tool manufacturing companies, with distributors in the United States, Asia and Europe. He sold those companies in 2000.

    Political experience: Served on Highland Beach Town Commission since 2013; member of the town’s Planning Board from 2005-2007. Served on the Cultural Board from 2007-2008.

    Positions on issues: Security and safety; community enhancement; financial stability; infrastructure maintenance; having a strong town administration.

    Quote: “I want to continue the fine job the commission has done over the last couple of years. It’s your town, your money, your vote. As mayor, I want to improve and maintain the focus of our town as a first-rate beachside residential community. I intend to provide excellence in government and service. We have well-trained and responsive employees and a large base of volunteers and leaders who are dedicated to our residents. I will continue to maintain all that is needed to ensure the high value of properties that we now experience.”

    There are two commission seats to be filled in Highland Beach in this election. Barry Donaldson and Rhonda Zelniker are running for the three-year seat, while Melissa Ebbs, Carl Lee Gehman and Elyse Riesa are running for the two-year seat.

Profiles compiled by Steven J. Smith

Three-year term

Barry Donaldson
    Personal: 67; graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in architecture; 15-year resident of Highland Beach; married, two children.

    Professional: Architect with his own firm, Donaldson Group Architects, which he formed in 1989.

    Political experience: Chair of the Board of Adjustment and Appeals for four years.

    Positions on issues: Work with the DOT on flooding on A1A; bike safety; traffic density on the turn lane for Linton Boulevard; advocate for A1A walkway improvement and wants to see it expanded into a linear park; wants Milani Park put back into the control of Highland Beach; wants to acquire additional property for future needs of the town; volunteer boards need to strengthen their criteria for appointments; more support for Friends of the Library; advocates Private Art in Public View, a project to elevate town’s status and visibility.

    Quote: “Over the next three years, the Town Commission is going to be asking the residents to consider various issues affecting green space, planning, zoning, code enforcement. My question is why would you not want an architect on the Town Commission representing your best interests in those discussions?”

Rhoda Zelniker
(incumbent)
    Personal: 70; attended Hofstra University; resident of Highland Beach for 17 years; married, two children, five grandchildren.

    Professional: Worked for 25 years in the corporate furniture industry with managerial experience including budgeting and finance, operations management, showroom design, personnel and public relations.

    Political experience: Two and a half years as Highland Beach town commissioner; president of the Regency Highland Condo Association Board.

    Positions on issues: Keeping taxes and millage rates low; wants town services improved; supports a line item budget review; pushed for the water-sewer project; supports code enforcement; concerned with flooding on A1A; advocates for improved roads, bike paths and crosswalk lighting; wants to preserve green space.

    Quote: “I would like to see the inclusion of more people in the political process. I stand for voter input and the right of our residents to be heard. I would like to have more old-fashioned town meetings in accessible places within the community, where residents can tell us the issues and problems they have.”

Two-year term

Melissa Ebbs
    Personal: 36; graduated from the University of Miami and the University of London, where she received a bachelor’s degree in surgery and her M.D.; 31-year resident of Highland Beach; married, no children.

    Professional: Internist practicing only in London, England, several weeks a year.

    Political experience: None, but has served as a member of the Highland Beach Code Enforcement Board.

    Positions on issues: Protecting green spaces; ensuring safety; wants to be involved in the upcoming streetscape project; maintaining financial stability; wants to introduce more community events; wants to organize health seminars at the library; wants to keep beaches and coastal waterways beautiful.

    Quote: “I’m passionate about preserving our beautiful town. I want to engage with the community and address the needs of its residents. I also want to improve communication between the residents and Town Hall, which has been pretty poor.”

Carl Lee Gehman
    Personal: 68; attended two years of Lancaster Business School, Lancaster, Pa.; four-year resident of Highland Beach; married; four children, seven grandchildren.

    Professional: Served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam (Purple Heart); was a sales and marketing manager for 30 years; invented and currently markets the Roller Tanner, a device used to apply oils, creams, medications and cleaning agents.

    Political experience: None, but served as president of Highland Beach Villas Homeowners Association from 2014-2016; member of the Code Enforcement Board from 2015-present.

    Positions on issues: Maintaining pristine beaches, walkways, seascape; wants to buy back Milani Park from Palm Beach County.

