Meet the candidates
By Steve Plunkett
A League of Women Voters forum held March 1 for mayoral candidates left no doubt who of the two is the newcomer to city politics.
Running are Susan Whelchel, who was first elected to the City Council in 1995, has also been vice mayor and is finishing her first term as mayor, and Linda Spurling Gruneisen, who has never held office.
Several times Gruneisen told forum moderator Sally Robinson that she either didn’t have an answer or didn’t know the subject.
“I don’t have my mind made up on any of the major issues that I know some of the people desire to have an answer to,” Gruneisen said when asked about development on North Federal Highway. “But what I can tell you is that I have a good background of experience making decisions.”
Whelchel, on the other hand, had some specifics.
“Actually, there’s a lot of good hope at the moment because there is a project that is kind of working its way through the system right now on the Levitz property, which is the area of course that we had hoped earlier, back a year or two before, was going to be redeveloped.”
Gruneisen said she was “not a fan of red-light cameras” based on her encounters with them in Europe.
“I am very concerned about having police work as tax collectors for this city,” Gruneisen said. “I would like a stronger police presence, a more visible police force out there, as a caretaker and a friend of the people that live here.”
Whelchel said Boca Raton’s plans for red-light cameras were on hold, but that the first county red-light camera would go up soon at Palmetto Park Road and Powerline.
“So you may not even notice if you’re in the city or the county when you run that first red light and get a ticket,” Whelchel said.
On annexing adjacent neighborhoods, Whelchel said Boca Raton would not do it unless it financially benefited the city.
Gruneisen said it was another topic she was not familiar with. “I’m sure I’m up to the task of evaluating it objectively, fairly and to the benefit of the city of Boca Raton,” she added.
Summing up, Whelchel said, “We live in an outstanding, beautiful community that is considered a premier city. We have fabulous hospitals, we have fabulous universities, a great quality of life, outstanding public schools, a wonderful fire-rescue services, AAA bond rating, the lowest tax rate in the county and wonderful cultural arts.
“And I intend to keep it that way.”
Gruneisen said she was proud to be part of the political process.
“As I’m sure all of you noticed, I’m not a professional candidate here, I’m not a professional career politician, but I’m very, very glad that I’m here,” Gruneisen said. “There’s been a great deal of interest on the election this cycle. … I hope that in the future we will always have this much interest in our elections, because it’s a very important aspect of living
in America.’’ Ú
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