Four vie for Council Seat A in special election
Four candidates are running for Seat A on the Boca Raton City Council in the special election Aug. 28.
The council race — and a mayoral race with three contenders — will appear at the tail end of the August primary ballot. The city called for the special election after Mayor Susan Haynie was suspended from office while she faces criminal corruption charges.
Interim Mayor Scott Singer is running for mayor against Bernard Korn and Al Zucaro. Singer vacated his council seat to run for mayor, leaving Seat A up for grabs in August.
The four candidates are Kathy Cottrell, a former organizational development consultant; Tamara McKee, an actor and real estate agent; David Milledge, an attorney for the Broward County Property Appraiser; and Andy Thompson, a Boca Raton-based attorney.
Thompson is the only one who has previously run for office. He unsuccessfully ran for city council in 2016 against Councilwoman Andrea O’Rourke.
Before the qualifying period ended Tuesday, O’Rourke handed an early endorsement to Cottrell.
The election is poised to be a contentious one, as political groups that divide on key growth and development issues vie for a majority vote on the council.
Here’s how the four candidates described their campaign positions in a Palm Beach Post survey:
Kathy Cottrell: “Some of my top priorities will include: responsible growth that takes residents’ quality of life into consideration; working with the school district to address school safety and overcrowding; ensuring the penny sales tax referendum money is spent on much-needed infrastructure (traffic, public spaces, transit, etc.); and bridging the communications gap between our city and our residents.”
Tamara McKee: “Boca Raton is a city with a worldclass brain and a small-town heart. When I am a council member, I will work to protect our quality of life, improve transparency and trust in our city leadership, and make sure Boca is able to attract young professionals to invest as residents. In addition, I propose proactively addressing fiscal issues and sustainability challenges like sea-level rise.”
David Milledge: “Development: All cities need some level of development but such development must be smart, responsible and sustainable. The development must comport to the ideas and direction of the city. School safety: In the wake of the recent tragedies around this nation, it is important for the city to have a serious discussion with security experts, such as our police, on how to better fortify our schools. New and more advanced security protocols need to be implemented. Ethics: Trust must be rebuilt between the city and her residents. City leaders should never be beholden to special-interest groups.”
Andy Thompson: “My primary goal is to maintain and improve Boca Raton’s quality of life, ensuring the continuation of safe neighborhoods, great beaches and parks, excellent schools, and a unique character and charm. My other goal is to bring this city together. For too long, we’ve been divided and divisive. Folks are tired of fighting. My day job is to resolve conflicts by finding common ground and common sense solutions. I’m going to do that in our community.”