    Quote: “We have the most beautiful town in America and I want to give back to the community and be the voice of Highland Beach. I want Highland Beach to be one of the most fun and enjoyable towns to live in. I want to preserve our seascape and shores and protect our wildlife.”

Elyse Riesa
    Personal: 65; graduated from Queens College with a bachelor’s degree in education and got her master’s degree from George Washington University in government program management; 10-year resident of Highland Beach; married with two children.

    Professional: Managing director and global vice president for AT&T (1972-2001); vice president of sales and development for CableOrganizer (2001-2007); CEO of Value Tech Supply (2007-2012).

    Political experience: None, but was a member of the Beaches and Shores Advisory Board from 2011-2015. Member of the Planning Board.

    Positions on issues: Preserving Highland Beach quality of life; maintaining beautification and continuing streetscape projects; advocates beach cleanup efforts; supports code enforcement; wants to maintain low tax base in effect for last two years.

    Quote: “I have been the team leader of the town’s Community Emergency Response Team since its inception and have attended commission meetings regularly. I’m a strong advocate for continuing to advance town policies of lowering taxes and increasing services to its residents, including beautification of its walkways and promoting cleaner beaches.”

By Rich Pollack

    HIGHLAND BEACH — Lou Stern loved making a difference.
    A Highland Beach town commissioner when he died Feb. 8 at 82, Mr. Stern was someone residents called on when they needed a friend in their corner.
    “Lou fought for residents and he fought for the town,” said his wife of 54 years, Carol. “He loved being a commissioner in Highland Beach, he absolutely loved it.”
    Along with being an advocate for individuals, Mr. Stern was a strong advocate for causes in which he believed.
    For 36 years, he served on the board of the National Council for Adoption, an organization serving as a national voice for adoption concerns, working on behalf of children, adoptive parents and birth parents.
    The father of an adopted son, Mr. Stern served as chairman of the organization’s board five times for a total of 13 years and was the only person to receive three of the organization’s highest honors. The last of those honors, and the one of which he was proudest, was the Ruby Lee Piester Adoption Award, a lifetime-achievement recognition presented to him and Carol in November 2015.
    A man who earned a reputation for being the voice of reason, Mr. Stern became involved in Highland Beach soon after he and his family moved here in 1997 from Philadelphia, where he had been a manufacturers’ representative for several jewelry lines.  He was active in his small homeowner association in the Camino Cove community, serving for many years as its president, and first got involved in local government when drafted by then-Commissioner Doris Trinley to apply for a position on the town’s Planning Board.
    Mr. Stern served on that board for six years, becoming its chairman. After being forced to leave due to term limits, he made an unsuccessful bid for a seat on the Town Commission, losing to Dennis Sheridan. The two would later become close friends. In 2012 he tried again and won. He was re-elected in 2015 without opposition.
    “Lou loved being involved in the community,” Carol Stern said. “He had good ideas and people listened to them.”
    Though he served on the commission during some tumultuous times, Mr. Stern fought for civility and unity.
    “He was kind, generous and straightforward,” his wife said. “He liked to laugh and he was just fun to be around.”
    In addition to his work with the town, Mr. Stern was active in the local Republican Party.
    He drew praise from fellow commissioners, who are making plans to honor his memory. Ideas being discussed include putting his name on a bench near his home and creating a collage of photos to be placed in Town Hall.  
    “Lou did a lot of constructive things for the town,” Commissioner Carl Feldman said. “He was just a great guy and we all loved him.”  
    In addition to his wife, Mr. Stern is survived by two children, Lawrence Stern and Natalie Kolton; a granddaughter, Danielle Kolton; and a sister, Sally Epstein-Piccone.
    In lieu of flowers, make a donation to the National Council for Adoption, 225 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314 or to a charity of your choice.

