chick behringer - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-28T12:15:48Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/chick+behringerBriny Breezes: Council appoints Loper to serve final year of late alderman’s termhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/briny-breezes-council-appoints-loper-to-serve-final-year-of-late-2022-02-02T17:33:18.000Z2022-02-02T17:33:18.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Related story: </strong><a href="https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/obituary-allen-chick-behringer">Obituary: Allen ‘Chick’ Behringer</a></p>
<p><strong>By Joe Capozzi</strong></p>
<p>In their first meeting since the Jan. 11 death of Alderman Allen “Chick” Behringer, Briny Breezes Town Council members offered tributes to his service and moved quickly to fill the vacancy. <br /> “He was outgoing, cheerful and friendly. He cared about people and he was accepting of everyone. He was a marvelous chef and if he were here he would have said, ‘Raise your glass and toast,’” said council President Sue Thaler, sitting next to Behringer’s empty seat at the start of the Jan. 27 meeting. <br /> “So please join me in a virtual toast and a moment of silence. Here’s to you, Chick. Thank you for all the love, the laughs and the good times you gave us.’’<br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10065735864,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10065735864,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}" width="101" alt="10065735864?profile=RESIZE_180x180" /></a>About a half hour later, council members appointed Briny Breezes resident Liz Loper to serve the final year of Behringer’s term, which expires in March 2023. <br />Loper, 70, who worked in retail before retiring, submitted a letter of interest in the vacancy after reading a notice in the Briny Bugle newsletter requesting candidates to serve the rest of Behringer’s term.<br /> By Jan. 27, she was the only person to express interest. The council could have waited another month to consider more candidates before a Feb. 24 deadline to appoint a replacement. But council members decided it was wiser to fill the vacancy as soon as possible, especially since they considered Loper a solid candidate. <br />Had the council failed to appoint a replacement by Feb. 24, the town would have needed to spend money to hold a special election. <br /> “I understand that I would never be able to replace Alderman Chick Behringer, but I would like to carry on in his place,’’ Loper said. “I am honored and looking forward to it.’’<br /> In other business:<br />• Town Manager William Thrasher received unanimous praise from council members in their annual review of his performance. <br /> When Thrasher was hired in January 2020, he was given permission to split time between homes in Boynton Beach and Andrews, North Carolina, an arrangement that council members said has worked well. <br /> “He has responded very quickly to things whether he was here or whether he was there,’’ Mayor Gene Adams said. <br /> “He brings professionalism to the town. I appreciate how he will share his experience and knowledge with council, but not push his agenda forward and leave it to the council to make that decision without any kind of pressure.’’ <br /> • The council directed Town Attorney Keith Davis to draft a charter change that will stagger the appointments of Planning and Zoning Board members over even- and odd-numbered years, replacing the current process of appointing all members at the same time.<br /> Council members endorsed the change to, among other reasons, ensure continuity of experience among members. Under the current process, “we could have a completely new board with no experienced members,’’ Adams said.<br /> If the change is approved, the staggered terms would take effect in 2023. <br /> • Ocean Ridge Police Chief Richard Jones will host a public meeting with Briny Breezes residents on Feb. 8 to discuss public safety and crime reduction efforts. The meeting will start around 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium following the Boating and Fishing Club meeting. </p></div>Obituary: Allen ‘Chick’ Behringerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/obituary-allen-chick-behringer2022-02-02T15:43:25.000Z2022-02-02T15:43:25.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong></p>
<p>BRINY BREEZES — When the Town Council had an open seat in 2016, Allen “Chick” Behringer stepped up and volunteered to fill it.<br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10065475679,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10065475679,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}" width="106" alt="10065475679?profile=RESIZE_180x180" /></a>He said Briny Breezes had been good to him since his first visit in 2002, and now that he had left Long Island and become a full-time resident, he wanted to try to do some good for Briny.<br />“I want to do something for the community which I happen to love,” he said. “I want to keep it as it is. I want to keep it functional.”<br />A retired salesman and entrepreneur, he brought a business sensibility to the council’s work. Mr. Behringer’s input helped the council create a town manager position, overhaul aging infrastructure, hire staff, write job descriptions and keep budgets balanced.<br /> Council President Sue Thaler said that, with a successful business career behind him, “he made very thoughtful contributions to Briny.”<br /> “He brought a different level of thinking to the council,” Mayor Gene Adams said. “He didn’t miss a meeting. Chick just did a great job.”<br /> The mayor said that when he and his wife, Alderwoman Christina Adams, moved to Briny, it was Mr. Behringer who reached out to them.