Coral Springs to open process for new mayor Commission could make a selection by Dec. or Jan.
The Coral Springs City Commission has held off on hand-picking a new mayor, opting instead to open up an application period for contenders.
A mayor is needed until a special election is held to replace Skip Campbell, who died at age 69 in October.
The mayor’s seat is for two years, and Campbell was elected automatically without opposition for another term that was supposed to start this past week.
Several politicians have publicly said they want to be mayor, or have lobbied commissioners for the job, including former mayors Scott Brook, Roy Gold and Vince Boccard, as well as Peter Weinstein, a retiring judge and former state senator.
Last week, Commissioners Dan Daley and Joy Carter both suggested Weinstein as the replacement
— Daley referred to him as a statesman and Carter called him the “perfect person” for the job — but they were shot down.
Although the options were good people, “if it was my mother, who I love dearly, it wouldn’t be the right thing to do,” said Commissioner Larry Vignola, who said the city needed “open and transparent” government.
The application for the interim is posted on the city’s website and it’s due by 12 p.m. Dec. 12. It’s available at www.coralsprings.org/application.
The commission could make a selection by December or January, according to the city attorney’s office.
Commissioners also held off on approving March 12 as the special election date.
Vignola said he wasn’t comfortable having unvetted people given access to walk through public schools during school hours because 15 Coral Springs schools are designated polling places. The city’s clerk has been told to find different polling places to keep the public out of the schools
If that fails, the city might consider asking the School Board to cancel classes within Coral Springs that day. A third option is to choose a different election date.
A final decision on the special election could be made Wednesday. for security concerns.