News

Delray Beach City Manager David Harden reflected on Boca Raton when he announced his retirement after 22 years.
“I encountered a lot of Boca envy when I came in 1990,” Harden told city commissioners at a July 17 meeting. “People were ashamed to admit that they had a Delray address,” said Harden, the longest-serving city manager in Palm Beach County.
    Delray won the prestigious All-America City award twice during Harden’s tenure. He said the envy between Boca Raton and Delray Beach has switched.
    “To see that totally reversed is of great satisfaction to me,” Harden told commissioners. “Now Boca wants to be like Delray.”
    Harden, who turns 70 in November, listed construction of the tennis center and relocation of Atlantic High School as his two most challenging projects. The city also eliminated flooding problems, built or rebuilt four of its fire stations, expanded parks and landscaped medians under his direction.
    Harden said he inherited a sense of hopelessness on the city’s west side in 1990. “While many challenges remain in race relations, I find that residents in those neighborhoods are hopeful for a better future,” he said.
    Harden will leave his job in January.
—  Tim Pallesen