[0:00] Some of you may have seen me on Monday when I did my little introduction. I don't have my paper out. I figured it worked so well on Monday. Why not do it again? Or Tuesday? Sorry. Why not do it again? Maybe I should have written it down.

[0:15] I want to thank you all for being here, for being part of tonight. I want to thank everybody who's watching us as well for being with us.

[0:24] And this is a very important night.

[0:27] Your civic engagement is what makes our community stronger.

[0:31] And it is okay to have different subopinians.

[0:33] It's okay to discuss those things.

[0:35] And that is what makes our community great.

[0:38] That we're able to do that and we're able to thrive.

[0:41] Tonight we are lucky to have the Miami-Dade Women's League

[0:48] of Women's voters.

[0:49] Thank you.

[0:50] Um, we have, um, ours, their civic director, um, of engagement, if I'm not, uh, yes, I'm just a

[0:58] more voter service is here.

[1:00] I should have written this down.

[1:03] Um, it's more in Anderson.

[1:05] Thank you so much for being here.

[1:07] And again, as our moderator, we have Dr. Murphy.

[1:10] Dr. Murphy has been, um, moderating the, um, discussions.

[1:16] I don't want to call them the beta.

[1:18] I'm going to call them discussions for the past.

[1:20] last 12 years if I'm not mistaken.

[1:25] He's a professor in the University of Miami,

[1:28] and he's a strong advocate of civic engagement as well.

[1:31] So Dr. Murphy, thank you, and welcome back to Surfside.

[1:36] With that, to all of the candidates,

[1:39] thank you so much for being here,

[1:41] thank you for being engaged, thank you for caring about Surfside.

[1:45] Not only tonight, you are sacrificing your time away from family,

[1:50] But, should you be serving, there's going to be many, many, many more hours and I promise

[1:55] I am very long-winded, so our discussions will go even longer of sacrifice away.

[2:01] It does mean a lot and that you're willing to do that for the community and the town

[2:05] that you love is a great service for everyone and hopefully it's fulfilling for you as

[2:11] well.

[2:12] With that, good luck tonight, I wish you the very best in this process.

[2:18] And I welcome Ms. Morgan. Do you want to say a few words?

[2:26] Good night, everybody.

[2:39] All right. Good evening, candidates. Good evening, community. My name is Morgan Anderson and I am the

[2:45] voter services chair for the League of Women Voters of Miami-Dade County. Our president,

[2:50] Mayor Salzanteno is usually also here, but she is on a very well-deserved vacation right now.

[2:56] So I'm happy for her. So I am standing in for her, proudly. So tonight, I just want to welcome you all

[3:03] It really gives me encouragement and hope to see so many candidates running for elected office in a municipality.

[3:13] I think that we need more of that.

[3:15] And I welcome you all.

[3:17] I hope it is an enlightening and productive evening.

[3:20] So just to go over, a few of our League of Women voters best practices for candidate forums.

[3:27] I emailed you all last night, hopefully you received it.

[3:29] copy of our guidelines and I think the town clerk Sandra McCredi was so kind as to print them all out for you.

[3:36] So just quickly to go over them.

[3:39] Hopefully you all are here as yourselves. There are no substitutions or stand-ins.

[3:44] You give consent to the recording of this forum. But none of it could or should be used in a

[3:51] political advertisement. No phones, iPads or other electronic communication equipment.

[3:57] It must be turned off and not used by candidates.

[4:01] So if anyone has a phone and I've had anything,

[4:05] please go ahead, turn it off, put it away,

[4:08] just so that we're not using it during the forum.

[4:11] And the questions have been submitted ahead of time by the constituents.

[4:15] So Dr. Murphy will be giving you those questions.

[4:18] They have all been submitted by your residents

[4:20] and constituents here in Surfside.

[4:23] Just to go over the format a little bit of the forum,

[4:26] candidates will be introduced by the moderator.

[4:30] So we will go for your opening statements in order alphabetically.

[4:34] Perfect. I see you all are sitting in alphabetical order already.

[4:38] So you'll have three minutes for your opening statement.

[4:41] And then when you see your closing statement,

[4:44] that will also be three minutes and we'll go in reverse alphabetical order.

[4:49] So when you are asked a question,

[4:51] you will have 90 seconds to answer and 30 seconds for a rebuttal.

[4:55] If you're mentioned by name, by another candidate, but typically it's just 90 seconds to answer the question.

[5:03] Myself and my colleague at the league, Luis, our membership chair and treasurer, he will be also keeping time.

[5:09] So I wanted to show you, you can keep an eye on us.

[5:12] We will be holding up these cards and staring you deeply in the eye when you have one minute of your 90 seconds.

[5:19] When you have 30 seconds, when you have 15, and when time is up, all right?

[5:28] So please remember that this is, as the town manager said, we don't like to call it a debate.

[5:34] It is a forum, is it a discussion?

[5:36] So we will be speaking one at a time, however, if you are called on by name, by another candidate,

[5:42] you do have 30 seconds to respond, but we will let you know when that 30 seconds has

[5:47] so that we can all speak just one at a time.

[5:50] All right, so with that, welcome again to the candidates and the community.

[5:55] I'm happy to be here and welcome to our moderator.

[6:07] Very good to pleasure to be here tonight.

[6:10] And I'll do everything in order as stated.

[6:14] I want to let you know though, you do have 90 seconds to answer questions.

[6:17] Don't feel obligated to use the entire 90 seconds.

[6:20] You know, the residents have given a lot of questions here and you know, just simple math tells us if we do this we're only going to have two or three questions

[6:28] So let's let's be quick in your responses and and also I really hope you can avoid name checking your opponent

[6:37] You know during this process because it just gives them 30 seconds and then I have to keep track of who's name checking who

[6:44] And it's just, you know, let's let's just answer the questions and leave leave that for another day.

[6:50] It's the best way to move through this. So we're just going to start right now.

[6:54] And we're going to start with our opening statements.

[6:57] Ms. Fedmer away.

[7:00] Ben McGee.

[7:00] Sorry.

[7:01] Okay.

[7:02] Correction.

[7:03] That was loud.

[7:05] Wait, mate, I didn't start yet. Wait.

[7:10] Okay.

[7:14] Good evening everyone.

[7:15] first I want to thank God for this moment. I also want to thank my

[7:21] support family and the League of Women voters. My name is Donna Diana Ben

[7:26] Mergey and I'm running for Southside Commissioner. I was

[7:30] Born in Caracas, Venezuela, where I grew up in a warm and stable home with loving parents who taught me the importance of family, respect and helping others.

[7:40] I was born with a birth defect, I'm blind for my left eye, but then never stopped me from achieving success in life. I learned early life that challenges can make you stronger and overcome anything.

[7:53] My family also raised me in a home, in a Jewish home with strong values of community, responsibility, and giving back.

[8:03] Public service has always inspired me.

[8:06] My grandfather, Jose Alfon, was mayor of a little town in Spain, Seuta, and he was killed defending democracy.

[8:13] his courage and commitment to standing up but what is right was always been a power of

[8:21] example for me. While living in Caracas, I was always involved in social work and

[8:28] community activities. I was also a painter back in the days and I often donated my artwork

[8:35] to institutions so they could auction it during their annual events to raise money for

[8:40] important causes. After high school, I spent a year in England, and then returned back to Venezuela,

[8:47] where I began my career. I started languages with a major in business in University of

[8:52] Metropolitana de Caracas. After graduating, I got married and moved to Miami. My husband Isaac was

[8:59] finishing law school at UM, and soon after we already had two babies. We were looking for a wonderful

[9:06] place to raise our children. And we know that surset was the place we wanted to call home.

[9:15] Slowly, many of our dear friends moved here as well and together we raised our children in this

[9:21] beautiful town going to be changing the parks, you know, joining the town activities.

[9:28] Professionally, I spent many years as office manager at my husband's law firm. And then later on,

[9:34] owned and managed a dental office where I handled all the financing, recruiting personnel, etc.

[9:42] Most importantly, I am a proud mother of seven kids, raising a large family, was not an easy task,

[9:50] but it taught me patient love and compassion. Some of the things I want to focus,

[9:55] They've elected our traffic issues, public safety, improved lighting, and promote community

[10:05] events.

[10:06] Thank you so much for this time.

[10:08] Very good.

[10:11] Thank you, Ms. Ben Margie.

[10:12] Mr. Bordugo.

[10:18] Good evening, everyone.

[10:19] And thank you for bringing you here tonight.

[10:22] My name is Jonathan Bordugo.

[10:23] And the surf site has been part of my life for a long time.

[10:27] I first lived here in the 90s with my parents and about 12 years ago my family and I chose to return

[10:35] to make Surfside our home again. Like many families, we chose Surfside because of its unique character.

[10:43] A small coastal town where neighbors know each other, kids ride their bikes in the streets,

[10:48] and you can walk to the beach or to the shops while still feeling that strong sense of community.

[10:54] Professionally, my background is in technology and engineering where I've spent years solving complex problems.

[11:01] Like many people in Miami and in Florida and in general, I also work in real estate and property management for my family's portfolio.

[11:08] But my strength has always been applying a technical and practical approach to solving challenges.

[11:15] Over the past 12 years, I've seen suicide grow and evolve.

[11:18] However, growth always comes with important challenges like traffic, pedestrian safety,

[11:24] responsible development, budgeting, and trying to preserve the character that attract

[11:28] all of us here in the first place.

[11:32] I'm running because I care deeply about this community and I believe my experience, my background,

[11:38] and my commitment to surf site, can help guide our town forward while protecting what makes it special.

[11:46] I'm looking forward to a thoughtful and respectful discussion here tonight.

[11:52] Thank you all.

[11:54] There you go.

[11:57] Mr. Belomant, could I?

[12:01] All right, good evening, everybody.

[12:03] I just want to say I want to acknowledge a very fine line-up of candidates here tonight,

[12:10] like wish we can just have all eight of us on the commission,

[12:13] making an eight-man commission call it a day.

[12:15] Unfortunately, we got to do this, but we'll get through it. Anyway, my name is William Blumencrantz.

[12:23] I was born and raised here in Surfside. My parents bought a home on Dickens App. I'm sorry

[12:29] on Emerson Avenue. I live on Dickens. For $22,500 in 1956, I spent many childhood afternoons

[12:41] Fishing under the old wooden bridge that connects Surfside with Biscayah, with Biscayah.

[12:52] So other than that, I spent many days shopping on Harding Avenue with my parents.

[13:01] There was no traffic in Surfside when I grew up, and I'll tell you why.

[13:06] Because we had a local shoe store where floor shine where my parents bought me shoes

[13:12] We had a local 5 and 10 where we got our toys

[13:16] We had a local hardware store where we got our hardware and if we had time, we got a milkshake and children's

[13:26] drugstore

[13:28] in the evening

[13:29] The hot spot to eat dinner was Denny's New York.

[13:36] I'm sorry, not Denny's Denny's, got Denny's on my mind.

[13:40] Denny's New York style, Deli, which was the closest thing we had to a kosher restaurant

[13:47] at that time.

[13:48] There were no kosher facilities anywhere in Surfside.

[13:54] So we've come a long way since then.

[13:55] The town has changed a lot and I've lived through it all.

[13:58] My mother had a office, a travel agency on Harding Avenue.

[14:05] She conducted tours all over the world, and I was fortunate enough to accompany her

[14:11] in over 25 countries throughout the world.

[14:14] I spent weeks in India.

[14:17] I spent weeks in a safari in Africa.

[14:20] I was in the back country of New Guinea.

[14:22] I was in Australia.

[14:25] All through Europe, almost every country in Central and South America, and every trip I took,

[14:33] the best part of it was coming back to Surfside, because seeing these other countries

[14:39] throughout the world made me really, really realize what a good life we had here.

[14:45] And I've come to appreciate this town in a special way, so I'm here to continue that.

[14:51] I am retired. I worked 39 years at UPS. I have all the time in the world to devote to this town.

[15:00] And to put in as much time as possible, we need it. Thank you.

[15:04] Thank you. Thank you, sir.

[15:08] Miss Kenzer.

[15:15] Thank you. My name is Dr. Austin Kinzer, and like all the people up here, I am running for Commissioner of Surfside.

[15:21] I want to thank the League of Women's Voters, all of you who have given your time to run, and all of you who are here tonight and at home watching us.

[15:28] I came by my decision to run honestly, and without a hidden agenda. I know that this job only pays a dollar a year,

[15:35] And in my mind, that's all there is largely ceremonial.

[15:39] I'm a Life Log Surfside resident and have a unique perspective on our amazing town.

[15:45] A Kinser has lived in Surfside for the past 70 years.

[15:49] I'm so lucky to have the guidance of a former mayor,

[15:52] who also gave 22 years of public service to the town.

