Candidate profiles compiled by Steven J. Smith
Related Story: Commission candidates talk sea rise strategy at forum
One three-year term and a partial one-year term are contested this time around for the Ocean Ridge Town Commission. The top vote getter receives a three-year term and the runner-up gets a one-year term, which is the remainder of Jim Bonfiglio’s term. Bonfiglio resigned his seat to run for the Florida House. Seats are at-large.
Steve Coz
(Incumbent)
Personal: 61; Cum laude in English & classics from Harvard University; full-time Ocean Ridge resident for 32 years. Married, three grown children.
Professional: President of Coz Media since 2004, serving clients in the health field.
Political experience: Three years on the Ocean Ridge Town Commission and was appointed mayor in late 2018; has also served on the town’s Planning and Zoning Board and Board of Adjustments.
Positions on issues: Wants to hire a permanent town manager; concerned about population growth, town drainage, protecting beaches, traffic-related issues.
Quote: “I’m running again because I have experience. We have a relatively young commission and I’ve helped them deal with town matters for the last three years. I’m very familiar with the town, the challenges the town faces and the residents of the town. I’m also familiar with our various neighborhoods. We face challenges and I feel I can best help our town successfully overcome those challenges.”
Susan
Hurlburt
Personal: 63; Attended the University of Florida and graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a bachelor’s degree in art history with a minor in art education; full-time Ocean Ridge resident for five years. Married, three grown children.
Professional: Retired; spent her career in museum administration as a curator and gallery director at the Fort Lauderdale Museum, the Boca Raton Museum and the Schmidt Gallery at FAU. Also went into interior design and ran an antique shop in Delray Beach called Bad Blonde Designs.
Political experience: Never held public office, but was appointed to Delray Beach’s Historic Preservation Board, serving for nearly a decade. She also served 12 years on the Beach Property Owners Association in Delray Beach.
Positions on issues: Supports managed growth; concerned with aging infrastructure; wants to preserve the town’s quality of life; favors emphasis on environmental protection.
Quote: “I believe in proactivity. If I’m going to be part of a community, I want to be the part of it that speaks up, listens, hears the issues and works toward making everything better. I love my town. That’s why I’m running. I want to preserve and protect our slice of heaven.”
John D.
Lipscomb
Personal: 60; Graduated from Columbia College in Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in business and a minor in marketing; full-time Ocean Ridge resident for six years. Married, two grown children, three stepchildren.
Professional: Realtor with The Presson Group for the last year. Also a property manager for the Villas of Ocean Ridge and author of two books — The Painting and the Piano and Through Jasper’s Eyes.
Political experience: None.
Positions on issues: Wants to see more preparedness for climate change; concerned about flooding; wants a city sewer system; supports mitigation of beach erosion.
Quote: “I’d like to speed up the process of the way things work in Ocean Ridge, so that we don’t get caught behind the eight ball in terms of being prepared for climate change. Ocean Ridge is a great town and I want to keep it the way it is. We’re the best-kept secret in Florida. I want to preserve our town and keep developers from coming in and overrunning things. I’m big on technology. I think that can help us a lot, in terms of modernization.”
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