By Emily J. Minor

    BOCA RATON — Dr. Stela Tudoran, a longtime ear, nose and throat doctor in Boca Raton who began her career in the United States after escaping communist Romania with her 4-year-old daughter in 1968, died Feb. 20 after a brief illness. She was 81.
    Born Dec. 5, 1935, in Arad, Romania — close to the eastern border of the former Yugoslavia — Dr. Tudoran practiced medicine under the Communist Party in Romania before packing very few belongings, taking her little girl and escaping with doctored papers into what is today Serbia.
    Her husband, Gregory, joined them in Italy a few weeks later after hatching his own dangerous escape plan.
    At the time of her death, the couple had been married 54 years.
    “She was a very strong woman,” Gregory Tudoran said. “She had courage to go through such danger.”
    For Daniela Tudoran, today a dentist in Boca Raton, that mother-daughter journey almost 50 years ago has always been part memories, part family lore.
    “I do remember her praying and praying,” she said.
    According to daughter and father, Dr. Tudoran and Daniela traveled as another man’s wife and daughter — altering the photos and stamps on the family’s non-Romanian passport to look as though they were a family. Daniela, of course, was too young to realize she should not speak. Not one word.
    Her Romanian jabbering would have blown their cover.
    So her mother gave her a sleeping pill.  “[Stela] was so worried because [Daniela] slept for so long,” remembers Gregory Tudoran.
    As it turned out, when it was their turn to be questioned, a skirmish with other travelers diverted the guard’s attention and Dr. Tudoran and Daniela slipped through without questioning. Gregory Tudoran said his wife always believed that stroke of luck was God’s work.
    Once in the U.S., the family settled in Chicago while Dr. Tudoran worked on her American medical training and residency.
    In 1976, after visiting Florida, the couple opened her medical practice in Boca Raton. Except for a short time in Pompano Beach, they’ve always lived in Boca Raton.
    Daniela Tudoran said she remembers the professional challenges her mother faced when she joined the local hospital staffs in those early years.
    “She had to change in the nurse’s room,” Daniela Tudoran said. “She was a foreigner. She had an accent. And she was a woman.
    “People weren’t always very nice to her.” But her patients were devoted, and they loved her, Daniela Tudoran said. Although she stopped doing surgery about 10 years ago, she was still seeing patients, her husband said.
    In addition to Dr. Tudoran’s husband and daughter, a son-in-law and four grandchildren survive her. Daniela Tudoran said the only thing her mother loved more than her patients were her grandchildren.
    Services were Feb. 25. She was interred at Boca Raton Cemetery & Mausoleum.
    The family asks that memorial donations be given to First Care Women’s Center, 3965 Jog Road, Lake Worth, FL 33467 or Boca Raton Community Church, Romanian Missions, 470 NW Fourth Ave., Boca Raton, FL 33432.

By Sallie James

    The hot-button issue of building height and how it affects residents who live on the barrier island near East Palmetto Park Road is cooling off.
    City Council members at their meeting Feb. 28 approved an amendment that establishes a 30-foot height limit on future construction in the area’s business district east of the Intracoastal Waterway and adjacent to East Palmetto Park Road. The amendment was crafted to quell residents’ fears that towering new buildings would mar the area’s unique ambiance.
    Specifically, the 30-foot height limit would apply to all structures east of the Intracoastal Waterway. Buildings west of the Intracoastal could rise to a maximum height of 50 feet if city officials determine the additional height is “not injurious” to surrounding property.
    The amendment was approved about three months after plans for the Chabad of East Boca to build a sprawling orthodox synagogue and museum in the area were halted in the wake of a series of court rulings. Height was a hotly contested aspect of the proposed worship center and museum.
    The synagogue/museum project came to a grinding halt after the 4th District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach declined to hear an appeal to allow the proposed 18,000-square-foot project, at 770 E. Palmetto Park Road. Chabad of East Boca had filed the appeal after a lower court in June ruled the city erred in allowing the project because zoning in the area did not permit a museum.
    Residents on the barrier island protested the synagogue and museum because of the project’s size, parking concerns, and proposed height, nearly 41 feet.
    The newly approved height limits along East Palmetto Park Road were established to eliminate similar conflicts in the future.
“This is sort of a very resident-friendly amendment to the ordinance,” said Glenn Gromann, a member of the city’s Planning and Zoning Board, which also reviewed and recommended the height amendment.
    Resident Kevin Meaney was thrilled with the city’s action.
    “I live on the barrier island and my main concern is the barrier island and the homes adjacent to the B-1 [zoning]. I would like to support this being passed to protect those residents on either side of the road,” Meaney said.
    “We’ve come a long way,” he said at the Feb. 28 meeting.