[15:56] I linked to think my father Mitchell Kinser.

[15:59] He's taught me more.

[16:03] All right, getting a little motion on, thank you, more than I can ever imagine.

[16:12] Like him, I'm not anti-development, just anti-density.

[16:16] I believe that our zoning is what keeps our small town small.

[16:20] I love my neighbors, I love you all, but I really don't want you on top of me, and I really

[16:26] don't want you handing me a tissue late at night when I sneeze.

[16:28] The town is already dealing with the density issue forced on us by our neighboring municipalities.

[16:35] I'm hoping to prevent that happening in the form of a greedy developer who only has

[16:40] profit in minds. There is no way that the post office property will be affordable housing.

[16:47] It will also take away parking and change the character of our downtown district.

[16:52] I know that most of you are concerned with the traffic and the flooding.

[16:55] And I've come to that conclusion by talking to you all my fellow residents, I don't have all the answers.

[17:03] But I do have a problem solving mentality and these are problems that I as well as you once solved.

[17:09] There is also no reason that our resiliency committee had to be brought back.

[17:14] It should not have been gone rid of to begin with.

[17:18] Especially if one understands that our town will be under water in our lifetimes.

[17:23] We are one storm during a king tied away from seeing that we have to do something more for flooding and distributing stormwater.

[17:31] The Abbott Avenue Training Project is a good start.

[17:34] I also want to say that if developers want to build in Surfside, they need to play by our rules.

[17:39] They need to follow our zoning.

[17:41] I know that the term legacy resident has been used negatively to describe people like me.

[17:47] And I believe that those doing that, don't want those of us who speak up about zero

[17:53] lot homes to speak up, they want to silence.

[17:57] If elected, I will do everything in my power to prevent serve side from becoming like our

[18:01] neighboring municipalities.

[18:03] I have no interest for making money from my public service and do not pander for to those

[18:07] who do.

[18:09] This goes from my professional life as well.

[18:11] As a person whose career is a nonprofit development, I deal with donors on a daily basis.

[18:16] I understand fiscal responsibility,

[18:19] complete transparency and listening.

[18:20] I hope you will give me a chance.

[18:28] For Lansman for three minutes.

[18:30] Good evening, everyone.

[18:31] Thank you, first to the League of Women Voters,

[18:34] our moderator, Dr. Murphy, our incredible town staff,

[18:38] and to the residents of Surfside here in Chambers

[18:41] and watching from home.

[18:44] Many of you know me as your neighbor

[18:46] and from my years of service to the town of Surfside.

[18:49] My name is Fred Lansvin, Surfside resident for 16 plus years, husband and father of two daughters both now in college.

[18:59] I've been a member of the Downtown Vision Advisory Committee, the Vice Chair of the Planning and Zoning Board, and a commissioner from 22 to 24.

[19:09] I asked for your vote to once again serve our town.

[19:13] I believe that experience truly matters.

[19:15] There is no on-the-job training.

[19:19] My career has been in corporate talent acquisition.

[19:22] I've also been an entrepreneur owning an operating restaurant.

[19:26] I understand customer service,

[19:28] how to listen, and care about others.

[19:32] Being a commissioner requires time,

[19:34] relationship building,

[19:36] the ability to debate,

[19:39] and make the best possible decisions for all of our residents.

[19:43] Our town continues to face challenges, infrastructure, traffic, parking, the size of our single

[19:50] family homes, assessments and the reservations for our condo owners, taxes, pending lawsuits,

[19:58] and the live local act to name a few.

[20:00] During this term, we must break round and build a lasting memorial to the 98 souls that

[20:08] we lost.

[20:09] I do not have all the answers, but pledge to work with other members of the commission,

[20:16] our town manager, our town attorney, to keep Surfside moving forward while always keeping

[20:22] an eye to the past.

[20:25] Our town is resilient and remains a unique on-play within Miami.

[20:29] I will fight to keep it that way.

[20:31] I support your rights, public safety, our dedicated police department, our town employees,

[20:40] all of our businesses, and of course all of our residents.

[20:43] I look forward to answering your questions.

[20:45] Thank you.

[20:47] There you go.

[20:50] Mr. Devon, good

[20:54] evening, everyone, and thank you for being here.

[20:59] When I started preparing for these speeches, I began with what I thought was the introduction.

[21:07] Just to then realize that it was actually the ending.

[21:11] It's not easy to introduce your ideas yourself in a way that doesn't sound like a resume or a series of promises.

[21:20] So I wanted to do something different.

[21:22] And start by talking about my neighbors first.

[21:26] I've had a lengthy conversation with Jared on traffic through my first day of

[21:32] chemistry.

[21:34] Then David was pretty concerned about over development.

[21:39] Maria wanted to discuss street safety.

[21:44] And then it was fascinated by the stories of the residents that have been here for 30, 40,

[21:51] 50 years back to William's point, and more

[21:57] spent here in

[21:59] search side with so many stories about how the town has changed, but

[22:04] what moved me was that virtually all of them were happy to be here and

[22:09] were not nostalgic about a world long gone.

[22:15] There is a lot of wisdom in

[22:16] all this. If there is one constant in this world, is that it constantly

[22:22] changes. We can't stop that. But we can absolutely manage these changes.

[22:30] We can be smart about them. We can find ways to navigate these challenges, while we preserve

[22:36] society's character and we stop over development, we manage our traffic, we're rigorous about

[22:43] our budget and we protect our environment. That's what I think I can help. I'm a civil professional

[22:50] engineer and I've worked around the world, designing and building bridges, highways and ports. I know

[22:58] what it means to deliver a project ahead of time and under budget.

[23:02] And I know that it takes a village to do that.

[23:05] Teamwork and leadership are essential.

[23:08] And my free time, I'm a volunteer as well.

[23:10] I started yoga for meditation and non-profit that works with teens and adults

[23:14] to promote a flexible body, a clear mind, and a compassionate heart.

[23:19] With a ton of research, I served on the sustainability and resiliency board

[23:23] and on the planning and zoning board.

[23:25] But I'm not here on the day as alone.

[23:28] I'm grateful for the support of my wife Gloria, my two kids, Naima, and Ricardo, and we also have

[23:34] a little rock band going on with them by the way.

[23:38] And of all my friends who have been so generous and supportive during what I never imagined

[23:43] would be such an intense effort that I have actually to stop here while I see all these

[23:50] blue shirts before I share the tear.

[23:53] So thank you very much.

[23:55] Looking forward to this conversation.

[24:00] Very good.

[24:01] Mr. Vildas, thank you.

[24:03] Thank you, thank you, Dr. Murphy,

[24:04] and thanks to the League of Women Voters.

[24:06] I want to say thank you as well to our town staff

[24:09] who made not just this event possible,

[24:11] but to especially to Sandra McCredi,

[24:13] our clerk and her wonderful staff

[24:15] for making this whole campaign run so smoothly.

[24:17] I'm very grateful for that.

[24:19] Like my colleague here on the day as Mr. Blumencrantz,

[24:22] I want to begin by sort of acknowledging

[24:24] and thanking my fellow candidates.

[24:27] Two of you, I met only recently on the campaign trail.

[24:30] That's Mr. Weingaard and Mr. Berdugo.

[24:32] But the others have been friends for a long time.

[24:36] And I share the feeling that it would be nice

[24:38] if we could all be commissioners together.

[24:40] We did that with the youth council.

[24:42] I want to especially acknowledge Ms. Ben Merge.

[24:44] Our families have lived across the street

[24:46] from each other on Fraud Avenue for almost a quarter century.

[24:49] She knew my dear departed parents.

[24:51] I know her husband and her grandkids.

[24:53] And it's just, you know, it's really moving to see neighbors here working together for

[24:58] the good of the community and glad that we can be part of that together.

[25:01] My name is Gerardo Velvastiguy, I'm the only incumbent commissioner here running for

[25:07] a commissioner again.

[25:09] And so many of you may know me from my work on the town before.

[25:13] As I said before, I'm here with a group of wonderful people and that's going to make things

[25:18] challenging for you the voters, because usually in a sort of side of the election there's

[25:21] one or two meanies that you can cross off your list.

[25:24] This time, it's not gonna be that easy.

[25:27] These are all good people

[25:28] and they're all good people who love the town.

[25:30] So when you make your choice at the ballot,

[25:33] what you're gonna have to ask yourself is,

[25:35] what's necessary to turn personal goodness

[25:39] into political goodness?

[25:40] What are the traits that are required?

[25:42] I think that in addition to being a good person,

[25:44] you need to have other traits.

[25:45] You need to have an even temper.

[25:48] You need to be a little bit thick skined.

[25:50] You need to be honest.

[25:51] and you need to have the courage to speak truth to power.

[25:54] You need to have knowledge about the town and about law and government,

[25:58] and you need to have experience.

[26:00] And I'll say that I think that I have those traits,

[26:02] and I think I've shown them in my time as a commissioner.

[26:06] I believe, therefore, that I should be among your top four choices.

[26:09] And I want to give a few reasons for that.

[26:11] First of all,

[26:14] and to begin,

[26:16] I think that in my time as a commissioner,

[26:17] I've modeled what a better politics for Surfside can be.

[26:21] When I first ran for office in 2024, I said, I want to show you that Surfside politics

[26:26] can be better, and in my time on this day, as a member of the commission, I have tried

[26:31] to always be informed, thoughtful, honest, respectful, and compassionate.

[26:37] When things got heated emotionally and they did, I tried to stay calm.

[26:42] And I'm very proud of the fact that after two years on the commission, I've been endorsed

[26:46] by all of my fellow commissioners for reelection.

[26:49] That's not an easy thing to do.

[26:50] Many of our former commissions have had bad breakups, and you can think of some in the past.

[26:55] But even though those commissioners disagreed with me, and I cast a great many dissenting

[27:00] votes, because I was an independent voice on the commission, they still stood by me.

[27:05] And I think that says a lot about what I can do as a politician.

[27:08] Thank you.

[27:09] Very good.

[27:09] Thank you.

[27:15] Mr. Wine guy, please.

[27:16] Good evening, everyone.

[27:17] My name is David Weingaat, and I'm running to serve you on the next town commission.

[27:22] Before we get started, my thoughts and prayers are with the six fallen service members and their families.

[27:26] It is a stark reminder of the ultimate price for safety and security.

[27:32] With that said, thank you, Dr. Murphy, the League of Women Voters of Miami-Dade County,

[27:36] and to the town of service side for sponsoring tonight's forum,

[27:38] and giving us this vital opportunity to connect to every current and former elected official

[27:44] for your dedication that shaped our special home

[27:47] to each community member who submitted questions attended

[27:52] or is watching, your interest means everything.

[27:55] As caring neighbors like you keep

[27:56] surf side special and vibrant.

[27:58] And to my fellow candidates for stepping out,

[28:01] it would be my honor to work with you on a unified

[28:03] positive, get it on commission,

[28:05] putting surf side first.

[28:07] The camaraderie here tonight is incredible

[28:09] and yeah, I second that motion of all eight.

[28:13] So let's go with that.

[28:15] But for those of us that have not yet met,

[28:17] I'm a proud husband to Rifca, right here on the crowd,

[28:19] and incredible mom of our four children.

[28:22] It's V, Elkhanon, Tehila, and Yuhuta.

[28:25] We're grateful for our 19 plus years together.

[28:28] Every day is a blessing.

[28:31] Rifca's an avid runner, completing local marathons

[28:33] in New York City and soon orange county.

[28:35] She loves our beautiful walking path as do I.

[28:38] I've met many of you there, and on our beaches,

[28:41] and I'll fight to protect them.

[28:43] My background is in community service,

[28:45] founding two resource organizations in Maryland,

[28:48] partnering with public safety and EMS

[28:50] at all levels, local state and federal,

[28:52] while building businesses.

[28:54] Over 16 years, I've led thousands of security officers

[28:57] to see level executives across 14 states

[28:59] in a highly, tightly regulated industry,

[29:03] emphasizing great people,

[29:04] processes, compliance, and responsive service.

[29:07] Giving back is core to our family values.

[29:09] I've served on nonprofit boards, HOAs, now currently on the Solumar condo association,

[29:16] unifying members to find compromise and to deliver it to the community.

[29:21] And that's why I'm running to keep Surfside a world-class town with A-level services

[29:26] and unparalleled quality of life.

[29:29] My priorities, safety, accountability, results will keep us safe, transparent, and progressing

[29:35] forward.

[29:35] Thank you so much for being here.

[29:37] I look forward to your questions and earning your vote.

[29:40] Let's move to Surfside Forward together.

[29:43] We're good.

[29:46] We're going to start the first round of questions on this end with Ms. Ben McGree, and the question

[29:53] is, written as this, as Surfsideers, we all have the same goals, peace with our neighbors.

