Support first-timer for change in Boynton

Let’s address up front the touchy issue in Tuesday’s Boynton Beach City Commission District 2 runoff election.

James DeVoursney, a white, first-time candidate, is challenging Mack McCray, who has represented the district for roughly a decade. McCray is African-American. District 2 is majority-minority. Only voters within the district can cast ballots.

Race, however, should not determine the outcome. If voters based their choices strictly on skin color, Barack Obama would not have been president. Voters should choose based on who is the better candidate. In this race, that’s DeVoursney, a dermatologist who has lived in the city since 2009.

Throughout his time on the commission, McCray, who owns a funeral home, has promised redevelopment for District 2, especially Heart of Boynton. It hasn’t happened. McCray is still promising it, but as DeVoursney points out, “The area that needs help the most is still the most neglected.”

DeVoursney also says the city commission extracted little from the developer of Riverwalk in exchange for approving requests for a land-use amendment, rezoning and five feet of added height. That project, on roughly 10 acres at Woolbright Road and Federal Highway, will help the area, but the commission should have secured a community benefits agreement to encourage the hiring of city residents, especially those from District 2. McCray, who received several thousand dollars in campaign contributions from the developer, was in the 3-2 majority that approved Riverwalk.

In addition, DeVoursney stresses other issues that could help District 2. He wants Boynton Beach to create a database of jobs — emphasizing those with the city — that district residents could fill. Perhaps, he says, the city could help applicants find training if their skills don’t match the requirements.

Then there’s public safety. DeVoursney wants the police department to “establish more trust” with residents, who then might be more willing to give investigators information. The safer District 2 is, he notes, the better the chance of attracting investors.

DeVoursney may be running for the first time, but he has prepared himself, by serving on the community redevelopment agency advisory board, attending commission meetings and learning the district.

Roughly one-third of the homes in District 2, he notes, have values low enough that the owners don’t pay property taxes. The median household income for a family of four is about $30,000. Though he favors redevelopment, DeVoursney wants to minimize the number of homeowners it might displace.

Though DeVoursney favors retaining Boynton Beach’s police and fire departments, he also supports reform of the public safety pension plans. “We have to look at it,” he said, calling the current systems “not sustainable.” The more that Boynton Beach pays out in pension benefits, the less there is for improvements that could help District 2.

During his interview with the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, McCray also expressed support for pension reform. Again, though, he’s been on the commission for a long time, and reform hasn’t happened. The fire and police unions have endorsed McCray.

Because DeVoursney wasn’t available to meet with us, we didn’t interview him for the primary. We endorsed Woodrow Hay, who finished a distant third. McCray got 47 percent compared to DeVoursney’s 38 percent.

DeVoursney understands the practicalities of a runoff that will draw a tiny turnout. He is relying on a network of volunteers going door-to-door. Roughly half of his $40,000 in campaign contributions have come from himself.

And DeVoursney acknowledges that he did “poorly” in heavily African-American precincts. Since he seems well intentioned, we hope voters will look at more than skin color.

The Sun Sentinel recommends James DeVoursney for Boynton Beach City Commission District 2.