Two win commission seats without opposition

A businessman and an attorney won seats on the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea commission Tuesday, when they filed to run for open seats and no one opposed them.

Edmund Malkoon, a regular at town meetings and a real estate businessman, and Randolph Strauss, a personal injury lawyer, will be sworn in as commissioners after the March 13 election. They’ll fill the commission seats of Chris Vincent and Mark Brown, who are now competing for the mayor’s seat. Qualifying for the election noon Tuesday.

Mayor Scot Sasser announced in October that he would not seek re-election.

Commissioner Elliot Sokolow drew a challenger for his seat and will face Alan Bluestein in March.

Commissioner Buz Oldaker is the only commission member whose status remains unchanged this election.

All the seats are by voters citywide.

Brown was a town commissioner until Dec. 13, when he resigned to run for mayor. Vincent, a current commissioner, is term-limited in his seat. ended at elected

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is situated on the coast between Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach, and between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. About 6,000 people call it home year-round. In the winter, when seasonal “snowbirds” return to the tropical climate, the population blossoms to more than 10,000, according to the town.

The mayor presides over meetings but does not operate the town. It is run by a professional town manager, Bud Bentley.

bwallman@sun-sentinel .com, 954-356-4541 or Twitter @BrittanyWallman