[30:00] Safety for our children, less traffic, more fun. What would you do to bridge the divides and bring

[30:06] the community together in ways that have never been tried before?

[30:14] Hello, yes. That's a great question.

[30:19] And I actually had an initiative, because I stand for unity. I actually had an initiative and I

[30:27] Called my all my candidates and I told them you know what I feel there is like a division

[30:33] There's tension in these elections and I don't like it and I don't like the fact of like oh

[30:39] You're stand with here and I stand with I don't like that. So I invited all of them and I asked them please

[30:45] Bring each one

[30:47] Your sign and I will place it on my front yard

[30:51] So I can show

[30:53] something very simple, unity. I stand for a unified community and I will do my best to create

[31:02] events to unify the community. Thank you.

[31:07] Very good.

[31:09] Thank you, Mr. Burdovo.

[31:12] So I think one thing that has been missing lightly, it's making sure that people feel

[31:18] heard. A lot of discussions in

[31:21] CERCIDES lately have been became a very

[31:26] tense. The realities that CERCIDES is a

[31:29] small town. It's it's made of people from

[31:32] different backgrounds and it's a

[31:36] personality. I've been I've been comfortable

[31:39] navigating this different cultures. But it's

[31:42] something that's been part of my life for

[31:44] a long time and I understand that these

[31:47] tense communications between people. It's simply because of misunderstanding, and because

[31:53] people are not heard. When you step back, most residents actually want the same basic things.

[32:00] It's a safe town with respectful conversation and decisions that make sense for the community.

[32:06] I think if we keep that in mind and focus on listening to each other a little more, we'll

[32:13] and even better position that we are now.

[32:16] Thank you.

[32:17] Very good.

[32:19] Thank you.

[32:19] Hello and cross.

[32:21] Fabric.

[32:23] As far as an event for surf side to bring people together,

[32:27] I think the town already does a very good job of that.

[32:31] But I take that question to another level,

[32:34] because I think it's between it's really

[32:36] yourself, personally, to bring the town together.

[32:40] My wife and I, we take walks through Surfside every single night for over an hour and every

[32:48] neighbor, we pass, we say hello, whether they say hello first or not.

[32:53] And I think that general feeling, if we can get everybody or more people on board to get

[32:59] out at night and share their stories or their feelings with other people in the neighborhood,

[33:05] that in itself will slowly bring our neighborhood together. Thank you. Very good. This

[33:12] canzer.

[33:18] Thank you. So, I do agree that town does a very good job but having grown

[33:24] up in this town, there is division like I've never seen before and I think that we need

[33:31] to strive to remember that we are all neighbors at the end of the day and all of our voices

[33:36] do need to be heard. I think that there is a fear still of speaking at meetings because people

[33:44] want to be heard and they have been silenced. I do also believe that I do still see kids playing

[33:52] but they're still division. I played with the whole neighborhood, whether I went to school at

[33:55] them or not. We need to say hi to our neighbors, we need to meet our neighbors. I hate to use my

[34:06] You know, I was at a meeting, a professional meeting, and somebody was like, oh, your dad is the guy who gives me bananas.

[34:14] Things like that.

[34:15] I think, especially when we're so glued to technology, we need to just go out and meet our neighbors.

[34:22] Very good.

[34:24] Thank you.

[34:24] Mr. Lanzo.

[34:29] Thank you for that question.

[34:32] And again, not to repeat the same information that preceded me.

[34:37] Yes, education, discussion, events, people getting together, but I'll take it to a different

[34:43] level.

[34:44] What can the commission do?

[34:45] What can I as a commissioner do to help bridge this, to help bring us together?

[34:50] I'm a strong advocate of a board that was put together during this current commission that

[34:55] Jerry's actually, I believe, the representative from the commission, it's the community

[35:00] relations board.

[35:01] That board, and I will say I was on that board for a minute until I was not on that board and there's a story behind that, but I'll leave that to other discussions.

[35:15] That board has an opportunity and I want to make sure that we continue that board into the next term and give it more of a mandate to actually create discussions, events, lectures,

[35:27] where we can bring people of different backgrounds together,

[35:31] different parts of our community together,

[35:34] and listen and listen and listen to each other.

[35:37] Thank you.

[35:38] Great. Thank you, Mr. Landon.

[35:40] Mr. Kervani.

[35:42] Yeah, sure. So, what first of all,

[35:45] you know, what the vision usually comes,

[35:46] the vision is tied to drama.

[35:48] My brain is like a struggle process,

[35:51] drama because maybe I guess I'm an engineer,

[35:53] so I don't deal well with drama.

[35:54] So, on the other side, though, I'm always being active in the community, especially with a non-profit, for example, trying to bring people together, and even teaching techniques to help people develop compassion, some very sensitive to that.

[36:12] So, I think that, you know, the way I see this is like when you build a project, when you build a project you have different stakeholders, you have people that want something, some other people want something else.

[36:23] So with my, I have a lot of experience trying to focus everybody on common goals.

[36:31] I think, and the common goal is the quality of life.

[36:34] We all want quality of life here.

[36:35] We all want to feel good about our time.

[36:38] So, and there's a few ways that we can do that with cultural events, as Fred was mentioning,

[36:45] and involving our youth, with the youth council, they have good energy that can bridge

[36:51] the gap sometimes also with people with different ideas, so yeah, thank you.

[36:56] Very good. Mr.ville does agree.

[37:01] Yeah, I want to thank Mr. Landsman for mentioning me in a positive way, because the community

[37:05] relations board is one of my main initiatives for addressing exactly this problem. It came from a suggestion of

[37:11] Dr. Murphy's at the debate last time. I don't know if he remembers it, but I sure did.

[37:15] And the idea behind that board was, was to create events that aren't like the tourist board

[37:20] events or the Parks and Rec events, but that really are focused on building community.

[37:24] And we've done wonderful things like the pizza and palm fronds event before a suit coat.

[37:28] We recently did a book club.

[37:31] Celebrating a surf site author who had written a novel recently, and I want to continue the work of that board.

[37:36] What Mr. Lenspin was referring to is that originally I had structured the board in such a way that it was designed.

[37:42] The commission would appoint five people, and then they would appoint four more to try to get the whole community represented.

[37:48] Unfortunately, the commission later overwrote me on that, but I would like to pursue that vision again.

[37:52] If you look at my campaign materials, I talk there about the way in which I have tried to bring

[37:57] something special to the town.

[38:00] And I've really gone out of my way to try to find different ways of bringing us together.

[38:04] I couldn't believe that our surf site has a Nobel Prize winner in literature from 1978,

[38:09] who's primary language was Yiddish.

[38:11] And we never celebrate Isaac Bershev, a singer.

[38:13] So I created an event called Singer Fest.

[38:16] I hope it's the first of many on-or-airing this great surf site, or he's like the ultimate

[38:20] legacy resident.

[38:21] And I think he's a real opportunity to unite the community.

[38:25] I'll say lastly, I think one way to unite the community is with the campaigns that we run.

[38:29] And one of the biggest threats to community unity is this dark money pack that I hope

[38:33] we'll talk about tonight, and I think we can unify the community by repudiating what that

[38:37] pack is doing.

[38:38] Okay, no.

[38:43] Mr. Wang, that's good.

[38:46] Thank you.

[38:47] This is a most important question.

[38:48] It ultimately so much can be accomplished when we have unity.

[38:50] My response is going to be devoted to my dad of us, a memory. His name was Shalom, which means peace.

[38:57] He loved all, and always extended in hand, and the smile to a neighbor.

[39:03] He couldn't understand when self-checkouts were introduced to a store. He said, why would you not want to speak to a person?

[39:08] When we went through a toll booth, he chose to go to the human occupied.

[39:12] The toll booth first is the easy pass. He said, why would you not want another opportunity to connect with another human?

[39:17] So, we need to encourage dialogue and find compromise.

[39:22] We need more listening, my dad advocated for active listening.

[39:26] He can, again, he can understand why people would want to find difference rather than finding common ground.

[39:33] So, while we may have differences in opinion, we all smile at the same shape and let's extend the smile to a neighbor and bring our community together.

[39:40] It's her side's beautiful. Let's keep it that way.

[39:42] Good.

[39:46] This next question is very specific. We're going to begin with Mr. Burdugo for

[39:51] this round. I'm going to read it to you as written. In order to cut down on double

[39:56] parking and sidewalk cafe congestion, would you support a police patrol or code enforcement

[40:02] officer to walk harding avenues business district around 96 to 90 district during lunch and dinner

[40:10] hours?

[40:12] Well, that's going to be very easy to answer, and a short answer is absolutely, absolutely.

[40:19] It's very getting too much traffic, it's creating a mess, and this is unacceptable.

[40:25] Okay, Mr. Blowing Crunch.

[40:29] Okay, that's something that I have seen firsthand many, many times walking through this first side.

[40:35] It can be very aggravating.

[40:37] Fortunately, most of the double-parkers just drop people off her people, pick people up and

[40:45] from what I understand even if the police are the or the parking authority is there in person.

[40:52] They give them a little leeway.

[40:53] If you can get out of there in less than a minute, they let you go.

[40:58] So it's really a matter of how much we want to enforce it and how strict we want to become.

[41:04] If you put someone there all day, which might not be a bad idea, do they run after a car that's only going to be there 30 seconds and give them a ticket or do they follow the same system they already have.

[41:20] So that's a complicated question answer.

[41:23] So even if someone is there, it may not be a sure fire way of keeping people from stopping.

[41:31] Thank you.

[41:32] All right, Ms. Kendler.

[41:37] Thank you.

[41:38] I seem to remember at one point we did have a civilian.

[41:43] I believe his name is Mr. Spanger, but I could have messed that up.

[41:48] There is no reason for the double parking.

[41:51] I live with somebody who has limited mobility.

[41:55] We, you know, we work around it.

[41:57] There are handicap spots.

[41:59] I, honestly, when hurting is down to one lane because there are million Amazon trucks and a million UPS trucks, why aren't they using the alleys?

[42:11] Why are deliveries not being done at times before opening and closing?

[42:16] I worked at a Starbucks on South Beach and we had to be there at 7 a.m. on a Sunday to get our delivery.

[42:22] There are ways to work around this so that even with the traffic problems we have that we aren't creating more.

[42:28] I am open to ideas, I am not a traffic engineer, but there are ways to solve this, and it

[42:33] may have civilians walking around and educating.

[42:38] Very good. Mr. Lanza,

[42:42] the simple answer is yes of course, and frankly, during the

[42:46] commission I served on, we actually allocated additional resources, additional budget to

[42:51] the police department to hire public service aids. The intent was to have one, if not two,

[42:56] controlling downtown, one if not two on our beaches as well, to enhance public safety,

[43:02] public security, and to help move traffic, et cetera. I frankly don't know what's happened to

[43:08] those resources. I don't see them in downtown. I don't see them on the beaches. So absolutely,

[43:13] we need to encourage and add additional resources funding to the police department to bring in

[43:19] more officers for a lot of reasons, but including people downtown to help remediate the traffic,

[43:24] help people find where they need to go, be an ambassador to the town of CERCID for our visitors,

[43:29] and of course our residents.

[43:32] Very good.

[43:33] Mr. Kravani?

[43:34] Yeah, so the question is, yes, somewhat complicated, because it's tied to budget and it's tied

[43:42] to a structural issues, that's what Johnson was also talking about, so the idea, the goal

[43:52] is to avoid this, so the goal is absolutely to make sure that traffic flows on college because

[44:00] if it doesn't flow and on harding, because if it doesn't flow on these two arteries, then

[44:06] we're going to have an increase in the cut-through traffic, so that's why it's important.

[44:12] I think that we have absolutely to look at possibly having an officer, but yeah, it's like a

[44:22] So you have someone that goes there, tells you to live, and then yeah, one main, I'm going to leave.

[44:27] Then maybe somebody else is going to stop. So we have to see how effective this could be.

[44:32] As opposed to maybe other other solutions that could be implemented.

[44:40] And I mentioned traffic because the idea is essentially to see how parking can be implemented.

[44:52] and especially considering this on-street parking that creates the double parking as well.

[45:00] Well, and the people that goes in and out, there's solutions that need to be evaluated, I think.

[45:08] Here we go. Thank you, Mr. Giovanni. Mr. Bergassadri.

[45:12] So, in a way, there's an easy answer, which is of course we need to do something about double parking.

[45:17] I want to say that I think Chief Press does do something about double parking, but there's a harder answer about this, which is to really,

[45:26] I want everyone to appreciate what's involved when you say,

[45:28] can the police do this or that?

[45:31] At any given moment in Surfside, we may have only two or three police officers in the entire town.

[45:35] So if we dedicate an officer to this issue, that significantly limits the sort of public safety

[45:42] elsewhere in the town.

