By Cheryl Blackerby
The two runoff candidates for the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District’s Seat 5, Steven Engel and Tom Thayer, have different positions on important issues facing the district. Voters will select one of them on Nov. 6.
Hot topics: Should private development such as members-only beach clubs be allowed on public-owned beaches? The Fourth District Court of Appeal in September ruled against the district and city and gave a citizens group the green light to put on the ballot a charter amendment prohibiting private development on public beaches. And should the district raise fees on park and beach facilities as the city of Boca Raton wants it to?
In the first election Aug. 14, Engel got 4,266 votes (47.6 percent); Thayer had 3,425 votes (38.2 percent); and real-estate agent Felipe Marti had 1,281 votes (14.3 percent). The terms are for four years.
Tom Thayer
TOM THAYER
Personal: Thayer, 69, has a bachelor of science degree from Oregon State University. He has lived in Florida since 1964, and in the Boca Raton area since 1978. He is married, with two children and three grandchildren. He was two-time Flotilla Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 3-6 in Boca Raton.
Professional: A licensed real-estate broker, he owns Thayer Properties in Boca Raton, was a U.S. Navy pilot and is a retired pilot for Delta Air Lines.
Political: This is his first attempt for elected office. He was vice chairman of the Boca Raton Marine Advisory Board from 2001 to 2012.
On why he ran: “Because of my involvement for 10 years on the Marine Advisory Board, we had a working relationship with the Beach and Park District. I attended meetings, and obviously have an interest in the parks, recreation and facilities.”
On private development of public beaches: “It’s a moot question. They (the citizens group Keep Your Beaches Private) want to force a public referendum. It will be the only item in March, and it will cost the city $100,000. It’s ridiculous for the city to appease private interests.”
On raising park facilities fees: “I’m opposed to doing away with fees. User fees are needed for maintenance.” Until the user fee was implemented at Silver Palm Park, the only boat launching facility in Boca Raton, “We had numerous Broward County boaters using Silver Palm Park instead of Pioneer Park in Deerfield, due to its proximity to the Boca Raton Inlet. This created parking problems at Silver Palm Park due to the length of vehicles and boat trailers. The user fee solved the problem.”
Steven Engel
STEVEN ENGEL
Personal: Engel, 62, has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from City University of New York. He is married, with two children and one grandson. He moved to Florida from New York six years ago, and has lived in Boca Raton four years.
Professional: A senior advertising consultant to Forum Publishing Group. He owned a real-estate appraisal firm in New York.
Political: This is his first run for elected office. He’s a precinct leader for the Palm Beach County Democratic Party.
On why he ran: “Boca Raton has the most beautiful parks and best recreational facilities for our size in the country. I feel my experience as an appraiser can make a contribution. One of the things that has drawn me to the district is that it is debt-free. I do believe in pay as you go.”
On private development of public beaches: “I’m opposed to private development on beaches paid for by the public. They are there for the public; we can’t allow private development. You get a short-term fix in rental revenue, but you really don’t have any control. We have a responsibility to maintain control.”
On raising park facilities fees: “I agree with the board. I believe residents are already paying taxes for those facilities. User fees are effectively a double tax for the same service.“
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