The Boca Raton Tribune ED 355

The Boca Raton Tribune Yo u r C l o s e s t N e i g h b o r

Number 355 • Year IX

East /West Boca Raton, Highland Beach, Delray Beach, Deerfield Beach, FL

March 9 - March 15, 2018

2018 MUNICIPAL ELECTION SPECIAL COMMUNITY see page 3

Palm Beach County Student Protect App Now Available

COMMUNITY see page 14

Brain White Named FAU Vice President and Director of Athletics

SPORTS

see page 15

Lynn Lacrosse Grabs Two SSC Player of the Week Awards

Welcome to the 2018 Election Special

The Boca Raton Tribune is proud to once again be able to provide our readers with the best possible election coverage in town for the 8th year running.

Since starting our election coverage all the way back in March of 2011, we have been dedicated in bringing unbiased, fact-based stories to our readers and letting the city decide.

One of the main reasons of why we don’t endorse a candidate can be found in our core values of bringing unbiased, fact-based stories to our readers.

Story on Page 3

Armand Grossman Campaign Purchases $15,000 Worth of “Media Advertising” then Gets Endorsement

According to the latest Treasurer’s Report out of the Armand Grossman Campaign, $15,000 has been paid to FNB Media LLC for “Media Advertising”.

Via SunBiz, FNB Media LLC is not only owned by Peter Gary, who also owns the blog Boca Voice but is also named as the manager of Boca Voice LLC on SunBiz.

“I’m amazed this even needs to be explained,” said Grossman campaign manager Todd Richardson when asked by The Boca Raton Tribune about the $15,000 payment.

“This is how cable television is purchased.”

Full Story on Page 3

A Fresh New Voice for Boca Raton www.mayotteforbocacouncil.com

Vote March 13!

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2 -Edition 355 The Boca Raton Tribune COMMUNITY NEWS East/West Boca Raton, FL

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INDEX Community News.....p 3 Editorial.....................p 8 Columnists................p 9 Classified..................p 10 Sports........................p 11

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Boca Beat

BOCA RATON By : P e d ro H e i zer

• Make sure you go out on march 13 and cast your vote for City Coucil Seats C and D! Don’t forget, local governemnet is the most important part of government!

• If you are still unsure on who you want to vote for, this special edition Boca Raton Tribune is all about the election! With features on each candidate as well as a extensive questionnaire that all candidates filled out.

• The Boca Raton Tribune is proud to once again be able to provide our readers with the best possible election coverage in town for the 8th year running. Since starting our election coverage all the way back in March of 2011, we have been dedicated in bringing unbiased, fact-based stories to our readers and letting the city decide.

We will never let our integrity be compromised by endorsing candidates, and as such, we give every single candidate a fair and honest interview in which they can articulate their views and we publish them.

Starting on page 7, you will be able to see the amazing work of our associate editor, Michael Demyan, as he interviewed all five candidates and gave them all a fair and honest chance to have their voices heard.

• Palm Beach County is determined to not let anything like it happen again with the implementation of the new Student Protect app. The app can be used by students to report mental health problems, social media problems, bullying or any other suspicious activity to the school police. If they find that swift action is necessary based on the reports, they will contact the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office for backup. Under emergency situations, the app also has an emergency button which goes right to the local police department.

Boca Raton, FL 33432 www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us

over 100 confirmed residents, and less than one week to the event, Wayne Barton informed us that he would not be able to host the forum which takes place in one of the cities most historic neighborhoods, Pearl City. Wayne Barton pulled the plug on the event late last week and we at The Boca Raton Tribune have been working feverishly to find a new location for the Forum with no avail, making this the first time in four election cycles that The Boca Raton Tribune’s Candidate Forum will not take place.

• The municipal elections will be held on March 13th. While there will be no early voting, you still have the opportunity to Vote by Mail by going online to the PBC Supervisor of Elections website • A new elementary school could potentially be in the works for the City of Boca Raton.

The City Council gave unanimous support to resolution 18-2018, which is a resolution from the City of Boca Raton supporting the establishment of a new public elementary school on city-owned land in the vicinity of Spanish River Boulevard, west of I-95 and east of north Military Trail.

• There’s a new exit to the City of Boca Raton, Florida Atlantic University, Palm Beach State College and the Boca Raton Airport (BCT). The Spanish River BLVD Exit is officialy opened on I95 both North and South! By opening this new exit, the hope is that it will aliviate traffic onto Yamato Rd to traverse the pathway.

• It’s the final weekend for The Festival of the Arts. Don’t miss Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & friends present an evening of music, poetry and prose on Friday March 2rd at 7:30PM. The Festival of the Arts concludes on Sunday March 4th with a special presentation of ET the Extra-Terrestrial.

• It’s with great regret that we at The Boca Raton Tribune have to announce to our readers that the Annual Can- Boca West Country Club has entered into an agreement with The didate Forum that was to be Unicorn Children’s Foundation, Inc. to launch a job training internheld at Wayne Barton Study ship program for young adults with disabilities in August of 2018.

Center on Thursday, March 8, is officially canceled. With

March 9 - March 15, 2018

Boca Raton City Hall

201 West Palmetto Park Rd.

Make sure you go out on march 13 and cast your vote for City Coucil Seats C and D! Don’t forget, local governemnet is the most important part of government!

• It’s election week Boca Raton!