[45:44] So we can do occasional sort of organized traffic interventions, you know, where you try to get

[45:49] the word out that we're serious about this.

[45:51] But it is a hard thing to do on a regular basis.

[45:54] A civilian sort of community service aid or something who's on the sidewalk would have some difficulty pulling people over who are in the flow of traffic.

[46:03] And so it's not all that easy.

[46:04] However, it can be done.

[46:06] I'm just saying that to kind of let people know what's at stake here.

[46:09] Earlier this week, I attended a meeting at Bay Harbor Islands with police chiefs from the three towns and elected officials from the three towns.

[46:16] And the elected officials in Bay Harbor were talking about the double parking and surfside.

[46:21] And so what I would like us to say to them is, well, if you're really concerned about that too,

[46:25] and that this is the low-hanging fruit, help us with the staffing issue.

[46:28] If you could dedicate one or two of your cops, then we can do this.

[46:31] But keep in mind that in Miami pulling over somebody for a traffic infraction is always risky.

[46:37] And you know, it's not easy.

[46:39] It's not something just a civilian can do, especially if the car is in the road.

[46:42] Things can escalate.

[46:43] So we need to be careful, I mean, we need to make sure it's staff the right way.

[46:48] Very good.

[46:49] Thank you.

[46:49] Why, guys?

[46:51] 1,000 percent double parking is a cardinal sin.

[46:54] It is one of the many pieces that are triggering unnecessary congestion in our town.

[46:58] I absolutely would support foot patrol or bike mounted patrol officer and high visibility

[47:03] safety vest for their safety and to deter the violation in the first place.

[47:09] I would encourage our police to also execute their traffic stops

[47:13] on a side street and have the vehicle pull out of the way of hearting avenues so that when they

[47:18] initiate the traffic stop, they're not blocking two lanes now.

[47:21] As protocol is to block the, to protect the officer while they're executing their traffic

[47:29] stop.

[47:30] I love service side.

[47:31] I do not love the traffic.

[47:32] So we need to work towards solutions and we also need to address the parking shortage.

[47:37] when we do so, we could also make at least part of parting Avenue a loading zone rather than parking.

[47:48] I'll miss Ben McGregor.

[47:49] Yes.

[47:51] Yes.

[47:52] So, yes, I do agree that we need an officer there, maybe in pick hours.

[47:58] Because there's no reason to have double parking.

[48:02] And I'm telling you, when I see the double parking,

[48:04] I see that we have legislators, we are very well trained on that, I feel it is most literates.

[48:16] Unless it is for disabled person that needs to be dropped off, it is okay, but yes, we need somebody to be managing.

[48:28] Thank you.

[48:29] very good. Now this round of question we'll begin with Mr. Blumencrout and the question as written

[48:37] with Tallahassee looking to eliminate homestead tax. How are you going to compensate for the lost revenue?

[48:47] The only really way you can compensate for that is to increase taxes and I don't think anybody really wants that

[48:54] possibly a slightly higher tourist tax could be one way of going about it.

[49:03] There's not many ways you can get that money back unfortunately.

[49:08] We just got to hope that that rule does not go through, and maybe we won't have to deal with it.

[49:13] But if we do, I think that particular item was already covered in the mayors debate.

[49:20] and they offered a couple of suggestions, it would involve talking to other cities, also to see how they're going to solve the problem, because obviously every city is going to be in the same boat in the same boat, it's not strictly a surf side issue.

[49:38] So hopefully all of us can come up with a solution if we all work together and maybe it'll never happen to begin with, so we'll see.

[49:46] Thank you.

[49:46] All right, this kids are on this tax issue that's possibly going to occur.

[49:54] Yes, so just so you all know, eliminating homestead tax, eliminating tax in general,

[50:02] eliminates so many of the services that you have come to love from this town,

[50:07] eliminating those taxes would affect us on a state and county level, which means less money trickling in

[50:14] And for line items that we already have, forget the homestead.

[50:19] Okay, we would need to find an adequate money source.

[50:22] I believe it's something like $4 million.

[50:25] I work in non-profit all day.

[50:27] The lack of grant money, the lack of federal funding,

[50:34] donors have come to be.

[50:37] People we're helping now.

[50:38] The amount of services that we lose with that loss of tax money is unbelievable.

[50:45] And I don't think a resort tax or a bigger tax on alcohol can make it happen.

[50:51] I don't think that we can eliminate taxes.

[50:53] Unfortunately, I think it's, you know, the truth of death in taxes.

[50:59] Mr. Hensman, all right.

[51:01] I will try in 90 seconds not to get too walkie,

[51:03] Mr. Zomper and Mr. Karek and this is a big issue beyond 90 seconds, but let me give you

[51:09] what I can.

[51:11] We have a potential here in Surfside of a $45 million that might be a shortfall that we

[51:16] have to deal with.

[51:20] This legislation requires that every municipality like ours maintains the police services at

[51:27] the same level and can't cut that budget, so that's over half of our budget currently.

[51:32] Only homestead properties will be exempted, so that's good for those that own their home and are exempted.

[51:38] In Surfside, the good thing is we have a lot of homes that are second or third homes, especially our condominiums, that will still be paying property tax.

[51:47] Just in the next couple of years we have a new revenue coming in from buildings that are being finished, finalized, even before the Delmore comes online.

[51:55] The revenue from those units that are likely against second homes, third homes for very wealthy people will still be taxed.

[52:03] And that could bring in probably around that $5 million shortfall.

[52:07] So we should be in a good position here in Surfside where we can't and won't increase other taxes.

[52:13] We won't increase our military to our residents, and still be able to provide the services that we do today.

[52:20] Okay, we're here.

[52:20] Mr. Trevani.

[52:23] Yeah, so the this is that the four million dollar fee.

[52:30] Here's coming from like about 20% of the advalorment taxes that the town gets, which is like about 20 million.

[52:37] So out of a budget of 43 million, just for the income sources, plus that 10 million of the

[52:44] Interfund transfers. So the impact is less than 10% on the budget, which is still important.

[52:52] It's significant. However, so I don't know about the projection, the tax, the

[52:59] of the projection of the tax revenue in the future because it looks like it might not be that great,

[53:07] but we definitely have to look at a little stress test to the budget and identify efficiencies.

[53:19] Obviously, services is something that might be affected. However, it's also important to remember,

[53:27] But we still don't know what law is going to be passed.

[53:31] We've got to look at the details of the law before identifying what we can do.

[53:35] Because at the moment, we're just speculating on the overall impact.

[53:38] We've got to wait for the law first.

[53:41] Okay.

[53:43] Mr. Villabas, tagley.

[53:45] All right.

[53:45] So, the question was a little bit, it could have been worded a little better, I'll

[53:49] say, because it says, Tallahassee is going to do this to us.

[53:52] And that's not exactly accurate.

[53:53] What's happened right now in case you haven't been following the issue.

[53:56] is that the Florida House has proposed a constitutional amendment

[53:59] that would limit property taxes on homesteaded properties.

[54:03] The Senate hasn't approved it yet,

[54:05] so there's not even a final version.

[54:07] But for this to happen, it has to be approved by 60%

[54:09] of the voters in November.

[54:11] So if you don't like the answers that we're giving about budget cuts,

[54:13] because nobody likes to talk about budget cuts,

[54:15] don't shoot the messenger, but vote against this in November

[54:18] because we still have a say about this.

[54:20] If this happens, it's not because of Tallahassee,

[54:22] it's because of Florida voters approving it.

[54:24] That said, Mr. Landsman is right.

[54:25] we can't cut public safety.

[54:27] That's part of the how, at least under the House version,

[54:29] that's currently out there.

[54:30] So I think in Surfside, we do need to plan for the worst,

[54:33] however, I don't want to count my chickens before they're hatched.

[54:36] I don't want to say the Delmore is going to save the day.

[54:39] So what are we going to do in that case?

[54:42] I also think that the proposal would make an incentive

[54:46] for people to now go home to their property.

[54:49] So we can't count on those luxury condos.

[54:51] If we're going to have to cut the budget,

[54:53] it's probably going to have to come from capital improvements.

[54:55] And so I talked with the town manager about exactly this scenario, I think what we're going

[54:59] to have to do is hire a consultant who can help us prioritize everything we need to do

[55:03] in the town.

[55:04] But we're going to have to give up something.

[55:06] Stormwater, the stormwater master plan.

[55:08] We have focus areas that are ready to go and that's something I really would love to do as

[55:11] a commissioner.

[55:12] But we're going to have to prioritize them.

[55:13] We might have to prioritize the doing restoration over the stormwater.

[55:17] We're going to have to make very tough choices.

[55:18] And I hope we don't have to do that.

[55:20] Very good.

[55:24] Mr. Ryan, I believe this is going to be a multi-pronged approach.

[55:27] It's not going to be one item that's going to completely offset our shortfall.

[55:33] Toorism tax is going to be one piece.

[55:35] I believe that us the residents who deal with a lot of the inconveniences of the toorism

[55:40] coming tourists coming through, we should be able to bring some solutions our way from

[55:45] that.

[55:46] So I am in support of that.

[55:47] Running businesses I've had to pivot and adjust constantly.

[55:51] We get hit with tariffs and we have to look at our P&L and we have to look at our profitability

[55:56] and find ways to make this work.

[55:59] So it's going to be a deep dive into the budget.

[56:01] It's going to be the bright side of the development

[56:05] that we already have happening.

[56:07] We're going to get some additional revenue there

[56:09] and a good portion of those long there will not be home setters,

[56:14] so that will definitely offset a portion there.

[56:17] But we have to leverage inevitable.

[56:19] The developments that are happening have to serve

[56:21] to our benefit and improve our quality of life.

[56:23] And this is a perfect example of where we could work at deal.

[56:26] And if a project is happening beyond our control

[56:29] because of the state law, we need to work

[56:31] at deal with a developer and make it offset something else

[56:33] that's going to make our life more pleasant.

[56:36] There you go.

[56:39] Mr. Bergen?

[56:41] It's a very complicated question.

[56:45] And we have to come up with a solution.

[56:47] But when we get there, it's still very uncertain.

[56:51] As we said, but the first thing

[56:54] is I would never cut on the services that we have.

[56:59] When we get there, we have to, I agree with Gerardo,

[57:04] that we really need, like, a consultant experts

[57:07] to come here and help us to figure out how to plan this.

[57:11] Thank you.

[57:12] Very good.

[57:15] And Mr. Bergogo.

[57:17] So,

[57:22] while the anticipated tax repeal for the homestead taxes, it poses a significant challenge,

[57:33] we projected the losses to be around $4 million.

[57:37] The shortfalls will be of said by revenue that's coming from a high-end development and actually

[57:49] this could demonstrate that growth is beneficial for our budget, but it has to be done in a more

[57:59] optimistic that what I'm hearing here, it's just that we have to remain conservative,

[58:05] but we have to know what's coming in, and I think that's very positive, and I think we should, of course, have an educated,

[58:19] probably, and we should definitely hire someone to answer those questions for us and plan it so we can be fully prepared to face this kind of the eventuality that it's going to be voted for.

[58:33] that we should be prepared.

[58:36] Thank you.

[58:38] Okay, now there's next question.

[58:41] We'll begin with Ms. Kenzer.

[58:44] As written, in 2012, options for a parking structure were proposed.

[58:51] At the Abbott Lot behind CVS and Flannigans, or the Post Office Lot, or the 94th Street Lot,

[58:57] diagonal from Publix.

[58:59] Some people think we need to build a parking structure

[59:01] thinking it will help reduce traffic congestion. Others think that if you build one, it would

[59:07] just make things worse. What do you think?

[59:13] I'm not opposed. I am not opposed to building a parking

[59:17] structure. Obviously, we see it's increased parking in other municipalities. It would also give

[59:25] residents a place to park their cars when there was a storm during a king tide. I just think

[59:32] it needs to be done in a way that keeps the character. I believe that it needs to be done

[59:42] thoughtfully. Obviously, we don't want something that's overdeveloped. We want it to fit

[59:49] our needs. Again, I'm not an engineer. I am up to listening, but we definitely do need

[59:55] more parking. I can tell you Starbucks in the morning is a zoo.

[1:00:00] If you go before work, I, you know, are parking, for residents, there is only those few 15, what is it? 15 minute parking spots?

[1:00:12] So, people want to come here. They want to shop at our downtown. They want to, to enjoy our town. Why not give them a place to park and make a little revenue in the meantime?

[1:00:23] But do it thoughtfully.

[1:00:26] Okay, Mr. Landsman.

[1:00:33] So this brings me back to four years ago when I first ran for office this question.

[1:00:39] Maybe in different words was asked as well.

[1:00:42] And I finally remember my answered.

[1:00:45] Parking parking parking.

