Photo: AFP
There are three races in the City of Delray Beach, including the one for Mayor. Shelly Petrolia is termed out and everybody running for her seat either has served or currently serves on the Commission.
The candidates include current Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston, who operates a marketing firm and has spent six years as a commissioner.
He touts a new water treatment plant that breaks ground next year, a new police station that's in the works and...
"We lowered our tax rate every single year I was in office and we ended with a surplus which adding into our 'rainy day' fund every single year...our reserves."
Candidate Tom Carney points out that while the city's millage rate has come down, most tax bills did not decline because of surging property values.
The former owner of a community bank in Delray and current attorney served on the Commission from 2011 to 2013. But he says he's been crunching numbers...
"When I left, we had a $98 million operating budget, general fund budget. It's now gonna be $185 million."
Carney also complains about what he calls "overdevelopment" in Delray Beach. He says he will promote fiscal responsibility.
Also in this race is Shirley Johnson, a former vice mayor who served two terms until being termed out last year. We haven't heard back from Johnson in our attempts to reach her.
The removal of the non-profit that operated Old School Square for over 30 years is a hot topic in this race.