Morera best choice for Seat 3

Whoever becomes the next Seat 3 city commissioner in Coral Springs, the public wins.

The race to succeed termlimited Larry Vignola has drawn six qualified candidates, some of them very qualified. All have lived in Coral Springs for more than 20 years. Several have impressive records of civic involvement.

All seem to be running for the right reasons. Most have the same priorities. They want to focus on getting the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, which means the challenge of balancing next year’s budget and possibly the one after that. They want Coral Springs to market itself more to businesses. They praise City Manager Frank Babinec, the city’s former fire chief. None proposes the sort of major tax increases and big-ticket bond programs that drew controversy in recent years.

Randall Cutter is founding pastor and business manager of New Dawn Community Church. A 33-year resident, Cutter has been police chaplain and served on Coral Springs’ clergy coalition.

Cutter is “optimistic” that “belt-tightening” will be enough to balance the 2021 budget. He said his professional background would allow him to “reach out to an increasingly diverse community.” Because of his added role at the church, he said he would bring business acumen to the commission.

Noor Fawzy is a lawyer with the Hollywood-based firm of Conroy Simberg, whose website says it specializes in civil defense work. At 29, Fawzy is the youngest candidate. She grew up in Coral Springs, went to the city’s schools and then graduated from Florida Atlantic University.

Coral Springs, Fawzy says, has “lots of potential.” To help the city’s long-term finances, she would like administrators to widen the investment portfolio to include “real property.” As a lawyer, she says she is already a “problem solver” and would bring that attribute to the commission.

Andy Kasten has the most direct business-related experience. An insurance agent, Kasten is a former chamber of commerce president and has served for six years on the community redevelopment agency.

In that latter role, Kasten said he supported construction of the city complex. It is part of Coral Springs’ plan to create a more traditional downtown in a city that began in the 1970s as a bedroom community for Fort Lauderdale. “I have my pulse on the community,” Kasten says.

Nancy Metayer ran for mayor last year. In a four-way race, she got 28 percent of the vote, edging out Vincent Boccard for second place behind Scott Brook.

To learn about government, Metayer has done multiple internships, saying she was inspired to get involved after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the cholera epidemic that followed. Her emphasis is on “affordability” for residents and helping “vulnerable communities.”

Jose “Joe” Morera is a brand manager. His long civic record includes everything from service on the charter review committee to being a board member of Taste of Coral Springs.

In addition, Morera chairs the board of the Sunshine Water Control District, which provides flood control for the city. Morera wants the commission to reflect the multicultural nature of Coral Springs. In 2004, he notes, very few residents were Hispanic. They now make up 30 percent of the population.

Only Abel Pena, an electrical engineer, did not participate in the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board’s candidate interview. He also did not return the paper’s questionnaire. His campaign website says that he wants to explore whether artificial intelligence could help Coral Springs.

Commissioners also serve as the board of Coral Springs Charter School, which is operated by for-profit Charter Schools USA. We asked the candidates when they would be comfortable sending those students back to campus. Like Broward County’s traditional public schools, Coral Springs Charter opened with virtual classes only.

All said they would focus on certain community COVID-19 metrics. For Cutter, it would be hospitalizations. Kaster would consider reopening the campus when the county entered its own Phase 2 reopening plan. “We’re learning on the fly.” Fawzy and Metayer would be more cautious, looking for an even greater drop in the number of new cases.

As we noted, voters have a happily difficult choice. All cities should be this fortunate.

Metayer is the outlier on public safety. She would shift some of the police budget to mental health. Kaster responds that the department is short 40 officers. He and the other candidates believe that current policies have made Coral Springs safe and would not change them.

Metayer is 32. Like Fawzy, she would bring youth. She has endorsements from several prominent area Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Broward County Mayor Dale Holness. But Metayer’s lack of city involvement undercuts her claim of being “a community leader.”

Each candidate would bring something unique and helpful. But we believe that Morera would bring the most. His experience — professional and personal — is the widest and his collegial temperament seems right for the moment.

We could see this race going any number of ways. With six candidates, it’s unlikely that anyone will get a majority. All could have appeal to different parts of the city. The Sun Sentinel recommends Jose “Joe” Morera for Seat 3 on the Coral Springs City Commission.

Morera