[1:00:47] Our town is dealing with parking has for probably decades.

[1:00:51] And we'll continue to deal with parking issues.

[1:00:54] And when I said four years ago I'll say today,

[1:00:56] a parking structure will not happen on my watch.

[1:01:00] We don't need a three-four story building that will only have parking.

[1:01:04] We don't have the room for it. We don't have the capacity for it.

[1:01:06] And I think there is some issue with if the parking is here,

[1:01:10] people will come and fill it up.

[1:01:12] You look at Hollywood Beach and there's parking structures all throughout.

[1:01:16] And how many people go to Hollywood Beach and park there and use the beach.

[1:01:20] We have a small community, a small beach.

[1:01:22] And frankly, yes, we don't have enough parking, there has to be some solutions, and I don't necessarily have those solutions right here, but we need to talk to people that have the expertise, but again, on my watch, no parking structure.

[1:01:36] Okay.

[1:01:39] Mr. Kravani.

[1:01:40] Yeah, so it's again, it's a complicated question because this, so there's a grant, I believe, of $350,000 that we could use for traffic.

[1:01:53] And I don't want to do, I mean, there's a study done in 2023, so there's some data available,

[1:01:59] but the problem is modeling, not the study, the modeling.

[1:02:03] So what it means is that it's very hard to subjectively answer a question like this without seeing what it does to the traffic itself,

[1:02:12] how the cars move, and if you actually can't relieve congestion or you're adding congestion,

[1:02:18] It could be tied to keeping the number of parking spots even, but just moving them.

[1:02:24] Like, for example, you move them out of colonies and you put them in a specific location.

[1:02:30] Like, for example, it's a small structure that could take those parking spots.

[1:02:35] But the ultimate goal has to be having less traffic.

[1:02:42] While at the same time, you keep the same quality of life.

[1:02:46] And by the way, when you do a model, you get to a point where you have maybe two or three solutions.

[1:02:52] It's like in a PD and E study that you do with F.D.

[1:02:55] You get to a point where you call the community in.

[1:02:58] You show the three solutions with the prongs and cones.

[1:03:01] You get the community feedback.

[1:03:02] You implement the one that makes the most sense.

[1:03:07] Very good.

[1:03:07] Mr. Vovast, I agree.

[1:03:09] So when I was first selected in 2024, we got a very angry, concerned email from the owner of Oberlea

[1:03:17] One of the old-harding avenues to establishments that Mr. Blumencrantz might remember from the classic days of harding avenue.

[1:03:24] And he was concerned that the lot was so full that he might be losing business.

[1:03:27] And so we wanted to address that problem right away.

[1:03:30] One of the two things, basically, we stepped up enforcement of the lot.

[1:03:35] There was a lot of placard abuse with people using handicap placards that probably were not legal.

[1:03:41] And there were a lot of bellharbers shops and employees parking in the lot.

[1:03:44] We combine that with raising the rates.

[1:03:47] And I think that created a workable solution.

[1:03:51] That same shop owner wrote us and said things are much better right now.

[1:03:55] So what that experience leads me to think is that that's the right approach.

[1:03:58] That I think we can go further.

[1:04:00] We can do something like dynamic pricing if we had sensors in the lot

[1:04:03] then the prices could go up as it gets more crowded

[1:04:05] and we can try to balance things out.

[1:04:07] Like Mr. Lansman, I would prefer not to build a parking garage.

[1:04:10] I think that a parking garage, there is such a thing as too much parking, and a parking garage

[1:04:16] will create more traffic, just think about how, you know, this calculation might enter

[1:04:21] into your daily life.

[1:04:23] If you have a little bit of time and you want to go to Harding Avenue to buy something,

[1:04:28] you might say, oh, if parking is a problem, I'll just walk or bike.

[1:04:32] But if there was a four-story garage and there was always a place to park, then you're not

[1:04:37] going to feel that little bit of healthy pressure.

[1:04:39] right? We, you know, we want to, it's a very delicate balance. You want to make it so that there's

[1:04:43] a little bit pressure to get there another way. And I'm like for that.

[1:04:51] Mr. Wang. No one deserves

[1:04:53] to have a parking lot in their backyard. However, the simple map is if you create more space,

[1:04:59] you're going to alleviate the pressure. You're going to remove the congestion elsewhere.

[1:05:03] So I agree. It needs to be done thoughtfully. We need to be creative. We need some pressure ideas also.

[1:05:08] There have been traffic studies done. There's what to execute based upon many of those from experts.

[1:05:13] We will need renewed studies, I believe, as things have changed, I believe it also has to be looked at on a more holistic level as 33154 as a whole because traffic is flowing through traffic and parking is connected.

[1:05:27] Parking becomes an issue when you have the traffic flowing through and you have the people coming.

[1:05:32] So, we need to be able to work with our neighbors. I'm proudly endorsed by our neighboring Bell Harbor Mayor and our prepared to work together to address traffic and then therefore parking as well.

[1:05:42] While I'm not an engineer, I believe we do need some new ideas and we can look at our waterway.

[1:05:48] We don't have a water taxi here.

[1:05:51] So simply removing some of the vehicles from the road is going to be at that pressure everywhere.

[1:05:56] And we have the benefits of environmental benefits.

[1:05:58] We have connectivity.

[1:05:59] We have commuters from surf side can go to points south with a new way with a beautiful view.

[1:06:06] And enjoy the beautiful outdoors that we have without bringing more cars there.

[1:06:10] There you go.

[1:06:13] Let's be in my game.

[1:06:17] So I'm not opposing to building a parking infrastructure.

[1:06:21] I see there is a need.

[1:06:22] I mean, it's not only me, everybody sees there is a need for parking here, but I do agree

[1:06:29] that we need to do it very thoughtfully.

[1:06:32] We cannot just jump on it.

[1:06:34] We have to really make a plan and have consultants help us through a process.

[1:06:39] Thank you.

[1:06:44] So to answer this question is basically saying what are the results of not having parking

[1:06:49] and having parking.

[1:06:52] So right now we don't have any parking.

[1:06:54] So there's a number of saturation in our streets, basically all the traffic that's bleeding

[1:06:59] for example on Byron and people are parking because I live on Byron, so I see people like,

[1:07:04] for example, they want to go to the beach, they park on our streets.

[1:07:07] So the result is complete over saturations of our streets of our neighborhood streets.

[1:07:14] So the problem is we have to understand that also parking helps businesses,

[1:07:20] Surfside businesses. So we need those markings.

[1:07:25] Now regarding the parking situation if we have to build a parking.

[1:07:30] A structure. Well, that comes first of all, we need to ask an experts opinion and the second thing, it has to go through what the residents want, ultimately. And that's what I'm here for.

[1:07:43] It's listening to the residents, if the residents decide that we need parking, then we need parking. But it has to be done for what fully, like everybody said, more or less here. Thank you.

[1:07:52] Very good. Mr. Roman Crohn's.

[1:07:57] That issue is kind of ironic because Bay Harbor and Bell Harbor both have their own

[1:08:03] parking garages and we don't. But being said, I would never support a parking garage in

[1:08:11] service. I'll tell you why. And I'm kind of interested in why none of my other colleagues

[1:08:17] brought this up. Every one of those sites for a parking garage is an existing parking lot.

[1:08:25] If you build a parking garage, you're probably looking at about maybe at minimum of two years

[1:08:32] of construction, that would be on an existing parking lot in Surfside. So that would alleviate for

[1:08:40] two years, maybe 200 parking spots, minimum.

[1:08:46] So during that two years of construction,

[1:08:49] nobody is going to be able to find parking anywhere.

[1:08:52] And it's going to be complete bevelum.

[1:08:55] So unfortunately, we don't have any place to put a garage.

[1:08:58] So that idea is out the window.

[1:09:02] OK.

[1:09:07] Next question begins with Mr. Lansman.

[1:09:11] And this is a little history test, I guess.

[1:09:13] It says, can you name one decision made by a prior surf slide commission that you disagreed

[1:09:21] with?

[1:09:22] And what would you have done differently?

[1:09:34] I'm just reading them as they come.

[1:09:37] I won't need glasses for this one.

[1:09:41] But it's one, one decision.

[1:09:43] Again, I could spend 90 days on this, not 90 seconds.

[1:09:47] But yes, I think this question is perhaps written for me because I am a former commissioner,

[1:09:52] who's been involved in town activities.

[1:09:57] I'll go with one that's from this current commission,

[1:10:00] that is near and dear to a lot of people's hearts and it's about

[1:10:03] and something we should discuss and we haven't yet,

[1:10:06] but I'll bring it up because it's important,

[1:10:08] F-A-R, Florida area ratio, the size of our single family homes.

[1:10:12] Anyone here concerned about that big, small, yes, no, anybody?

[1:10:15] Wait, hands? Come on, if you're not aware that you should be,

[1:10:20] So again, this current commission has placed a tremendous number of restrictions on the ability

[1:10:27] to build a home here in Surfside.

[1:10:29] I'm not in favor of bigger homes.

[1:10:32] I'm in favor of modest size homes that fit our character of our community.

[1:10:37] But at the same time, I think that this current commission has gone too far to extreme.

[1:10:43] And if I am, yes, elected again, I will hopefully bring together a charrette or a town

[1:10:49] meeting so that we as residents can come together and have a conversation about what is the

[1:10:54] right size? What are the right setbacks? What are the right parameters for a single family home here

[1:10:59] at the serve side? So we can come together and have some peace and not go back and forth back and

[1:11:05] forth. Thank you. Very good. Mr. Kravani. So the first one that I could think about is when

[1:11:17] because I was involved, it was the when the assistant ability and

[1:11:21] resiliency committee was basically abolished.

[1:11:26] So I disagreed that decision on that time.

[1:11:31] And it's because I think that that's one of the things that I'd like,

[1:11:36] it's one of the points of my program. So I feel quite strongly about it.

[1:11:41] And I think I was a little, it wasn't really a decision, but I've seen that because I've been part of the planning and zoning board.

[1:11:57] And I disagreed with the previous planning and zoning boards where taking the evaluation of the homes.

[1:12:06] because there are design guidelines that need to be followed, and therefore I liked the idea of bringing this thoughtfulness back, so that we really try to preserve the character of Sirside.

[1:12:27] There you go. Thank you.

[1:12:30] Mr. Jolga Stagley.

[1:12:32] All right. So remember how I started off by saying I was really proud of the fact that all my fellow commissioners have endorsed me.

[1:12:37] I hope I don't lose one of their endorsements with this answer.

[1:12:43] But there's a note.

[1:12:44] If I could have a little bit of time, was that alarm?

[1:12:47] Just.

[1:12:49] It's a baby chair.

[1:12:50] Sorry. Just a few seconds more, please.

[1:12:53] So a decision that my commission made that I descended from and I disagreed with.

[1:12:58] As early as June 2024 in our term, it was clear to me that the cost of the

[1:13:02] Undergrounding Project was going to far exceed the $40 million that we had

[1:13:06] already approved to borrow.

[1:13:07] And I wanted to get that item back on the ballot as soon as possible, and I wanted to

[1:13:12] level with the voters and say this is going to be much more expensive than $40

[1:13:15] million.

[1:13:16] We need to either decide that we're going to borrow more money or we're not.

[1:13:20] And we could not get that on the ballot for quite a while.

[1:13:23] I tried, and I think what ended up happening after a full other year and almost a half we finally did have that vote.

[1:13:34] It was not until July of 2025 that we got this cost estimate that it would be at least $80 million.

[1:13:41] And I think the real number was something like a hundred.

[1:13:44] And so what ended up happening during that time is that, you know, there was this kind of...

[1:13:49] The project was supposedly moving forward, but nobody was really being honest about the full

[1:13:54] cost.

[1:13:55] And I wish that we had been able to make that decision sooner in our term.

[1:14:00] So then we could have said, okay, if we're not going to pursue that project, if the voters

[1:14:03] don't want to borrow more money, what's the next big project that we can do in Surfside?

[1:14:08] And I think that our imaginations got limited, because we spent so much of the two years

[1:14:13] kind of hemming and high about undergrounding, the project was sliced and diced into three

[1:14:18] And we were going to maybe start the first part, but we never knew how much the whole thing was going to cost.

[1:14:23] And I think that we should have made the clear decision to put that back on the ballot as soon as we could have in 2024.

[1:14:30] Thank

[1:14:33] you.

[1:14:34] Mr. Wange.

[1:14:35] We make decisions based upon the best information available to us at that time.

[1:14:39] So I will not be a Monday morning quarterback and make a judgment on the decisions made previously on this day.

[1:14:46] I was not here at the time given the data that they had, reviewed the studies that they had.

[1:14:50] and I respect the efforts of what they put to it.

[1:14:54] However, I must say based off of listening and talking to residents over the last few weeks.

