Ex-deputy mayor to run again

Former deputy mayor Michael Mullaugh is seeking to rejoin Boca Raton City Council after a sitting councilman decided to run for Palm Beach County Commission.

Four candidates are seeking Seat D: Mullaugh, former candidate Armand Grossman and political newcomers Monica Mayotte and Dr. Paul Preste.

For Seat C, incumbent Jeremy Rodgers will face newcomer Kim Do.

Seat D

Mullaugh and Grossman said they qualified to run at the last minute Wednesday after they learned Councilman Robert Weinroth decided not to run for re-election.

“I never intended to run against an incumbent,” Mullaugh said.

“Bob leaving creates a vacuum,” Grossman said.

Mayotte was on the city’s Green Living Task Force and is the sustainability consultant for JM Family Enterprises.

“I want to be another voice for the residents on city council,” she said. “Our elected officials need to ensure they take

quality of life issues like density, traffic, parking, school overcrowding, resiliency, and open green space, into consideration when decisions are being made for the city.”

Preste lives in Boca Raton. He has been practicing internal medicine for 38 years in Fort Lauderdale, he said. “Sometimes change is better,” he said.

Seat C

Rodgers, who is the deputy mayor, is seeking his second term on the council.

“I ran on a strong jobs and technology platform, for stopping over-development, and for getting the community back involved,” he said. “We have big challenges and opportunities … between our waterfront vision, and making sure Boca Raton remains an innovation and education hub.”

He also supports the sale of the closed, former Ocean Breeze golf course to keep a public golf course in the city, he said.

Do is a tax lawyer with an accounting degree.

She said her priorities are school overcrowding, quality of life issues, smart growth, environmental sustainability and protecting beaches.

Only registered voters who live within Boca’s city limits can cast ballots in the March 13 election.