<br /> “He was so welcoming,” Adams said. “You could see how much he loved the Briny community.”<br /> On Jan. 11, Alderman Behringer died in his Briny home, among family and with companion Kennedy O’Grady, after a brief battle with melanoma. He was 81.<br />“He enjoyed his work on the Town Council,” said O’Grady, his partner for most of the last decade. “His hobby was cooking, and he loved to entertain. He always added a laugh and was a wonderful, generous man.”<br />Alderman Bill Birch said he not only lost a colleague but a close friend.<br />“Chick was very intelligent, but he was not one of those people who spoke to hear himself speaking,” Birch said. “When he said something, it was worth hearing. His passing so suddenly is very upsetting.”<br /> Mr. Behringer and his wife of 48 years, Mary (McCourt), bought a home on Mallard Drive in 2008 and became year-round residents two years later. She died in 2013. <br /> They raised four children — Michael, Megan, John and Suzanne — with eight grandchildren: Nolan and Chloe Behringer; Connor and Katlyn Kestenbaum; Kerry, Jack, Ryan and Colleen Behringer.<br /> “He felt lucky to live by the sea and among friends,” said his daughter-in-law Megan Abate, Michael’s wife. “Chick was full of life, light and laughter. He lived by the ethos it is not the length of life but the depth of life which is most important.”<br /> Mr. Behringer was drawn to the ocean. He grew up in Oak Beach, New York, fishing with his older brother Neail, and was a member of the South Shore Marlin and Tuna Club. He enjoyed fish stories and those who told them.<br /> A graduate of American University and St. Leo Catholic Academy in Corona, New York, Mr. Behringer started as a salesman for the Burlington Corp. and then ran his own successful company, Mr. Sign, which manufactured signs and displays for businesses throughout the New York area. He attended Our Lady of Mercy Church in Queens and frequented the American Legion Hall there. His favorite charity was the Wounded Warrior Project.<br /> The family plans to hold a memorial gathering for Mr. Behringer in the Briny Breezes clubhouse beginning at 11 a.m. Feb. 5.</p></div>Briny Breezes: Council changes mind, will conduct charter vote after manager complainshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/briny-breezes-council-changes-mind-will-conduct-charter-vote-afte2020-12-30T15:54:55.000Z2020-12-30T15:54:55.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong></p>
<p>Town Manager Bill Thrasher was so disappointed by a Briny Breezes Town Council vote to postpone putting a charter amendment referendum on the March ballot that he considered resigning.</p>
<p>That was enough for the council to reverse itself and unanimously approve sending the issue of whether to have a formal town charter to voters in the next election.</p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8365616470,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8365616470,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}" width="96" alt="8365616470?profile=RESIZE_180x180" /></a>“Once I start a project I want to finish a project,” Thrasher said during a hastily called special council meeting on Dec. 22. “I don’t want to waste my time and I don’t want to waste your time.”</p>
<p>Thrasher said too much effort and time had gone into developing the amendments to delay the vote now.</p>
<p>The council agreed on reflection. President Sue Thaler said Thrasher was “too valuable” to the town to risk losing.</p>
<p>During the regular town meeting on Dec. 17, the council voted 3-2 to postpone the referendum until 2022 to avoid paying up to $10,000 for a special ballot from the Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor. Thrasher said that figure could be negotiated down and the town could use some of the $32,000 available in relief funding to cover the cost.</p>
<p>Aldermen Chick Behringer and Bill Birch joined Thaler in reversing their original votes to hold back the referendum.</p>
<p>The council learned earlier in December that, because no challengers came forward to take on incumbents for alderman seats, the town would have to pay for a special ballot to hold the referendum March 9.</p>
<p>Because Thaler, Mayor Gene Adams and Behringer went unchallenged during the town’s qualifying period, Briny would have had no other ballot issues in March.</p>
<p>Thaler at first said it made more sense to wait until 2022 for the town to put its charter amendments on the ballot — along with statewide and countywide races — and save thousands of dollars.</p>
<p>“For me, the entire motivation is cost,” Thaler said in arguing for postponement during the Dec. 17 meeting. “I think $10,000 is a lot of money for the Briny Breezes town budget.”</p>
<p>Alderwoman Christina Adams disagreed. She said the town had invested a lot of effort in developing the charter proposals and should move forward as planned.</p>
<p>“I’m leery of postponing this,” Adams said. “It’s taken the time of a dedicated committee and it’s taken the time of our attorney Keith Davis to put up this document.”</p>
<p>Alderwoman Kathy Gross joined Adams in voting not to postpone.</p>
<p>The amendments, if approved by voters, would give the town a formal charter, something it hasn’t had since its incorporation as a municipality in 1963. The proposed changes would give the town specific regulations, definitions and procedures for governance.</p>
<p>They would also define the job description of the town manager position and make the clerk an appointed position, not elected.<br /> </p>
<p>In other business at the Dec. 17 meeting:</p>
