For Boca Raton charter amendments, vote ‘Yes’
Democrat ‘looking into’ run against DeSantis in 2022
Boca Raton voters have two charter amendments to consider in the March election. The first increases residency requirements for council candidates. The second removes the fee that candidates must pay to qualify for office, replacing it with a petition-gathering process. Boca Raton voters should approve both.
Right now, to run for Boca Raton City Council, a candidate need only live in the city for 30 days prior to the first day of the qualifying period. (For the March 9 election, that was Dec. 1 through Dec. 10 of 2020). Under the amendment, candidates would have to be residents for a year before the qualifying period begins.
Someone who has lived in Boca Raton for just 30 days cannot possibly have a grasp on the city’s many issues and has no business running for office, so extending the residency requirement is a good idea. Perhaps more importantly, the amendment would disqualify anyone whose homesteaded property lies outside the city.
Call this last provision the Anti-Korn Amendment, for local gadfly Bernard Korn who claims city residency at the post office on Northwest Second Street. His actual, homesteaded residence is west of State Road 7, far outside the city limits. Yet by using this post office address, Korn has run for election in 2018, 2020 and this year, as well. Korn rails against what he perceives as corruption at City Hall, but ironically, it’s his duplicity that demands tighter restrictions on city elections.
The second proposed charter amendment, if approved, would do away with the candidate qualifying fee and replace it with a petition process. The fee isn’t thousands of dollars, like those paid by candidates for statewide office. Still, $359 for city council or $459 for mayor isn’t cheap. We recognize that a successful campaign, even for local office, requires thousands of dollars. But on principle, government should not place financial barriers before those who want to run for office.
If approved, this amendment would require candidates to instead gather the signatures of at least 200 registered city voters. Such a requirement would be no trouble for moneyed candidates who can throw petition gatherers at the challenge. But it would also allow hard-working citizens to demonstrate their determination and support for a seat on the city council.
Boca Raton voters should approve both proposed charter amendments. Boca Raton City Council members should be from Boca Raton. It’s not too much to ask.
Nikki Fried, Florida’s only statewide elected Democrat, offered a preview Tuesday of next year’s race for governor, blasting out a video slamming incumbent Republican Ron DeSantis’ handling of the COVID19 pandemic.
Fried has said she is “looking into” running for governor, but she has not officially announced. The South Florida native is seen as a leading contender for the Democratic nomination in 2022 to challenge GOP Gov. DeSantis.
In the video posted on Twitter, Fried accuses DeSantis of “lashing out at everyone else as if he were the victim” and giving “blind allegiance to an insurrectionist.”
“Let me say this to all Floridians,” Fried says over the soft backdrop of piano music. “You are loved. We feel your hurt. Florida can and will do better. As the Biden administration puts science first, and we turn the corner on this pandemic, I promise I will continue to fight for you and hold the governor accountable.”
Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner, has stopped short of declaring her candidacy. Florida Consumers First, Fried’s political committee, paid for the video.
“While Commissioner Fried is considering her next steps, she remains focused on working hard for Florida’s farmers, consumers, and families,” said Max Flugrath, a Fried spokesman.
Fried, 43, was the only Democrat to win statewide elected office in 2018. DeSantis defeated former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew
Gillum by about 32,400 votes.
Republicans fired back at Fried’s video.
“Nikki Fried is desperate to be coronated as the Democrat nominee for governor, but instead of making her intentions clear, she’s hiding behind a veiled announcement video filled with politically motivated lies,” Joanna Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the Republican Governors Association, said in a prepared statement.
The Republican Party of Florida sent out a fundraising email, seeking to collect
“$500,000 in the next 24 hours to END her gubernatorial campaign before it even takes off.”
State Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, said Fried has served with “dignity” and a “steady hand.” He hasn’t decided who he’ll support for governor next year, but he said Fried would be a strong contender.
“I know she is focused on her role right now,” said Jones, a friend of Fried’s. “I am no betting man, but I can bet you will see Nikki Fried on the field.”
Fred Guttenberg, a Parkland parent who campaigned for Fried in 2018, said he’s hopeful Fried will formally declare her candidacy soon.
“She is the only statewide elected official who has really spoken up about the ravages of COVID and the need for a better response than Floridians have received,” said Guttenberg, whose daughter, Jaime, was one of the 17 killed in the Parkland school shooting. “Florida would be in a better place right now if it had a Gov. Fried as opposed to a Gov. DeSantis.”
Other Democrats seen as considering a run for governor include former Florida governor and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, Orlando state Rep. Anna Eskamani and Miami state Sen. Jason Pizzo.
As a close ally of former President Donald Trump,
DeSantis is expected to avoid a serious primary challenger.
DeSantis is rumored to have presidential ambitions
in 2024 if Trump doesn’t run again.
DeSantis has said he’s focused on leading the state and not looking ahead to a
presidential run.
Skyler Swisher can be reached at sswisher@ sunsentinel.com, 561-2436634 or @SkylerSwisher.