By Rich Pollack
Highland Beach has a new town commissioner — but he won’t be there for long.
During a special meeting last month commissioners unanimously voted to appoint David Stern, chairman of the town’s Financial Advisory Board, to temporarily fill the commission seat vacated by Peggy Gossett-Seidman, now a state representative. Stern, who did not file to run for the remaining year of Gossett-Seidman’s term, will serve only until next March’s municipal election. But he did not rule out running for a commission seat in the future.
In selecting Stern for the vacancy, commissioners cited his extensive experience serving on several town boards as well as his overall involvement in the community.
“You probably know this town better than anyone else,” Commissioner Evalyn David said.
Stern has served on the Financial Advisory Board for the past five years and lived in Highland Beach for more than 25 years, the last 21 in the Highland Place Condominium, where he is now president.
He previously served as chair of the Code Enforcement Board and the Board of Adjustment and Appeals, and served on the Financial Advisory Board from 2007 to 2009.
In 2012, he served on the Charter Review Board. He also served on a committee auditing the town’s water plant.
“You’ve done so much,” Commissioner John Shoemaker told Stern. “You know the town, you know our finances, you know code enforcement and you know the issues.”
During a brief interview with commissioners, Stern said the current commission is different from others because of its enhanced emphasis on strategic planning.
“It’s one reason for the progress,” he said, adding that he has watched every town commission meeting.
An executive in the retail industry, Stern told the story of how when he was hired to be a vice president of Ross stores, he was first required to work on the loading dock and as a sales associate and to shadow managers.
“It was a good lesson for any management job,” he said. “You can really understand what’s going on so you can make the right decisions.”
Asked why he had applied for the job, Stern pointed out that he will be off the financial board because of term limits and is looking for his next role in town government.
He said he had not sought a commission seat before because his past position as president of Temple Sinai in Delray Beach and his role as an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority took up much of his time.
Prior to selecting Stern, commissioners interviewed five other candidates, including three who are running for the open seat in March.
Those who qualified for the seat and interviewed for the interim position were Margarita Chappelear, co-chair of the Natural Resources Preservation Board; attorney and mediator Judith Goldberg; and retired radiologist Peter Kosovsky.
Also interviewed for the 3½-month position were Joshua Davidson, a member of the Natural Resources board, and Myles Schlam, who chairs the Code Enforcement Board. J. Blake Murray, a former code board member, was a candidate but missed the interviews.
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