Commissioners battling to be next Delray mayor

Two current Delray Beach commissioners are looking for a promotion to mayor in the city’s upcoming elections.

Either James Chard or Shelly Petrolia will get to lead the city after voters cast their ballots on March 13.

Delray Beach voters elected Chard to Seat 2 less than a year ago. Petrolia was first elected to Seat 1 in 2013. One of them will replace outgoing Mayor Cary Glickstein, who chose not to run for re-election.

The next mayor of the “village by the sea” will have to lead the charge on finding money for millions of dollars worth of deteriorating roads, sea walls and other infrastructure backlogs.

Petrolia has supported measures to cut down on spending elsewhere over her 5-year tenure. She helped rework the city’s trash collection contracts. She also was the sole vote against a recent lifeguard tower deal, where other commissioners approved spend-

ing more than $1 million on eight new stations.

“The biggest [budget] pressure point for me is infrastructure,” Petrolia said. “We’ve got infrastructure in our town that has been neglected for decades, and it’s crumbling beneath our ground.”

If elected, Petrolia said she would focus less on giving out tax breaks to developers and tap the city’s community redevelopment agency to help tackle the backlog.

Chard said the city needs to partner with businesses to reel in more cash.

“We really need that base that economic development will bring,” he said.

Chard has only been on the commission for about a year and touts his experience on advisory boards and nonprofits. Chard has a master’s degree in city planning from Harvard and previously managed New York City’s project management staff.

“There are very few areas that I have not been involved in,” Chard said.

Though Delray’s sober home industry has waned over the past year, both candidates want to continue combating the rampant drug problem. Chard wants to focus on needle exchange programs to prevent the spread of diseases. Petrolia’s approach would include cracking down on drug dealers and finding places for people who leave the homes and end up on the streets.

So far, Petrolia has raised more money for the election, amassing $106,232 as of Feb. 9, compared to Chard’s $80,200 for the same date.

Chard

Petrolia