[1:15:02] The restrictions on the homeowners to do and improve on their homes, rather than finding a balance, you know, going back to the flurry or ratio, that's something that I continuously hear, and I wish there could have been more balance rather than such a strong decision there, so I know that's something that's going to be like that.

[1:15:20] But Wayne Gretzky was once asked, you know, how he became such a stellar player, and he said,

[1:15:27] all the other players are running to the park.

[1:15:31] I'm thinking where that park can go.

[1:15:32] And I know that with a strong commission, a unified commission, we can get a lot done here,

[1:15:37] and make good decisions for it.

[1:15:39] There you go.

[1:15:42] Just been Marguerri?

[1:15:45] So, um, this past month, I've been doing a lot,

[1:15:49] door to door and have made wonderful people. And people, you know, they come with their concerns,

[1:15:55] they're the other suggestions. And I'm not here to judge again. I'm not here to say the

[1:16:01] past commission or the previous commission. That's not my job. But yes, I heard in some

[1:16:07] concern that people were a little bit like not very happy with the restricting, like I agree

[1:16:13] with Mr. Lansman, that about the restriction

[1:16:18] of the sizes of the building and a warm.

[1:16:22] So I mean, I would go back to how it was before.

[1:16:28] And then, that's it.

[1:16:29] Thank you.

[1:16:30] Very good.

[1:16:32] Mr. Burdovo.

[1:16:35] So for me, it's not really what was done.

[1:16:38] It's not about what was done.

[1:16:39] It's more like things that used to be in surf side.

[1:16:43] There are not anymore, and things that are like features

[1:16:46] that are present in surf side that don't play their role

[1:16:49] anymore.

[1:16:50] I'm talking about, like for example, the disappearance

[1:16:52] of safety measures, like speed humps, all of our surf side.

[1:16:56] They're not anymore.

[1:16:57] So people are speeding with their,

[1:17:00] I would say, noiseless scooters, electric scooters,

[1:17:07] and cars that don't make noise anymore.

[1:17:09] and they're speeding on those streets, so the disappearance of speed homes, it's a bummer for us

[1:17:16] and especially regarding safety and for our children. Also another feature that's creating a lot of

[1:17:24] problems, it's the presence of that around about, so I'm not criticizing because probably that

[1:17:30] roundabout played its role at a certain point, but now the roundabout on 95th it's creating a huge congestion,

[1:17:37] So we need to figure out what's the, what's the answer to that.

[1:17:43] Okay. Thank you.

[1:17:44] All right.

[1:17:45] Mr. Blummercrans.

[1:17:48] On the past commission and current commission,

[1:17:51] it's not so much the rules or things they passed or did not pass.

[1:17:56] For me was more some of their attitudes.

[1:18:01] I know they put a lot of ballot,

[1:18:03] The additional ballot questions out there, and I feel some of them are just to empower rules that they already made, so we cannot ever change them.

[1:18:16] Also, they tend to blame task commissioners or task commissions for problems that we have now.

[1:18:23] So I'm just very upset with the name and blame game that's been going on, and that to me is their biggest mistake.

[1:18:37] I'm going to take a few minutes and say Mr. Bredugo. I live, I sleep with a speed hump in front

[1:18:44] of my window. You and I need to talk because I would love a night of sleep where somebody

[1:18:50] isn't going over that thing, trying to launch their cars far across their side as possible.

[1:18:57] But that's a whole other story. My biggest issue, especially being a non-profit development

[1:19:02] professional is the fact that we are still in the 20, 20, 24 audit financially. I don't know if anybody knows that.

[1:19:10] But to me, the fact that our CFO or whoever was in charge was fired by a mayor who thought he was a strong mayor,

[1:19:20] with no cause that we've been given and hired immediately by him, Miami Beach.

[1:19:25] Another municipality does not hire somebody who is fired for wrongdoing.

[1:19:30] Okay, the fact that we are still on fiscal year 2024, we had to bring in an outside auditor.

[1:19:37] People did not know what was going in financially. You all should be worried.

[1:19:43] To me, that was a huge red flag, and any future audits that will be a huge red flag.

[1:19:50] Okay,

[1:19:55] Mr. Bordugo, I'm going to give you 30 seconds since you were a name.

[1:19:58] I think I'm very sorry because I don't have a beat as beat bumps, so I don't know what it does to us.

[1:20:07] But I agree to your statement, because that's probably a disturbance.

[1:20:13] But at the same time, it's probably a better way to make those and to make sure that they are safe.

[1:20:18] And they don't cause as much noise as you say. Thank you.

[1:20:23] Okay. All right. Now this next question starts with Mr. Corrani and it's, how would you ensure

[1:20:32] residents who criticize the commission at public meetings are protected from retaliation?

[1:20:41] That's an easy question. To me, it's actually inconceivable. It's

[1:20:49] So against everything that I do, that I stand for,

[1:20:54] that I couldn't even envision this happening.

[1:20:59] So when, and if I'm going to be in a situation like that

[1:21:05] on the commission where some of the members of the commission,

[1:21:09] some of the commissioners are mayor,

[1:21:11] are going to be trying to impose that,

[1:21:15] I'll be definitely there to do everything I can against that.

[1:21:23] So we need to make sure that the time is given to everyone to speak their mind.

[1:21:30] Sometimes it's, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's the democracy.

[1:21:33] So there's many different opinions.

[1:21:34] We all care about these opinions, we're passionate.

[1:21:39] So it's, it's our job to make sure that our emotions don't get the best of us.

[1:21:47] And I'm going to, I guess, do a lot more meditation to make sure that that does that.

[1:21:54] Thank you.

[1:21:55] Thank you.

[1:21:56] Thank you.

[1:22:00] Mr. Villas, thank you.

[1:22:01] Yeah, this question is near and dear to me.

[1:22:03] And it's something that I am really proud of from the work of my commission.

[1:22:07] The previous commission, and we should name the mayor, Shlomo dancing, or who was really the culprit behind this.

[1:22:14] Use the police at meetings to eject people regularly.

[1:22:17] I was forced to stop speaking at one point when the commission was trying to do this weird

[1:22:22] favor for the developer of the Champlain site to increase their buildable space by something

[1:22:27] worth tens of millions of dollars and I was asked.

[1:22:30] Can we find out who paid for your trip to Dubai? Because that seems to cast a shadow over this whole thing. I was forced to stop speaking.

[1:22:38] And the way they did that was there was a rule that said, you couldn't make in pertinent comments.

[1:22:43] Well, we changed the rule. Now you're allowed to speak, and the only time that they can cut you off is if the speech is incendiary or threatening.

[1:22:51] So people like me would be able to ask questions like that.

[1:22:54] We also created a mechanism where the other commission can override the mayor when they

[1:22:59] silent somebody with a privileged motion.

[1:23:02] But the number one thing that we have to do, and this is really important, is have a professional

[1:23:05] police force that won't retaliate.

[1:23:08] Ms. Kinser mentioned when Shlomodansinger fired the financial director for no reason.

[1:23:12] He also fired the chief of police, and installed people who were loyalists, and those

[1:23:17] people were willing to do the mayor's bidding.

[1:23:20] Right now, we have a professional chief of police in Charles Press, who would never, never retaliate against somebody for their speech and never take direction from a commissioner who tried to do so.

[1:23:31] That is critical. That's one of the things on most proud of that we have a professional police force that won't engage in that sort of thing.

[1:23:52] Mr. Wang.

[1:23:53] Let's be neighborly. Let's be nice. Everyone deserves to be listened to. That's what the mic's there for.

[1:23:57] And that's what the three minutes of opportunity is.

[1:24:00] I encourage those at the mic to respect the mic and the other 5700 or so residents of

[1:24:07] the serve side because the goal and the objective there is for us to improve the quality of

[1:24:12] life for one another and so you know let's work together.

[1:24:16] Let's be able to be more listening and more understanding.

[1:24:19] Very good.

[1:24:20] Thank you.

[1:24:22] It's been Marguer.

[1:24:23] Yes.

[1:24:23] So my philosophy in life is we can agree to disagree as long as we respect each other and be

[1:24:31] civil.

[1:24:32] Thank you so much.

[1:24:33] Thank you.

[1:24:34] Thank you.

[1:24:35] Thank you.

[1:24:36] Thank you.

[1:24:37] I think that we shouldn't be in this position if we disagree with people.

[1:24:43] We can disagree with people, but rejecting others opinions is not a place here.

[1:24:50] So I think that this commission or the future commission should be, should gear it towards respecting one another, that's the first thing.

[1:25:00] And then respecting the will of the residents.

[1:25:03] Thank you.

[1:25:04] Thank you.

[1:25:07] If you're below the grounds?

[1:25:09] I think the key word is respect and respect has to go both ways.

[1:25:13] When someone comes up to the podium and speaks to me or anybody else up here,

[1:25:18] I would expect them to have respect.

[1:25:20] But if they want to get angry, that's fine with me, they can yell and get upset as much as they want.

[1:25:26] Keep talking as much as they want until they get blue in the face.

[1:25:29] I don't really care.

[1:25:31] I have no anger issues whatsoever, and I would never show anger back at somebody.

[1:25:37] But if they want to get up there and be upset, it's okay with me, and I would never have anybody thrown out for any reason.

[1:25:44] nor would I let anybody alongside me request to have somebody thrown out.

[1:25:50] Thank you.

[1:25:51] There you go.

[1:25:56] Ms. Kendor.

[1:25:57] Thank you.

[1:25:58] I'll refrain from the old daddage about opinions.

[1:26:00] I'm sure you all know it.

[1:26:03] And in an account of a blocks, we have a lot of opinions,

[1:26:07] but opinions should always be heard.

[1:26:10] Part of the reason that all of us are sitting up here is we're looking for your votes.

[1:26:15] Any commissioner or mayor or vice mayor,

[1:26:17] serves at the behest of you guys, the voters.

[1:26:21] If we don't let you speak, we aren't running a democracy.

[1:26:24] This country is a democracy.

[1:26:26] Speech is protected under First Amendment rights

[1:26:29] to violate that and use a force to arrest a young man

[1:26:36] and potentially ruin his future.

[1:26:40] I don't think I got more polls about Champlain

[1:26:44] than I did about the arrest of Joshua Abstein.

[1:26:46] sorry to use him. Okay? People know I live in Surfside. They know my father was involved. They

[1:26:51] know who I am. Those were the most disgusting calls I've ever received in my life. And it was

[1:26:58] hard to watch. And it was hard to watch neighbor fight neighbor over the fact that we became a police

[1:27:05] state. This is the democracy and everyone is free to speak. Whether we like it or not, every

[1:27:13] President should be heard and have the allotted time frame.

[1:27:18] I stand for that.

[1:27:19] I, you know, I'm sitting up here asking you to listen to me.

[1:27:22] I need to be able to listen to you.

[1:27:25] And at the end of the day, I keep saying we are all neighbors.

[1:27:28] We need to agree to disagree.

[1:27:33] There we go.

[1:27:38] Mr. Management.

[1:27:39] Well said, everyone, as I did serve on the prior commission,

[1:27:44] I had to deal with sometimes very challenging conversations and debates, yes, several people.

[1:27:53] A handful of people were asked to leave, did not, and they were escorted out of the building.

[1:27:58] My personal philosophy, and as the mayor owns the gavel, he or she has the opportunity or the responsibility to manage the proceeding.

[1:28:07] as a commissioner, I do not, and previously that provision, that the current commission

[1:28:13] put in place to reinstate a speaker didn't exist.

[1:28:16] So yes, I personally would never, and I never would stop anyone from saying what they want

[1:28:23] to say, never again should anyone be thrown out during good and wealthier, there's a regulation

[1:28:29] where you're not supposed to talk about issues that are on the agenda.

[1:28:33] In my opinion, it's my opinion, personally, those three minutes are yours.

[1:28:37] say what you want to say to the commission, but do it professionally, do it as a mature person,

[1:28:42] do not use profanity because our children watch these proceedings live or in future states.

[1:28:50] So don't swear. I have a very thick skin. I did this for two years. People yelled at me.

[1:28:57] People screamed at me. People threatened me. People did a lot of things. And I took it.

[1:29:01] I will keep taking it as a commissioner.

[1:29:04] Say what you want to say, but let's be as civil to each other as we can be.

[1:29:08] Thank you.

[1:29:10] Thank you.

[1:29:12] We're going to do one more question.

[1:29:14] One more question.

[1:29:16] Because we have closing statements to do.

[1:29:18] And I know there's made a clock, you know, deadline here of sorts.

[1:29:22] But I'm going to run it over a little bit with this last question.

[1:29:25] And this question starts with you, Mr.ville, the Stockway.

[1:29:29] People like it.

[1:29:30] Did I get it right?