Beachgoers walk by dredging equipment on South Beach Park. The beach renourishment project

between the Boca Raton Inlet and Red Reef Park has resumed after a nine-month hiatus.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

    City officials hope to move sand that has shoaled in the Boca Raton Inlet back north to the partially renourished beach it came from, but Hillsboro Beach officials claim the state mistakenly issued a permit for the work.   
    The town, just south of Deerfield Beach in Broward County, says Boca Raton’s plan will disrupt the natural flow of sand south and wants the Department of Environmental Protection to revoke its approval.
    Boca Raton City Council members at their Feb. 14 meeting approved spending $2.4 million to move 80,000 cubic yards of sand north to the renourishment area between the inlet and Red Reef Park, and 100,000 cubic yards south between the inlet and the Broward County line.
    City Manager Leif Ahnell asked council members to waive normal purchasing procedures so he could hire Weeks Marine Inc. to do the inlet dredging without going out to bid. Weeks returned in February to finish the central beach renourishment project it started in March 2016 but stopped in late April. The city’s permit does not allow dredging between May 1 and Nov. 30 to protect nesting sea turtles.
    “This is not original work intended for the contractor,” Ahnell said. “Sand has flowed down from the central beach project to the inlet and this is to remove a large portion of that.”
    Hurricane Matthew contributed to the erosion, he said.
    Councilman Scott Singer elaborated.
    “So, it’s right to say that we had sand fill up in the inlet faster than expected, we’re taking steps to remediate that quicker than expected, we have to spend more money and that was all because of weather events and the waves and tides pushing sand where we didn’t expect it,” Singer said.
    The central beach renourishment will cost about $11.3 million. The state and county will pay about $4 million. The city and the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District agreed to split the remainder, about $3.7 million each. The project will make about 1.45 miles of beach between Red Reef Park and the inlet 170 feet wider.
    Jennifer Bistyga, the city’s coastal program manager, said Weeks would finish the 2015 renourishment project first, then work on the inlet shoaling provided the DEP permit stands. All work must end April 30.
    Boaters have been complaining since last summer about the Boca Inlet being dangerously shallow.
    “The use of the ebb shoal for beach renourishment aids the boaters in addition to renourishing the beaches,” Bistyga said.
    Ken Oertel, a Tallahassee-based attorney for Hillsboro Beach, told that town’s commissioners their protest would stop Boca Raton from moving the sand dredged from the inlet north.
    “It’s pretty well-known that Hillsboro Beach doesn’t believe Boca Raton is passing enough sand,” Oertel said.
    The Department of Environmental Protection dismissed Hillsboro Beach’s petition on Feb. 23 but gave the town 15 days to refile its challenge. The petition did not explain how Boca Raton’s proposed dredging would affect the town’s environmental interests, the DEP said.

By Steve Plunkett

    The sale of the Ocean Breeze golf course to the public and the addition of more sports fields at De Hoernle Park have official blessings from the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District and the City Council.
    Meeting together for the first time in 21 months, council members told district commissioners they support negotiating with Lennar Inc. to buy the golf course, which is inside city limits and surrounded by the Boca Teeca condominium complex.
    “This is a deal that the city and the district will not pass up,” Beach & Park District Commission Chairman Robert Rollins said.
    The two boards also agreed to move forward on building more grass fields at city-owned De Hoernle. The district will pay all construction and maintenance costs.
    But at the council’s regular meeting following the joint session, Council member Jeremy Rodgers said he wanted to replace one of the proposed soccer-sized sports fields with four beach volleyball courts with a shelter and restroom. Council member Scott Singer said the park also needs a lighted pickleball court.
    The two boards will meet again April 24 to decide how much to offer Lennar for its golf course.

