Battle, Hudak will maintain peace and progress in Deerfield Beach

Known for its volatile and scandalous politics, Deerfield Beach has had a brief stretch of political cooperation and management stability. To keep it that way, voters should select incumbent Commissioner Gloria Battle and newcomer Michael Hudak when they go to the polls on March 12.

Commissioners are paid about $32,000 a year.

Hudak, 53, faces combative businessman Dan Herz, 57, in District 1. Battle, 68, is running against her political nemesis, Ben Preston, 67, in District 2. Terry Scott, a local activist, also is running in that district, but he does not have the commission experience to match Battle or Preston.

In interviews with the Sun Sentinel editorial board, both Battle and Hudak said they think the commission is working well and they generally support City Manager Burgess Hanson and his staff.

Preston and Herz, on the other hand, said the city needs to make significant changes.

Herz said he’s seeking a commission seat because he wants to impose “fiscal responsibility” on the city. He rated the commission’s performance as “poor” and said that commissioners are “too often guided by who has given them large campaign contributions.”

District 2: Gloria Battle

In District 2, the city’s 2016 decision to part ways with the Packer Rattlers youth football program remains a contentious issue.

The commission eliminated a $42,000 annual subsidy for the program after authorities determined that some adults connected with the Packer Rattlers had criminal records and were placing illegal bets on games.

Battle also said the organization repeatedly failed to provide documentation about how it was spending the city money.

“Dollars come with responsibility,” Battle said.

She said the city has established a new youth football program that is more diverse and transparent. Residents who participate in the program are very happy with it, she said.

During her endorsement interview, Battle displayed an impressive grasp of the increasingly complicated issues facing the growing city.

“We’re no longer a sleepy town,” she said. “Some people in the city are afraid of change.”

Preston remains an enthusiastic supporter of the Packer Rattlers and said the mostly minority voters of District 2 are going to support him because Battle didn’t defend the program.

“That was an example of failed leadership,” he said.

The city’s first African-American firefighter, Preston served as the District 2 commissioner from 2011 to 2015. He clearly cares about the city and tries to foster better race relations. He’s eager to help constituents with their problems. Government “shouldn’t make it a crime to be poor,” he said.

He lost his commission seat to Battle in 2015 and admits that he was shocked by the defeat.

Battle said she’ll win again because she is part of the collegial commission that has learned how to compromise to make progress. “We have a non-confrontational manner now.”

Battle said she has been focusing on attracting new businesses with incentives, boosting city employee morale with pay raises and improving city schools with the guidance of the city’s new school advisory committee.

District 1: Michael Hudak

In District 1, Hudak and Herz both agree that the city needs to improve schools and attract quality businesses to ease the tax burden on the more-affluent property owners in District 1, who pay about 48 percent of the city’s taxes.

But they strongly disagree on whether City Manager Hanson and his staff are capable of running a city that is attracting a lot of attention from developers these days. An experienced businessman who owns properties in Deerfield Beach, Herz said the city “has no vision for development.”

Also, the city is too secretive about its operations, he said, and is reluctant to provide citizens with basic information. He said he doubts the city staff will complete within budget all the projects promised in a $42 million bond issue the commission approved.

He said one of his primary goals would be to give Hanson his first performance review since he was appointed city manager nine years ago.

Herz said during his endorsement interview that he has urged the commission to fire Hanson, but “if elected, I’m willing to wipe the slate clean. I’m willing to work with him.”

Beyond the issues, Herz and Hudak each question whether the other is fit to serve as a commissioner.

Hudak said Herz views the city “as an investment,” rather than a place to live and raise a family. In his endorsement questionnaire, Hudak criticized Herz for how he treats the commissioners and city staff.

“When the city leadership does not follow” Merz’s demands, “he is quick to ridicule them in public and online,” Hudak said.

Herz questioned whether Hudak has the financial skills to serve as a commissioner. During the endorsement interview, he recited the details of Hudak’s failed investment in a condo he bought in 2005 as a rental property. A bank took the property back in 2014.

Hudak said that both he and his wife lost their jobs for a time in 2008 and they were unable to recover from that setback.

Both Preston and Herz have traits that would make them solid commissioners. Preston has a big heart and Herz said in his questionnaire that he enjoys “analyzing city financial statements and city budgets.”

But what Deerfield Beach needs are commissioners who are willing to work together to address the many complex challenges still facing this evolving bluecollar town. Battle and Hudak have the cooperative temperament the city needs.