Thomson would bring needed balance and substance to Boca

We endorsed Andy Thomson last year in a three-way race for the Boca Raton City Council. He’s also the best candidate in this year’s three-way race.

Seat A became vacant when Scott Singer resigned to run for mayor. The term expires in March 2020. The winner of the Aug. 28 election would complete the term and then be eligible to run for two, three-year terms.

Thomson, an attorney, already has been working on an important issue: school crowding and safety. After losing to Andrea O’Rourke in 2017, Thomson applied to serve on the city’s new education task force. O’Rourke joined the unanimous vote to approve him. Thomson became vice chairman before resigning to run for the council.

Thomson, who says his four young children all will attend public school, supported the 2016 penny sales tax increase. That money will do much to relieve school crowding in Boca Raton. Because of Thomson’s service on the task force, he would bring the most experience on education.

One of Thomson’s opponents is Tamara McKee. An actor, McKee references her Internet Movie Database listing that shows 19 small movie and TV parts between 1982 and 2017 as Tamara Jones.

McKee is a likable, long-time city volunteer who says transparency is her priority. She also wants to restore trust in government. But despite her claim of having “more experience than the other candidates combined,” she doesn’t have a solid grasp of issues and policy. Example: McKee wants developers to pay for a “third-party” traffic study as part of their application. But they already pay for one. What difference would a second one make?

Thomson’s other opponent is Kathy Cottrell, who declined to attend the Sun Sentinel candidate interview. Cottrell describes herself as a semiretired organizational development consultant. Her campaign mailer urges voters to help her form a council majority with O’Rourke and Councilwoman Monica Mayotte.

Cottrell did return her Sun Sentinel questionnaire. In it, she said she wants the council to “implement a complete review of all plans — financial, strategic and otherwise.” Without question, fresh eyes are always helpful, but a review of every city plan risks distracting a staff already backlogged with council demands and behind on several key projects. We’d encourage the councl to be strategic and pick priorities.

Cottrell also calls Thomson a “developer attorney.” Actually, Thomson is a business litigator. He said his firm, Baritz & Coleman, has no clients who are developers.

During his campaigns this year and last, Thomson has come off as knowledgeable and thoughtful. He correctly warns of the impact on Boca Raton’s budget if voters increase the homestead exemption in November.

On transparency, Thomson believes that council members should publicly divulge the content of conversations regarding development projects, not just whom they communicated with. Hear, hear.

In a short time, Thomson has gained notable stature in Boca Raton. Last year, the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District approached him about becoming the agency’s attorney. He declined because he wanted to run for the council again.

The supposed knock on Thomson is that he has lived in the city a comparatively short time. But he has lived in the region for many years, and his record of involvement shows him to be a serious candidate. Ideas and substance matter more than longevity.

As overdevelopment rhetoric swirls in this campaign, Thomson stresses balance. “A city,” he said, “is a living, breathing thing. It needs some development.” Young families, like Thomson’s, who are moving to Boca Raton, want vibrancy and continued quality services.

Of all the candidates, Thomson can best represent not just those families, but everyone in Boca Raton who wants a thriving city that has far more blessings than problems.

The Sun Sentinel recommends Andy Thomson for Seat 4 on the Boca Raton City Council.

Thomson