By Rich Pollack

    Valerie Oakes knows local government.
    The daughter of a mother who worked for the town of Palm Beach for 17 years and a stepfather who worked for several small towns, Oakes grew up listening to talk about public service at the dinner table.
    Oakes, who turns 31 this month, has been working for small towns since she was 18, doing everything from setting up records-management systems and working as a code enforcement officer to serving as a town clerk.
    Late last month, the Highland Beach Town Commission officially promoted Oakes from interim town manager to permanent town manager, approving a contract that includes a $133,000-a-year annual base salary plus a $600-a-month car allowance.
    The decision to elevate Oakes from the job she has been doing since the departure of former Town Manager Beverly Brown in early September was unanimous and largely supported by members of the community.         
    “Valerie is the right person for this town at this time,” said Vice Mayor Bill Weitz. “We’ve had several months to evaluate her in this position and she’s excelled at every possible skill level.”
    Weitz said often leaders must decide when filling a position based on résumés and short interviews. Having Oakes serve in the interim job for several months, he said, gave the Town Commission an advantage.
    “We have a person who we know is professionally competent and able to perform at the highest level,” he said.
    Oakes said she, too, has benefited from serving as interim town manager.
    “It gave me the confidence I needed to know that I could do the job,” she said.
    Oakes said she wasn’t sure at first whether to apply for the manager position in part because she really enjoyed being town clerk, a position she held for nearly two years after having served as deputy town clerk for seven years.  In fact, Oakes continued to serve as both town clerk and interim town manager since September, staying in her small office in front of Town Hall rather than moving to the larger manager’s office not so visible to the public.
    During her time as interim town manager, Weitz said, Oakes has helped raise staff morale and improved communication with the commission and residents.
    “She is fair, objective and professional,” Weitz said. “She leads the operation without getting involved in the politics.”
    Resident John Boden, who has been working to make crosswalks along State Road A1A safer, said he was impressed with Oakes’ organizational and management skills.
    “Valerie has the ability to keep herself and those working with her organized even with many balls in the air at the same time,” he said.
    A single mother of two, Oakes is working toward a bachelor’s degree in public administration while working full time. Her career in local government began when she was right out of high school and started a contractual job working with Lake Clarke Shores, setting up its records management system. She later moved to Royal Palm Beach, where she served as a building-permit technician before being promoted to code enforcement inspector.
    It was her next move, to the small town of Haverhill, where Oakes got the chance to see the inner workings of local government firsthand, serving as the assistant to the town administrator who was also the town clerk.
    “I was in the middle of it all,” she said.
    In 2009, she accepted the deputy town clerk’s position in Highland Beach, working directly for Brown.
    She has served as president of the Palm Beach County Municipal Clerks Association and on several of the association’s committees and has worked closely with clerks from other communities, something she said will benefit her in her new job.
    During her time in Highland Beach, Oakes has gotten to know many of the residents and the issues facing the community.
    “She’s been very loyal to this town and its clear she loves this town,” Weitz said.

Tracy Gunn’s soap business in Delray Beach has projected annual sales of more than $12 million.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

