Re-elect Mayor Gomez, add newcomers in Tamarac
In Tamarac, where the city manager has been fired over racketeering charges and some city commissioners seem more interested in feeding at the public trough than in proper local governance, voters should elect three candidates on Nov. 8 who would put the city’s best interests first.
Mayor at-large
Tamarac’s only citywide race features Mayor Michelle Gomez seeking re-election against Vice Mayor Michael Gelin. This is the easiest call for voters; Gomez is the obvious choice. Tamarac doesn’t need a new mayor; it needs new commissioners who will respect taxpayers and work in harmony together.
Gomez, 51, an attorney and mediator, has held city office since 2010 with a short break in service. She’s often the lone adult in the room who works to maintain civility and fends off disruptions by Gelin or fellow Commissioner Marlon Bolton. An even-handed leader, Gomez has no tolerance for City Hall sideshows. The mayor and vice mayor disagree on whether the firing of former City Manager Michael Cernech was legally executed under his employment contract.
Gomez has tried to restore fiscal sanity to a city where other part-time officials have abused the public trust with stipends, expense accounts, the wasteful hiring of aides, known as “community liaisons,” and other excessive perks in this medium-sized city of about 72,000 residents. It was Gomez who led the repeal of a wasteful $75,000 travel slush fund for commissioners. (Gelin voted for it, Gomez voted no, and the money was never spent.)
Tamarac is growing younger and more diverse. An influx of working families has strained the city’s housing supply, and city officials need to expand the commercial tax base with smart growth. The mayor serves four years and is paid $60,540 a year. It’s a part-time job, but Gomez uses the mayor’s limited power responsibly; based on his record, we are not sure Gelin would.
Gelin, 48, emphasizes support for small businesses, youth sports and traffic safety. He describes a “cloud of corruption” over the city where a former city manager was fired in an alleged extortion scheme involving a developer. But Gelin led an effort, soon withdrawn, to hire a law firm to find the source of a news leak that led to the Sun Sentinel’s reporting of misspending plans.
District 2
Five candidates want to replace Gelin: Alexandra N. Alvarez, Joseph Lanouette, Stuart R. Michelson, Tyneka M. Rene and Morey Wright. Alvarez did not participate in our screenings and was not considered.
We consider Michelson and Rene to be the top candidates. As a former Sunrise city attorney with expertise in ethics law, Michelson’s local government knowledge is unmatched in this race (his wife, Ilene Lieberman, is a former county commissioner and Lauderhill mayor). In our view, he would be a stabilizing presence on the City Hall dais.
But we recommend Rene, who appears to embody this city’s future. She opened a day spa and knows the frustration of starting a small business in Tamarac. An Army veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, she later worked in Veterans Affairs and knows the struggles veterans face. With skills in conflict resolution, she’ll be a good fit at City Hall. And with Gelin’s expected departure, she offers continued minority representation on a commission that governs an increasingly multicultural city.
District 4
This seat is open because incumbent Debra Placko is not running. The candidates are school principal Kicia Daniel, retired school administrator Carol Mendelson and pension consultant David Mountford. Daniel did not return our questionnaire or participate in an interview, but Mendelson and Mountford made positive impressions. In our view, the edge goes to Mendelson.
Mendelson is a strong ally of the mayor and critic of a “dysfunctional” commission. “Continuous bickering and arguing prevent the commission from addressing city business in a timely manner,” she said in our questionnaire. “I will strive to restore professionalism to the dais and make sure the voices of Tamarac residents are heard.”
The diverse District 4 has seniors, empty nesters, young people with kids, Blacks and Hispanics. New luxury apartments rent for up to $3,000 a month, the candidates said.
Mountford, 62, is a police pension board member who hears complaints of overdevelopment, high property insurance and the need for civility. “One or two folks are out of control,” he told the editorial board.
In Tamarac’s city election, the Sun Sentinel recommends Michelle Gomez for mayor at-large and Tyneka Rene and Carol Mendelson for the City Commission.
Editorials are the opinion of the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board and written by one of its staff members. The Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson.