Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Boca voters should keep Singer
The voters of Boca Raton will elect a mayor in a citywide election on March 17 and it’s an easy decision. The only serious choice is Scott Singer, who has performed capably as mayor and previously as city commissioner. He deserves the voters’ continued support and has earned a full three-year term as leader of this prosperous, upscale community.
The other candidate, Bernard Korn, is a gadfly and City Hall critic. He rails against “corruption,” but offers no evidence of wrongdoing and no agenda for moving the city forward.
Singer, by contrast, has been a leader in securing an elementary school and a new Brightline station. He understands the need for more mental health for students and is aware of the threat over-development poses to the quality of life.
Boca Raton, founded in 1924 during the great Florida land boom, is known for its civic pride and distinctive, neatly manicured appearance. Like other cities, it faces constant pressures from growth and development. But the billboards and commercial blight that are common in surrounding cities are not to be seen here, and Singer deserves some of the credit for that. Boca is a one-word brand and the envy of other cities.
Singer, 43, a South Florida native, brings a strong background to the job. He studied government at Harvard and law at Georgetown, and is a lawyer and certified mediator. His wife Bella is an accountant and they have two children.
As mayor, he led an inspired proposal for the county school district to build an elementary school on vacant city-owned land near an existing school. He has opposed the rezoning of waterfront public lands for commercial uses and supports restrictions on signs on city medians and open space.
Singer also was part of a unanimous council vote in December to approve a new Brightline train station next to the city library. The city’s costs are $12 million, but Brightline is paying operation and maintenance costs of a 400-space garage for parking. The city and Brightline will split the parking profits.
Singer has a much stronger grasp of issues than Korn. One vote illustrates the differences between the candidates. In February, the city ended its ban on medical marijuana dispensaries with Singer on the prevailing side of a 3-2 vote. Asked how he would have voted, Korn said he was undecided and offered no position. Voters deserve answers.
Early voting in Boca Raton begins
March 7. The mayor’s race is the only city election on the ballot.
Two city commissioners were automatically re-elected to new terms because they drew no opposition. They are Andy Thomson in Seat A and Andrea Levine O’Rourke in Seat B.
Korn, 65, who moved to Boca Raton in 2000, is a licensed real estate broker. He runs a real estate school and calls himself a “political educator.” He supports changes to the city charter such as replacing the council-manager system with a more powerful “strong mayor” system and refers to campaign contributions as “bribes.”
Korn donated $2,900 of his money to his campaign as of Jan. 1, according to campaign finance reports. Singer has raised about $130,000 in campaign contributions as of Jan. 1.
By law, a candidate for public office must be a resident of the city. On Korn’s candidacy papers, he lists as his address the downtown post office in Boca Raton. In a
Sun Sentinel candidate questionnaire, Korn did not provide a residence address and was evasive when asked about it. The city really should change the law to require proof of residency before someone can qualify for the ballot.
This isn’t a “gotcha” question. Asking a candidate to provide proof of city residence is not setting the bar too high. County records show Korn owns two houses outside city limits. Korn said his wife lives in a home where he claims the standard $50,000 homestead exemption and they are in the process of divorcing. That’s understandable, but the post office address isn’t.
Korn’s vague accusations about “rampant corruption” in Boca Raton city government are irresponsible. That’s especially true in a city that has felt the sting of corruption. Former Mayor Susan Haynie — Singer’s predecessor — is facing four felony counts of official misconduct and misuse of office. After Haynie was suspended from office in 2018, Singer won the special election to replace her.
The office of mayor is part-time and the salary is $38,000 a year. Korn is wrong in pushing for a strong-mayor system in a city this size. It would produce political chaos and patronage. Besides, Boca Raton has a robust economy, abundant cash reserves and a triple-A bond rating. What’s broken?
This race between Singer and Korn is a rematch of sorts. They faced off along with a third candidate, Al Zucaro, in a special election in August 2018 to replace Haynie. It was a runaway, as Singer won with 63% of the vote, and Korn got 3%.
The voters of Boca Raton made the right choice in 2018 and should do so again. The
Sun Sentinel recommends Scott Singer for mayor of Boca Raton.