    Before she brought her burgeoning handcrafted soaps, bath bombs and scrubs business to South Florida, Tracy Gunn’s story had all the makings of an Emmy-winning, well, soap opera.
    Just seven years ago Gunn was a single mother on the verge of homelessness, unable to find work after losing a longtime job in a recession-driven layoff.  
    Five years later, she was a successful soap-business owner whose entire supply of product was washed away in the rain when a tornado tore the roof off her building.
    Not long after that, she was sidelined by shingles.
    Through it all, Gunn dusted herself off and rebounded to the point where she now has a thriving business with projected annual sales of more than $12 million. It is tucked away in a small Delray Beach shop on North Federal Highway — The Naked Mermaid Soapery — that is easy to miss, even if you’ve been there a few times.
    “I never gave up,” Gunn says. “I wanted it to succeed so much and wanted it so badly that I refused to quit.”
    With sales growing at a rapid rate and her wholesale UR Bath and Body business churning out about 10,000 bars of soap, 10,000 scrubs and 8,000 bath bombs a month, Gunn is reconfiguring her 2,500-square-foot store as more of a production facility.
    The Naked Mermaid Soapery, however, will continue to exist as a small retail area out front.
    “The public can come in and buy our handcrafted soaps and other products and see us actually making it,” Gunn said.
    Gunn’s soaps and bath bombs — which add natural oils and bubbles to bathwater — come in a variety of scents and colors unique to her company. They are made with all-natural ingredients and are produced by a team of about six staff members and Gunn, who, when not making soap, is on the road or on the phone reaching out to boutiques and other potential customers.
    A Jacksonville native whose father was a horse trainer, Gunn ended up in Oklahoma as a single mom with two boys. She worked for nine years selling pharmaceuticals used to treat large animals such as horses and cows, mostly from a home office so she could be with her sons.
    Her sales were good enough to support the family — and then some — until the recession hit. In 2010 her company laid off 400 employees, including Gunn.
    “I kept saying, ‘I’ll find another job,’ but I was over 40 and no one was hiring,” she said.
    Two months behind in the rent, with only $100 in the bank, she spent $32 to buy soap-making supplies and started the business.
    “I was so naïve and so unaware,” she said. “I had no idea what running a business entailed but I wanted to be with my children.”
    The work at first took over the house, with the kitchen becoming a soap factory and the living room becoming the shipping area. Gunn made soap during the day and spent her nights sending dozen of texts and other messages to boutiques around the country to offer her products.  
    Eventually the business outgrew the house and Gunn was able to move it into an older building in nearby Oklahoma City. Then in May 2015, a tornado struck the area.
    “I lost everything,” she said.
    The stress of having to refund money to customers and trying to rebuild got to her and she came down with shingles.
    After weeks of lying on her couch and watching “Blue Bloods” reruns, she decided to try to start the business again — this time in New York City.
    Although that didn’t work out, she connected with a homeless shelter for women in the Bronx. While she was there she heard one of the leaders constantly praising women, saying things such as “You are beautiful” and “You are brave.”
    That inspired the UR brand and led her to hire 17 women from the shelter for a short time to help her sell soaps at a holiday market in the city.
    It was her sons’ athletic abilities that led her to pick up and move to South Florida about a year ago. One son, Laken Hinton, 17, is an aspiring professional golfer whose coach is in Delray Beach. The other son, Logan Hinton, 19, is a hockey player who trains in Coral Springs.
    If there is a lesson in Tracy Gunn’s story, it is one of persistence.
    “I have failed over and over again,” she says. “You can’t imagine how many times I had run out of money.”
    Those days, it seems, have now been washed away thanks to sweet-scented soap.

    Naked Mermaid Soapery, 271 NE Sixth Ave., Delray Beach; 403-5950, www.urbathco.com. Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

By Janis Fontaine

    The Jewish Women’s Foundation of South Palm Beach County will host its 2017 Granting Wishes award announcements and reception at 5:30 p.m. March 15, at Boca Rio Golf Club, 22041 Boca Rio Road in Boca Raton.
    The guest speaker is author Ellen Brazer, the recipient of Hadassah’s Myrtle Wreath Award, an honor also bestowed on the late Maya Angelou. Brazer’s new book, The Wondering Jew, My Journey into Judaism, tells the personal stories that helped Brazer understand her faith, its complicated, mysterious nature and its dichotomies — reward and punishment, good and evil, love and hate.
    Brazer’s first book, Hearts of Fire, released in 2000, is a saga set in Germany and Poland that follows two families, one Jewish and one Gentile, from pre-war Paris to post-war Russia. Her 2009 book, Clouds Across the Sun, was named one of Amazon.com’s best Holocaust-related novels. And So It Was Written, published in 2012, is praised as a well-researched foray into historical fiction set around 132 CE.
    In the past three years, Brazer has spoken to more than 6,000 people at venues across the country. She was recently invited to join the Jewish National Fund Speakers Bureau, and she especially enjoys speaking about angels and reincarnation.
    The JWF’s 2017 grants fund programs that create social change, especially initiatives that help women and children in the areas of education, health, abuse prevention and economic security. JWF trustees who contribute a minimum of $2,000 per year for five years determine the programs to fund. Over the last 13 years, the JWF has awarded more than $1.2 million to local organizations.
    Guests will also enjoy an array of hors d’oeuvres, desserts and wine. Tickets are $85. For information or tickets, visit jewishboca.org/grantingwishes, call 852-3188 or email lisbethc@bocafed.org.

For your health
    Trinity Lutheran Church & School is hosting a Community Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 11 at the school, 400 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. The theme — “Just for The Health of It” — covers all aspects of healthy living. Exhibitors, live demonstrations in fitness, healthy eating, dancing and yoga, as well as children’s activities are planned. For more information or to exhibit, call 276-8458.