<p>• Thrasher earned glowing reviews from the council during performance evaluations as he completes his first year on the job.<br /> “He’s very methodical and thinks things through very well,” said Mayor Adams. “He answers your questions without pushing opinions.”<br /> Thaler said Thrasher “kept us on an even keel” during a difficult year dealing with COVID-19.<br /> “He brought a level of professionalism I don’t think we’ve had at Town Hall,” Behringer said.<br /> Council members agreed they had no problems with Thrasher’s performance during the summer, when he worked remotely from his home in North Carolina. The town ran smoothly, they said.<br /> “I wouldn’t have known if he was here or in North Carolina,” the mayor said.</p>
<p>• Adams said the Palm Beach County Health Department has scrapped plans to administer COVID-19 vaccinations in Point of Dispensing centers in municipalities.<br /> Instead, the public will get vaccinations through pharmacies, doctors’ offices and other health care providers, probably in the spring. <br />However, Adams said, the town has updated its POD agreement with the county, and the mayor hopes the cooperation will be bene- ficial for the next health emergency. </p></div>Along the Coast: Councils seat new members after decisions too close to callhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/along-the-coast-councils-seat-new-members-after-decisions2017-03-29T20:47:31.000Z2017-03-29T20:47:31.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong><span style="font-family:georgia, palatino;" class="font-size-7">Briny draws name</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><span style="font-family:georgia, palatino;" class="font-size-7">from bag to pick alderman</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times;" class="font-size-2"><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960709696,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960709696,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="600" alt="7960709696?profile=original" /></a></strong></span><em>Town Clerk pro tem Bobby Jurovaty grasps a piece of paper he pulled from a bag to decide a tie vote to fill</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>a vacant seat on the Town Council. It had Chick Behringer’s name on it. Town Attorney John Skrandel watches.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
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<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times;" class="font-size-2"><strong>By Dan Moffett<br /><br /></strong> For what is believed to be the first time in its 54-year history, Briny Breezes had to invoke Provision 32-32.15b to fill a seat on its Town Council.<br /> Provision 32-32.15b? That’s the section in the town’s code that tells how to handle things when council members deadlock over appointing an alderman.<br /> How do you handle things? The answer is somewhat biblical: You “cast lots,” the code says. <br /> It’s something Briny’s founders put in place to ensure the peaceful transfer of power. <br /> The events that sent Town Attorney John Skrandel digging through the rule book to find 32-32.15b came to a head during the March 23 meeting. Chick Behringer, who has served on the council for almost a year, and political newcomer Gerald Gross applied for the open council seat and tied 2-2 when the council members voted: President Sue Thaler and Bobby Jurovaty backed Behringer; Christina Adams and Jim McCormick voted for Gross.<br /> “I didn’t expect a tie,” Skrandel said. Neither did anyone else.<br /> To break the impasse, the attorney wrote the two applicants’ names on equal-sized pieces of paper and put them into a shopping bag. Jurovaty, who also serves as the town clerk pro tem, reached deep into the bag and pulled one out.<br /> It was Behringer’s, and he was ruled the winner of a two-year term.<br /> Before the lots were cast, the council offered both men the chance to apply for the open mayor’s seat. Both declined, with Behringer saying, “I thought I can do more good for the town if I kept my vote.” (The mayor doesn’t vote.)<br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960710691,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960710691,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" width="98" alt="7960710691?profile=original" /></a> To fill that opening, the council unanimously voted for a familiar face, Jack Lee, who served as Briny’s mayor from 2001 to 2007. James Arena also asked to be considered for the position but did not come to the meeting to lobby for it.<br /> As it turns out, a clerical misunderstanding made the use of 32-32.15b necessary. Town officials mistakenly thought McCormick’s seat was open for contest in the March 14 election but actually, it was Behringer’s. McCormick then filed to run to keep his seat — which he didn’t have to — and Behringer never filed to run to keep his — which he should have. No new candidates filed to challenge the incumbents, and so it fell to the council to fill by appointment the opening left by the mixup.<br /> Confused? So was Briny.<br /> During his tenure as mayor, Lee helped guide the town through several unsuccessful attempts from developers to buy Briny and build high-rise condos. He said working with Delray Beach and county officials to resolve problems at Dog Beach was his most significant achievement. Lee also said he was proud of the relationships he was able to establish with state legislators and the Florida League of Cities.<br /> “I’m good at building relationships,” he told the council.<br /> Lee, 67, has a long career as a mental health counselor and still practices.<br /> He has been living in Briny Breezes since 1958, when his family moved to Florida from suburban Chicago, an arrival that predates the town’s incorporation and the obscure but useful 32-32.15b.</span></p></div>