[1:29:31] What?

[1:29:32] Velvastiki.

[1:29:33] Velvastiki.

[1:29:34] Thank you.

[1:29:35] If I would say that wrong, I'd say.

[1:29:38] People like to mention that elected officials

[1:29:40] should focus on issues that affect quality of life.

[1:29:44] What does the term quality of life mean to you?

[1:29:49] That's a great question.

[1:29:51] In my last campaign, I made quality of life

[1:29:53] one of the main sort of organizing principles

[1:29:55] of my speech.

[1:29:56] I think it means at least

[1:29:59] Thank you.

[1:30:00] The things. One is that if you don't want to engage in politics day-to-day and serve side, you just want

[1:30:06] to live your life, you're free to do that. And you can trust that everything in the town is going

[1:30:12] to work well enough that you can focus on your family, your career, your garden, whatever is

[1:30:19] most important to you. It means a kind of freedom from worry. I also, you know, and that means having

[1:30:25] High-quality government services that are reliable all the time. I also think it means in

[1:30:31] Surfside because if you ask people, why do you enjoy living here? They often mention the quality

[1:30:35] of life and I think they mean something more than that, too. They mean there's something kind of special about

[1:30:40] this town that we really savor. Like it has a really particular flavor. I remember in my last two years ago

[1:30:48] I talked about the soul of the town and I think keeping that alive is a big part of the quality of life.

[1:30:53] So it's the distinctive feature of our events, of our community gatherings, the things we do,

[1:31:00] the personality that the town has that enriches the quality of life. Of course, though, it encompasses

[1:31:06] just about any issue, so traffic can be a big detractor from quality of life. But as I said,

[1:31:14] I see it more as a kind of freedom from worry, as being able to live your life as a surfcider,

[1:31:20] and engage with politics only when you want to and not because you feel you have to in order to defend something important to you.

[1:31:27] Thank you.

[1:31:28] Thank

[1:31:30] you.

[1:31:31] Mr. Wine.

[1:31:34] Quality of life is the experience to live in peace to know that one is safe, neighbors, they call friends,

[1:31:40] and sharing one another's happy times and support one another at their times in need.

[1:31:45] Everything else rules up under quality of life.

[1:31:48] So, our traffic issues, our public safety, our pedestrian safety, our beach, our path,

[1:31:55] our beautiful nature that we want to protect that all rolls up under there,

[1:31:59] but ultimately to live, neighborly, to be there for one another, and have our lovely community.

[1:32:05] Thank you.

[1:32:08] Ms. Femberg, Ruth?

[1:32:10] Hello. To me, quality of life means having less traffic, like I think everyone shares that idea.

[1:32:17] Also have cleaner streets and cleaner beach being able to go to a beach watch sunset and sunrise.

[1:32:27] Have better lighting at night in the street.

[1:32:32] So we feel safe to walk around safe, safer for the pedestrians.

[1:32:38] And just feeling in general, having public safety.

[1:32:43] That's to me, quality of life and service. Thank you.

[1:32:45] There you go.

[1:32:48] Just a word.

[1:32:49] There you go.

[1:32:51] I'm sorry.

[1:32:52] Quality of life has a different meaning for every probably single person in this room and

[1:32:58] for people who are watching us.

[1:33:00] So at the end of the day, it could be safety could be a bunch of things that we discuss

[1:33:06] here today.

[1:33:07] But at the end of the day, when it comes to be a commissioner, I think that we have to

[1:33:17] opinion of quality of life. That's why we are here. We are here to listen what people think their quality of life should be.

[1:33:24] That's all.

[1:33:25] Thank you.

[1:33:28] Mr. Blowing Grant?

[1:33:30] I was actually going to start out with what Yana Thin said. Everybody has a different version of a quality of life.

[1:33:36] To me, my life is very simple. I'd like to get up in the morning and go out and get my newspaper and my pajamas and not feel like anybody's

[1:33:44] staring me down and feel very safe out there. It also involves being able to walk the

[1:33:50] street at night with my wife taking a nice long walk, not worrying about anybody

[1:33:54] coming up behind me and surprising us or a car going too fast down the street,

[1:34:01] knowing that there's adequate police out there at all time protecting us. So at

[1:34:05] the end of the day, just going home and knowing that you had a good day with no

[1:34:12] problems and no fear and basically surfside is that way for shirts and it always has been

[1:34:20] that way. That's one of the things we take pride in. We are a very, very safe community

[1:34:25] and that gives everybody here a higher quality of life than in most other communities in

[1:34:31] Miami. Thank you.

[1:34:33] Thank you.

[1:34:36] This can's her.

[1:34:38] Again, as most of the time quality of life, the first thing I wrote down is it's subjective.

[1:34:43] My opinion for quality of life is very different from somebody who's not 45 years old and with no children.

[1:34:50] Again, it's very subjective, and I think that a lot of times when you sit on a commission or you sit on a board or you work with people,

[1:34:58] you only hear the negatives.

[1:35:01] Okay, when people have a problem is when you hear from them, I really think that residents should feel empowered as well

[1:35:10] to come to their commission and tell us when we've done something right. Tell them when they've

[1:35:15] done something good. Don't just come to a town meeting, we've mentioned good and welfare,

[1:35:20] and tell us that your quality of life is wrong, tell us that your quality of life is great and

[1:35:25] why. You know, we can't just have the negative all the time. We do that at restaurants. We don't

[1:35:30] praise our servers for the great service. We only let people know when things are bad. So I think that,

[1:35:37] know, we all have different, different meters on quality of life and you need to be able to

[1:35:44] speak to those you have elected to represent you about what's both good and bad.

[1:35:54] Mr. Landsman, not to repeat what's been said, but yes, everyone has their own interpretation

[1:35:59] of quality of life. What is important to me may not be important to you, but as a commission

[1:36:04] are related to this election and to the work that we may be doing, I will listen to you and

[1:36:10] want to know what your quality of life issues are.

[1:36:13] Is it traffic?

[1:36:13] Is it parking?

[1:36:14] Is it houses?

[1:36:16] Is it schools?

[1:36:17] Is it educate?

[1:36:17] Whatever it might be.

[1:36:19] So, mine is not really that important to anyone outside of this room.

[1:36:23] What is important to you?

[1:36:24] I will listen.

[1:36:25] Something else that's very important to me is that I am a proponent of respecting everyone's

[1:36:31] rights.

[1:36:32] Everyone in this room.

[1:36:33] voter, not voter, friend or foe, I respect your rights to live the life that you want

[1:36:38] to live, to love the person that you want to love, to build a house that you want to build

[1:36:42] within moderation, education, your choice of religion, how you practice all of the above,

[1:36:49] I respect your rights. And as I have the opportunity to serve again, tell me what is important

[1:36:56] to you as a commissioner and I will do what I can to make sure that you have the quality of

[1:37:02] that you deserve.

[1:37:07] Mr. Kervani.

[1:37:08] Yeah, so when I hear the words quality of life, and I've

[1:37:15] a bunch of images and things that come up, like I've

[1:37:18] jotted some of them down like the slow pace of people walking

[1:37:23] on the street and this kind of sensation that you have in

[1:37:27] side, uh, getting to get on the beat.

[1:37:30] Each with my friends, so easy, right? My kids that went to Ruth K. Bra, they were biking to school,

[1:37:40] along with the other kids, and the fact that we live in a international and diverse place, I love

[1:37:48] that I really do. It also means a functional town, obviously, and that's what this is about.

[1:37:59] It's, at the end of the day, it is true, quality of life is subjective, but this is what democracy is about, I think, it's, and it's hard because, you know, we might have different ideas and ideas, maybe a little different from your ideas, and this is what fascinates me about democracy, this art of trying to understand where we can all be.

[1:38:25] How can we be together? Maybe somebody's going to be a little unhappy. I'm maybe going to be a little unhappy.

[1:38:32] But for the most part, we need to have that feeling that we do have this quality of life.

[1:38:38] And communication is also important because...

[1:38:42] Well, I'm sorry.

[1:38:44] Thank you.

[1:38:49] Well, I want to thank all the candidates for the civility shown to each other and to me.

[1:38:54] Yes, it's been relatively easy to manage this this evening and I appreciate it.

[1:38:59] We're going to begin our closing statements now and we'll begin with Mr. Wang.

[1:39:04] Thank you all so much again. As we wrap up this wonderful forum, I want to thank the League

[1:39:07] Woman Voters and Miami Data County of Miami Data County and the town of Surfside once again for creating the space where we can come together as community.

[1:39:14] Your efforts make democracy thrive right here in our special town. To my fellow candidates, thank you for your passion and ideas.

[1:39:21] Regardless of the outcome, I know Surfside is stronger because of voices like yours.

[1:39:26] And to all of you are dedicated to residents, whether you're here in the room or watching,

[1:39:31] from home, your questions tonight haven't inspired me. You've shown why Surfside is so unique

[1:39:35] because of invested caring neighbors like you who keep our town vibrant and connected. Tonight

[1:39:40] we discuss critical issues like quality of life, resilience, and beauty, balancing development to protect

[1:39:45] our charm, while respecting property rights, tackling parking and traffic with smart,

[1:39:50] resident focus solutions, and elevating our overall quality of life to make, serve side

[1:39:54] the premier place to live in South Florida to keep, serve side that way.

[1:39:59] I'm confident we can address these head-on, drawing from my experience in community service,

[1:40:03] business leadership, and board governance, where I've always focused on unifying people, finding

[1:40:07] common ground, and delivering results.

[1:40:10] My vision is clear and achievable, a world-class serve side with A-level government

[1:40:13] services, unmatched safety, transparent accountability, and real measurable results that enhance

[1:40:18] every residence life. From preserving our beloved walking paths and beaches to ensuring our

[1:40:24] infrastructure is storm ready and our streets are safe and flowing. I'm ready to roll up my sleeves

[1:40:28] and get it done. I'm excited about our future. Together with positivity and determination,

[1:40:34] we'll keep the serve side moving forward, stronger, safer, and more united than ever.

[1:40:38] I humbly asked for your vote on March 17th. It would be my greatest honor to serve you on this

[1:40:43] Thank you.

[1:40:49] Mr. Villabas, do you?

[1:40:51] So, thank you everybody.

[1:40:52] This evening has been too short.

[1:40:55] We've had many questions.

[1:40:56] We've been able to just scratch the surface on them.

[1:41:00] So, what's going to have to happen tonight, as we all say, goodbye, is that we're going to

[1:41:05] have to continue this campaign for the next under two weeks out, knocking on doors,

[1:41:10] talking to you.

[1:41:11] And I think that's where I want to leave this crowd as thinking about what comes next.

[1:41:15] I want to say that I repeat what I said in the beginning about the traits that I think you're

[1:41:20] going to have to look at when you decide who to vote for, because we're all nice people

[1:41:24] here and we all love Surfside.

[1:41:26] You have to think about, I think, who brings the right temperament, who brings the courage

[1:41:31] to speak truth to power, who brings the right kind of knowledge about the town, knowledge

[1:41:35] about the law, and who brings the right kind of experience, especially experience in the

[1:41:40] issues that face the town and in the government of the town.

[1:41:43] That's going to get reflected in the kind of campaign that we run and I just want to let you know what you might hear from me in the next couple of weeks.

[1:41:50] If you see my yard sign around town, every single one of those yard signs is at a house with a real occupant who's my supporter.

[1:41:57] Not a single one of the houses that has my yard sign to my knowledge is the house owned by a shell corporation and I have no yard signs on empty lots that speak, you know, where nobody lives.

[1:42:08] If you dig deeper, if you dig deeper into my financial reports, you're going to see that every single donation I've received is from a neighbor or a personal friend who believes in me.

[1:42:17] I'm only able, when I do things this way, the old school surf sideway, I can only raise about $3 or $4,000.

[1:42:23] But you should know that if somebody knocks on your door and asks you to vote for me, that person isn't being paid.

[1:42:29] If somebody hands you my flyer, they're not being paid. They're volunteers who are there because they believe in me.

[1:42:34] If you get a postcard that was written by somebody for my campaign, it was written by a real

[1:42:39] neighbor who signed their real name.

[1:42:41] That's the kind of campaign I want to run.

[1:42:43] But that also means repudiating that people who use the other techniques.

[1:42:47] There is a dark money pack called Surfside First, and we didn't get to talk about it, so

[1:42:51] I need to talk about it now.

[1:42:53] We won't know who's spending the money to send these flyers that are coming into our mailboxes

[1:42:59] day in, day out right now.