Make a visual prayer
    Unity Church of Delray hosts Treasure Mapping Day from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. March 11 in Mary Kupferle Fellowship Hall, 100 NW 22nd St., Delray Beach. Charlene Wilkinson will guide participants in making a treasure map — a collage of pictures and words — to help find their treasure.
    Sometimes called a vision board or a visual prayer, this collage is a powerful tool to help focus both your conscious and subconscious mind on a particular goal. Bring magazines, pictures and words that are meaningful to you and represent your primary goal for the coming year, and include a picture of yourself.
    Scissors, poster board and glue will be provided. A love offering will be taken.
    For more information, visit www.unityofdelraybeach.org/events.php.

Pig roast fundraiser
    Cason United Methodist Church will host its first Pig Roast from 1 to 8 p.m. March 12 at the church, 342 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach.  
    The event is a fundraiser supporting Next Step’s upcoming mission trip to Sumpango, about an hour from Guatemala City, where volunteers are working with residents to expand a church building. They also serve at a local HIV orphanage and make home visits to pray and share their faith with Guatemalan families.
    The Pig Roast features pulled pork, cornbread, salad and dessert, plus vendors, games and music. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for children, or go all out with the $25 all-you-can-eat option.
    For more information, call 276-5302 or visit www.casonumc.org.

Join the discussion
    Dr. Nasir Ahmad, the imam at the Masjid Al-Ansar in Miami, joins Canon Tom O’Brien, from the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, and Rabbi Howard Shapiro, rabbi emeritus of Temple Israel, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. March 14 for Interfaith Dialogues. This panel discussion brings these experts of different faiths together for a discussion of timely, important topics. This is Ahmad’s first year on the panel. He also serves as the assistant regional imam for the southeast United States.  
    Hosted by the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the topic this month is “The Meaning of Israel to Jews, Christians and Muslims.” The event takes place at Bethesda-by-the-Sea, 141 S. County Road, Palm Beach. Admission is free for fellowship members and $10 for nonmembers. For information, call 833-6150 or visit www.palmbeachfellowship.net.

A Joe-Paddy party
    The annual Joe-Paddy Festival celebrating the feasts of St. Joseph and St. Patrick will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. March 16, on the campus of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, 10701 S. Military Trail, Boynton Beach.
    Enjoy traditional Italian and Irish food and drink under the big-top tent with live entertainment by Echoes of Erin and Msgr. Stephen Bosso and St. Vincent’s seminarians. A silent auction and a separate live auction are planned.
    Tickets are $50 and are available online at www.svdp.edu/events. For more information, call 732-4424 or email smelancon@svdp.edu.

Ongoing
    The Palm Beach Friends Meetinghouse, 823 North A St., Lake Worth, hosts “A Course in Miracles” study group each Wednesday at noon. The reading of a passage from the workbook opens a discussion. This free event is sponsored by Lisa Stewart and John Vincent Palozzi. For information, call 585-8060 or visit www.palmbeachquakers.org
    The Interfaith Cafe is a monthly gathering of people from diverse faiths to discuss topics of common interest. In February, Cantor Stephanie Shore led a discussion of how music moves our spirit and the importance of music in different forms of worship. The group meets from 7 to 9 p.m. the third Thursday of the month at the South County Civic Center, 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach. Light refreshments are served. The meeting is free, but donations are appreciated. For information, email Jane@Aurorasvoice.org.

Looking ahead
    Mark your calendar for CROS Ministries’ Raise a Glass to End Hunger from 6 to 9 p.m. April 19, at Old School Square’s Fieldhouse, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. The evening will feature beer and wine tastings, food pairings, raffles and a live auction. Supporters include DaDa, Caffe Luna Rosa, Lemongrass, Scuola Vecchia Pizza, Route 128, Due-South Breweries. Info: crosministries.org.

    Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at janisfontaine@outlook.com.

