Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Coconut Creek voters should elect Tooley, Fry
Since its origins in 1967, Coconut Creek has done a better job harnessing development than its west Broward neighbors. Sensible growth has made it a popular destination for young families drawn to its parks, well-tended housing developments and reputation for generally responsive government.
As in much of Broward, the city’s demographics are changing quickly. It’s getting younger and more diverse all the time and is long overdue for millennials to have a stronger voice in charting its future. It’s also vital that this city takes advantage of institutional knowledge and the continuity of leadership at a time of major threats to its quality of life.
For these reasons and others, the Sun Sentinel recommends that voters on March 14 re-elect long-time Commissioner Becky Tooley in District A and add young newcomer Nancy Fry to represent District D on the five-member commission. Tooley and Fry have earned voters’ confidence and both face credible opposition.
District A: Becky Tooley
Tooley, 74, has lived in the city nearly four decades. Elected every four years since 2001, she remembers when strawberry patches lined Lyons Road. The Ohio native married retired New York police foot patrolman Frank Tooley, a Creek pioneer, who died in 2014. “I said I’d never live in Florida,” she said, “and I met a wonderful guy.”
She’s not flashy or glib, but she knows her city as well as anyone and will phone area legislators to sound off on how Tallahassee actions might affect her constituents. She wants to improve mental health programs and has pushed for smaller-scale buildings at the city’s Main Street development project.
Coconut Creek’s destiny is threatened by two unwelcome interlopers. One is the malodorous Monarch Hill landfill, or “Mount Trashmore,” which Waste Management wants to expand. The other is Florida’s Turnpike, which the state wants to widen from six to 10 lanes. That could mean more noise and air pollution for nearby residential areas, including Wynmoor, the upscale and politically active retirement community. All five candidates in this election strongly oppose both projects.
Tooley’s opponent is Jeffrey Wasserman, 34, an assistant principal at Cypress Bay High and a former history and civics teacher. A lifelong resident of northwest Broward, he moved to Coconut Creek in 2020. “People my age don’t have a seat at the table,” he told the editorial board.
Wasserman cited his problem-solving skills, and he’s engaging and enthusiastic, but in his Sun Sentinel questionnaire, he also praised city officials. “Coconut Creek has shown exemplary control on overdevelopment,” he wrote. Some of the credit obviously goes to Tooley.
District D: Nancy Fry
In a three-candidate field in District D, the best choice is Nancy Fry, 37, a young mother of two with a diverse resume. She is president of the Broward Young Democrats, has been an advocate for preventing gun violence and is a former aide to a Fort Lauderdale commissioner, where she learned how local government works and the crucial importance of serving constituents. The housing crisis is also personal for Fry. In a Sun Sentinel interview, she spoke with refreshing candor about the struggle of trying to buy a home while managing the burden of family student loan debts.
Fry faces two opponents. One is Alfred Delgado, 46, an attorney and eight-year resident who emphasized the need for a renewed city recycling program and for improved communication between the city and its residents. He calls the landfill and Turnpike “existential threats” to the city’s quality of life.
This race has been altered by the insider culture at City Hall. The commission last April appointed John Brodie to the District D seat to complete the 11 months left in the term of Lou Sarbone, who was forced to resign after an investigation found he was living in Fort Myers. The city charter requires that vacancies be filled by appointment, not election. That system must change.
Brodie, 53, a softball enthusiast who works with the disabled, is running for a four-year term. He was unable to join his rivals in a virtual interview, citing work responsibilities. When last we heard from him, he said he would offer alternative time and dates. Brodie’s business cards call him “the real deal,” but we simply don’t know enough about him to recommend him. Many voters don’t, either.
Brodie’s campaign website lists endorsements from, among others, the union for city firefighters and Rep. Chip LaMarca of Lighthouse Point, Broward’s only Republican state legislator, who has voted for bills to erode the home rule powers of cities like Coconut Creek.
Both commission races are nonpartisan, which means they are open to all city voters. Make sure you vote and remember to contact the county elections office to request a mail ballot.
Commissioners serve four-year terms and are paid $37,440 a year.
For Coconut Creek, the Sun Sentinel recommends Becky Tooley in District A and Nancy Fry in District D.
We also recommend that voters vote YES on a charter amendment on the March 14 ballot that would require future commission vacancies to be filled by a majority vote in a citywide election, not by commission appointment. All five candidates support the charter change and voters should too.
The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Editorials are the opinion of the Board and written by one of its members or a designee. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com.