[1:43:01] But we saw this last year and they were developers who put $40,000 in to a pack that was

[1:43:07] closely allied with slow-mo dancinger and that, you know, was endorsing my colleague here

[1:43:11] friend Lansman and he wouldn't repudiate them. On the election day last year, the director of

[1:43:16] that pack Aaron Nevin spent the entire day sitting next to Dansinger Lansman and Rose. And once again,

[1:43:23] this campaign is going to get flooded with money. And if you want that not to happen,

[1:43:27] you have to repudiate the candidates who are doing this.

[1:43:31] They are poisoning the political dialogue in Surfside.

[1:43:34] And so this is a make or break election.

[1:43:36] If this kind of campaigning, this Surfside first

[1:43:38] that was founded in Tallahassee is allowed to win,

[1:43:42] then this is going to be the kind of election

[1:43:43] we get every two years in this town.

[1:43:46] You judge people by the campaigns that they run,

[1:43:49] but also by the truth that they tell you

[1:43:51] about the other people's campaigns.

[1:43:53] And I urge you to think about that very hard

[1:43:54] when you cast your ballot.

[1:44:12] Before we continue, Mr. Landsman, you are named check, and I'll give you 30 seconds to reply or respond if you wish.

[1:44:21] Right now, if you wish.

[1:44:23] So, took to the closing argument to have some level of, I guess, acrimony here amongst our candidates, I wasn't expecting that,

[1:44:31] but I will tell the audience here, clearly, I am not associated with any pack,

[1:44:37] Surfside first, surfside last, surfside, anything.

[1:44:40] I'm not backed by them.

[1:44:41] Their flyers will not include my name.

[1:44:44] I don't know who's behind it.

[1:44:45] I have no association with this pack whatsoever.

[1:44:48] My campaign contractions have been less than yours, Jerry.

[1:44:52] And I have had only people helping that care about me.

[1:44:56] I'm the one knocking indoors.

[1:44:58] No one else.

[1:44:59] So I am not...

[1:45:00] Associate with that, and you will not see my name on any of those flyers. Thank you.

[1:45:11] Now, back to our regular programming. We'll have Mr. Providing to do as closing statement.

[1:45:15] Yeah. All right. Very, very, very important words.

[1:45:20] All right. So elections are always a big deal.

[1:45:24] And I appreciate that you all want to make sure you elect the right leadership.

[1:45:30] While I was canvassing, I felt really blessed to have this opportunity to speak to so many residents.

[1:45:36] I've never had the opportunity to meet before.

[1:45:39] And I think this captures precisely the essence of all this.

[1:45:44] The very reason why we are here tonight.

[1:45:47] Relationships and passion.

[1:45:50] We're a town of over 6,000 residents.

[1:45:52] And we're here to make sure we have a peaceful and qualitative coexistence in a functional and beautiful place.

[1:46:00] When I decided to run, I actually did so out of a sense of obligation, I have to be

[1:46:05] obviously there. Thankfully, my life is already filled with a lot of joys, my family,

[1:46:10] my career, my non-profit, my volunteering. But I grew up in a small town in Italy with

[1:46:16] this unshakable sense of community, where serving was not an option. It was as essential as

[1:46:24] the air we breathe. It was almost as pervasive as it was 2500 years ago for the ancient Greeks

[1:46:31] where the police, the town, was more important than the individual. Why? Because the town

[1:46:37] survives the individual. But then as I started walking the streets and meeting more and more people,

[1:46:44] a different sensation began growing inside me. It was an only sense of duty anymore. It was the

[1:46:54] in this together. The disposition bears not only responsibility but also a sense of connection.

[1:47:02] Only then technical topics like traffic regulations, smart growth, beach protection,

[1:47:09] resiliency, communication, drainage, budget, make sense. We want to do them right not only because

[1:47:15] it's technically pleasing. I have to say that because I'm an engineer so. But especially because

[1:47:21] We are the physical framework over which lives and relationships develop.

[1:47:31] I truly believe that politics is the highest form of charity.

[1:47:37] Politics is the highest form of charity.

[1:47:41] And I think that putting my passion, my technical skills and my analytical mindset at

[1:47:46] your disposal as my promise to you that I will serve with an engineer's mind and volunteers

[1:47:53] here's hard. Thank you.

[1:48:08] Mr. Landsman, now back to our regular programming. Thank you again

[1:48:13] to the League of Women's Voters, Dr. Murphy, our town staff, Sandra McCreedy, who's been

[1:48:19] here way too many hours this week. I'm sure and would like to go home and of course thank

[1:48:24] you to the residents of Surfside. In just a few days you will have the opportunity to vote

[1:48:29] for your next commission. Surfside needs a commission that will listen, consider options,

[1:48:36] debate and work to bring balance and I'll say that we're again balance while making the best possible decisions.

[1:48:45] We have a lot of work to do in a very short two years. I will continue to listen and learn from all of our residents.

[1:48:54] I support your rights, your our dedicated police department, our town employees, our businesses, and all of our residents. Thank you.

[1:49:12] Thank you.

[1:49:13] Again, I'd also like to thank all of you for being here.

[1:49:16] All of you watching from home.

[1:49:17] All of you will be coming out on March 17th.

[1:49:20] Please come and say hello.

[1:49:22] I'd like to thank the town staff.

[1:49:24] I know how many countless hours you guys put in that people do not know about.

[1:49:30] And to my family and friends.

[1:49:33] As demonstrated on this DS, I'm not afraid to give straight answers to questions.

[1:49:36] I have no problems being transparent and agreeing to disagree.

[1:49:41] I am capable of empathy and putting myself in other shoes.

[1:49:45] As I've told some of you while canvassing,

[1:49:47] I was in a unique position after the Champlain's Hours collapse.

[1:49:52] I worked for JCS at the time and I was the one who picked up the phone

[1:49:55] for every donation given to them.

[1:49:59] For their work with the Champlain's Hours survivors,

[1:50:01] I picked up every phone call and spoke to every person who gave to our town.

[1:50:08] It was overwhelming the amount of love.

[1:50:13] I have the best interest of this heart of this town and my heart and residents.

[1:50:19] Please know that a vote for me is a vote to have your voice heard and your town protected to the best of my abilities.

[1:50:25] I remind you that I'm a true child of this town.

[1:50:29] For five years, I might have actually been the youngest person in this town by at least 30 years.

[1:50:36] The recreation program helps shape my formative years after elementary school and during summers.

[1:50:41] The community center gave me autonomy.

[1:50:43] It's not far allowing my friends that I'd like to make lasting memories.

[1:50:47] As a kid on the weekends, every kid in town wrote their bikes together.

[1:50:51] No matter what school we want to and we all played together.

[1:50:54] We didn't come home until somebody's mother screams in her.

[1:50:58] I grew up the same way that my father and his siblings did,

[1:51:01] as Bill did, as Gerardo did, and I hope as your kids will continue to do.

[1:51:07] I only want this town to keep its zoning, to keep its character,

[1:51:12] to provide the next generation with the opportunity to make lasting memories

[1:51:16] and to be resilient. I want all residents to feel that their voices are heard,

[1:51:21] And they can have a place in this inclusive community we call a home.

[1:51:25] I was lucky that as the youngest resident, people let me speak.

[1:51:30] I also promised for those of you I'd be sad.

[1:51:32] I will not do with the older residents.

[1:51:34] Stayed until you when I diverge you.

[1:51:38] But I hope that when you guys come out, you vote with your consciences.

[1:51:42] And you vote for what's best for this town.

[1:51:44] I thank you for your time and all the love you've shown.

[1:51:54] Mr. Blumentcrout.

[1:51:54] All right, everybody, well said so far.

[1:51:59] So the town face is a lot of challenges,

[1:52:02] especially because to the north and south of us,

[1:52:06] there's a growing population and growing traffic.

[1:52:11] These didn't exist when I was younger,

[1:52:14] so we didn't have to deal with these problems,

[1:52:15] but now we do.

[1:52:17] So I'm ready to keep the town in a small ways

[1:52:22] as possible, keep a small town feel as best we can.

[1:52:27] It's not going to be easy, but a more...

[1:52:30] We're willing to work with anybody in any suggestions they may have to keep this small town feel that we have.

[1:52:39] Also, I have a unique connection to the Police Department. I know many of the command staff and rank and file officers by first name. I also know a lot of the employees by first name.

[1:52:54] And I also served on the pension board for the Police Department for two years.

[1:53:00] So I do have a sense of what's going on in town hall.

[1:53:05] I know what the morale is in town hall.

[1:53:07] I know the problems in town hall.

[1:53:10] And I know how they could be fixed.

[1:53:13] So between keeping the town itself in order and keeping the town hall in order,

[1:53:21] It's quite a task and I'm up to it.

[1:53:24] I've always wanted to be here on the commission,

[1:53:28] but in previous years I could not do it

[1:53:31] because my wife was an employee here,

[1:53:33] so there was a conflict of interest.

[1:53:36] She is no longer here as many of you know,

[1:53:38] so that opened the door for me.

[1:53:40] And that is the only reason I am here

[1:53:43] because the door is open and I wanna make things happen.

[1:53:46] Thank you.

[1:53:54] Thank you again to the organizers and to everyone who came here tonight and those who are watching at home.

[1:54:02] This election matters because our town is at an important moment. Over the past couple of years we've seen a lot of instability and decisions that didn't always move us forward.

[1:54:16] Projects were started and stopped plans were changed along the way and valuable time and resources were lost.

[1:54:23] What residents want now its stability, concrete results and leadership that focuses on getting things done properly.

[1:54:31] Surfside is a diverse community made up of many different backgrounds, perspectives and experience.

[1:54:37] The diversity is one of our strength, but it also means that we have to work harder to listen to one another and find common ground.

[1:54:49] I believe the role of commissioners to bring people together approach problems with the practical mindset.

[1:54:55] Relionic expertise when needed and make decisions carefully, measuring twice and cutting once, so we get things right the first time.

[1:55:05] So my goal is simple to help bring stability, thoughtful planning, and a spirit of cooperation

[1:55:12] back to make our town move forward in peace, and I insist on peace.

[1:55:18] And we've success for the benefit of all our residents, I would be grateful for your trust

[1:55:23] and your vote.

[1:55:24] Thank you very much.

[1:55:30] Thank you very much.

[1:55:31] Yes.

[1:55:32] Before I conclude, I would like to thank Dr. Murphy, and I would like to thank the League

[1:55:38] women borders and the Sandra which is being incredible and the entire administration staff from

[1:55:47] town of Sursat and our police department. For their work that they do every day to keep us,

[1:55:53] you know, the town safe running smoothly and serving our residents. Your education to this

[1:55:58] community truly appreciated. I would like also to share something that is very dear important to me

[1:56:06] And it's a concept that is Stanford.

[1:56:09] I stand for a unified community.

[1:56:11] Surset is a special place that I believe

[1:56:14] we all want the same thing.

[1:56:17] A safe and welcoming town where families can thrive

[1:56:20] and neighbors respect one another.

[1:56:23] Lately, we have seen some divisions in our community.

[1:56:27] I believe it's time for something different.

[1:56:30] It's time to move forward with some respect and civility.

[1:56:34] We may all have different opinions and that is completely normal in democracy, but we must remember that we are still neighbors.

[1:56:44] We should be able to respect one another, tolerate our differences, and agree to disagree while continuing to work together for the good of services.

[1:56:54] And to reflect that spirit during my campaign, I started that small initiative that I mentioned previously.

[1:57:02] I asked each one of the candidates running for Commissioner to bring me their own campaign sign.

[1:57:08] So I can place it in front of my yard.

[1:57:11] And my idea was very simple to show that even though we may be running against each other,

[1:57:18] we can still respect one another and conduct a positive campaign.

[1:57:23] It's basically like a message for everyone for the community.

[1:57:28] So you guys see that we really will work for the best of you guys for the residents.

[1:57:36] Because this election should not always be about division.

[1:57:42] It should be about serving our community.

[1:57:45] I am here because I care deeply about sourcing.

[1:57:47] I'm here to listen, to learn, and to serve humbly.

[1:57:53] Let's move forward together with respect, with unity, and with pride in the community we all share.

[1:58:00] I would be honored to serve as your voice, the voice of suicide.

[1:58:05] And I would like to thank all of you that believed in me.

[1:58:09] I'm here because of all of you, because my supporters, because my sponsors.

[1:58:13] Thank you so much for being there for me. Thank you for your love. Thank you.

[1:58:23] It is when I'm closing I want to thank our time keepers Morgan Anderson and Maurice here.

[1:58:29] It's been helping out.

[1:58:31] I made the League of Women voter shows up and makes this work fine and I want to thank

[1:58:36] Sandra for welcoming back.

[1:58:38] I didn't realize this is my 12th.

[1:58:41] It's been 12 years every other year.

[1:58:44] But in an election day as your Irish moderator on March 17th I'll wish you all the best

[1:58:50] the luck and happy St. Patrick's.

03-05-2026 Commissioners Candidates Debate

Transcript