Dervi Ganesh-Baluyot and her father, Selva Ganesh, are surrounded by snapshots of newborns

he has delivered in his decades as an OB/GYN physician. The family’s practice is in Boynton Beach.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Lona O'Connor

    From an early age, Dervi Ganesh could hardly miss the positive effect her father’s medical practice had on his patients’ lives.
    “People tell me, ‘I knew your parents before you were born,’” she recalled. “He was in the Atlanta airport once and somebody rushed up to him and brought out pictures of a baby he had delivered.”
    In due time, Dervi Ganesh, now 32,  went to medical school at the University of Miami and now practices in Boynton Beach with Selva Ganesh, her father, and Jan Ganesh, her mother, a psychologist. The couple lives in Gulf Stream.
    Their waiting room is filled with pregnant women, and the walls of the small office are covered with photos of newborns, some of whom are the fourth generation Selva Ganesh has delivered over his more than 40 years as an OB/GYN.
    Now Dervi Ganesh-Baluyot, who lives in Lake Worth, is married and expecting her first child. She joined the Ganesh practice earlier this year. Her younger brother, Devin, is an orthopedic surgeon married to an emergency room doctor.
    “It’s a happy profession, both for me and my brother,” Dervi Ganesh-Baluyot said. “I don’t think of it as a job or a duty. It’s a privilege.”
    The daughter has also joined her father in teaching and mentoring students from the University of Miami medical school, who regularly visit the Ganesh offices to see patients.
    Jan Ganesh has a general practice, seeing patients of all ages and both genders for couples counseling, addiction and other issues. But she takes a particular interest in postpartum depression.
    “We screen [patients] throughout the pregnancy as well as postpartum,” she said.
    The medical staff is alert for signs of depression, which can appear as early as the first trimester of pregnancy. Then there may be a need for a family conference with counselor and gynecologist.
    “We might bring in the mother and the grandmother and an aunt, to form a support system,” she said.
    Kathleen Weigel has been a patient of Selva Ganesh for about 20 years. Then she met Dervi and Devin Ganesh when they were students in the international baccalaureate program at Atlantic Community High School, where Weigel was principal. Weigel is now dean of education at Lynn University.
    “I made a lap quilt for Jan because she’s always cold in the office,” Weigel said. “Now I’m making a baby quilt for Dervi.”
    Selva and Jan Ganesh make a strong team.
    “They are both very observant and they collaborate on how to help the patient holistically,” Weigel said. “I have referred a number of people to them and they touch people’s lives.”
    Selva and Jan Ganesh met 41 years ago when both were starting their careers, working at a women’s center.
    While Jan Ganesh was working on her Ph.D., Selva Ganesh worked with Planned Parenthood and started a rape crisis clinic. He also did rape exams for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office at JFK and Bethesda hospitals and testified at trials.
    They opened their practice in Boynton Beach in 1975 and, though they’ve moved a couple of times, have stayed within a mile of their original office.
    During the last 42 years, Selva Ganesh was the doctor for Katie Barber’s mother and grandmother, delivered Katie Barber, and is scheduled to deliver her child this year.
    “He’s known my entire family,” said Barber, a lawyer. “He delivered my nieces and my cousins. They all say, ‘Tell Dr. Ganesh we said hi.’”
    The Ganesh offices are in downtown Boynton Beach, a short drive to Bethesda Medical Center, which Selva Ganesh praises for its ability to handle high-risk pregnancies. The UM students have been able to observe a variety of conditions they might never see during their education, including postpartum cardiomyopathy, a rare form of heart failure that can prove fatal to new mothers.

‘Love for the field’
    At 70, Selva Ganesh says, “I need to work for my head, for my health. I see patients all day and I go home happy.”
    He had been up all night with a delivery and was back at work the next morning after a four-hour nap.
    “He has such a love for the field,” said Dr. Gauri Agarwal, UM regional dean. “The pace is fast, and it can get wearing. But he has passion and excitement, a sense of humor, he’s very kind and knowledgeable and down-to-earth.”
    With Selva Ganesh already on her teaching faculty, Agarwal was quick to urge Dervi Ganesh-Baluyot to join after she completed her studies.
    “Dervi was a student of mine from her first year,” Agarwal said. “She’s a tough teacher, with high standards. But she’s one of the students’ favorite teachers because she is so clear about expectations and so engaging. When she came back to practice with her dad, I said, you have to join the faculty. The students love both of them.”

Lona O’Connor has a lifelong interest in health and healthy living. Send column ideas to Lona13@bellsouth.net.