CITY DIRECTORY

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GENERAL INFORMATION (561) 393-7700 EMERGENCY 9-1-1 POLICE DEPARTMENT (561) 368-6201 FIRE DEPARTMENT (561) 982-4000 CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE (561) 393-7703 CITY CLERK’S OFFICE (561) 393-7740 UTILITY SERVICES (561) 338-7300 RECYCLING (561) 416-3367 PBC ANIMAL CONTROL (561) 276-1344 PARKS & RECREATION (561) 393-7810 MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE (561) 483-5235 BOCA RATON PUBLIC LIBRARY (561) 393-7852 FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY (561) 397-3000 LYNN UNIVERSITY (561) 237-7000

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Edition 355- 3

The Boca Raton Tribune

COMMUNITY Palm Beach County Student Protect App Now Available

By: Michael Demyan

After the recent tragedy in Parkland, Palm Beach County is determined to not let anything like it happen again with the implementation of the new Student Protect app.

The app can be used by students to report mental health problems, social media problems, bullying or any other suspicious activity to the school police. If they find that swift action is necessary based on the reports, they will contact the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office for backup. Under emergency situations, the app also has an emergency button which goes right to the local police department.

“We want to prevent these things before we have to respond, before you have to have somebody in a school that’s armed and take action,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. “We want to stop them ahead of time.”

Palm Beach County School District Police Chief Lawrence Leon thinks that this new app will make things easier for students to report anything they find troubling, which could prevent some serious issues before they can happen.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to have that technology ability to make contact with us immediately so we can verify and work

together to look at what’s happening and making sure we have a secure environment,” he said.

The app was created partly in response to the lack of communication between the FBI and local police.

In January, a person close to Nikolas Cruz gave a tip to the FBI regarding his behavior, social media posts and gun ownership.

Months prior, another tip was given about someone with the username “nikolas cruz” making a comment about being a “professional school shooter” on a YouTube video.

No action was taken on either report and Cruz ultimately went on to kill 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14.

“If the information that the federal government had would have gone to the right people, maybe some action could have been taken where that horrible, horrible incident took place down there should’ve never happened,” Sheriff Bradshaw said. “It could’ve been stopped.”

With an app like this, however, there will always be a chance that it could be abused. It should be used with the same gravity of contacting police without the app. Although the app is used with anonymity, Sheriff Bradshaw wants to remind students that making false reports under any circumstance will result in serious consequences.

“If you make false reports, if you think it’s a joke and you call something in that’s going to cause us to take our resources and go do what we have to do, the penalty is going to be severe,” he said. “We’re going to charge you, we’re going to arrest you and if you’re a student in that school, you won’t be back to that school. You’ll be expelled.”

Sheriff Bradshaw feels that the app is a good start to preventing tragedies on school campuses, even if it is not the total answer, saying that it should make students and parents a little more comfortable always having a place to send information they find troubling. Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Robert Avossa agrees.

“We’ve got to be able to protect our kids, give them an opportunity to feel safe and share information without worrying about where that information goes,” he said.

The Student Protect app is now available for download for Apple and Android devices.

Welcome to the 2018 Boca Raton Tribune Election Special

The Boca Raton Tribune is proud to once again be able to provide our readers with the best possible election coverage in town for the 8th year running. Since starting our election coverage in March of 2011, our core value has been to bring dedicated, unbiased, fact-based coverage to our readers and letting the city decide who the best candidate is.

One of the main reasons

of why we don’t endorse candidates can be found in our core values. We cannot be bribed by candidates, even after numerous attempts during our eight years in town.

We will never let our integrity be compromised by endorsing candidates, and as such, we give every single candidate a fair and honest interview in which they can articulate their views and we publish them. Starting on page seven, you will be able to see the amazing work of our associate editor, Michael Demyan, as he interviewed all five candidates and gave them all a fair and honest chance to have their voices heard.

Thank you for allowing us to serve you, Boca Raton.

Armand Grossman Campaign Purchases $15,000 Worth of “Media Advertising” then Gets Endorsement

According to the latest Treasurer’s Report out of the Armand Grossman Campaign, $15,000 has been paid to FNB Media LLC for “Media Advertising”.

Via SunBiz, FNB Media LLC is not only owned by Peter Gary, who also owns the blog Boca Voice but is also named as the manager of Boca Voice LLC on SunBiz.

“I’m amazed this even needs to be explained,” said Grossman campaign manager Todd Richardson when asked by The Boca Raton Tribune about the $15,000 payment.

“This is how cable television is pur-

www.bocaratontribune.com

chased.”

The Boca Raton Tribune then asked Richardson to provide proof the money was only in relation to the advertising agency and not Boca Voice’s endorsement of Armand Grossman, yet until the time of publication, Richardson has not responded.

The Treasurer’s Report confirms the money was sent to FNB Media LLC on February 19, just three days before Boca Voice’s endorsement of Grossman for City Council Seat D on February 22.

The Boca Voice has not officially responded to the allegations but Peter Gary did reply to a comment by a reader via facebook and said, “I’m a for-profit entity I have the ability to endorse whom I like.” Boca Voice also published a video with Grossman on Wednesday pushing their endorsed candidate.

March 9 - March 15, 2018

4 -Edition 355

Boca West Country Club to Launch Job Training Internship Program for Young Adults with Disabilities By: Bryanna Basilio

Boca West Country Club has entered into an agreement with The Unicorn Children’s Foundation, Inc. to launch a job training internship program for young adults with disabilities in August of 2018. Interns will range in age from 17-24 years of age who have an intellectual or developmental disability which makes it statistically more difficult for them to find jobs upon completion of high school. The unemployment rate for youth with disabilities is approximately 80% despite their ability and willingness to work. With the launch of the Project SEARCH site at Boca West Country Club, it is expected that at least 74% of interns will find competitive and meaningful employment following graduation.

Boca West Country Club will be the first private residential community to participate in this internationally renowned program. Matthew Linderman, COO & General Manager of Boca West Country Club shared “We are honored to be the first company chosen to partner with the Unicorn Children’s Foundation/Unicorn Village Academy for this project and excited to get it on board. My team and I are certain this is the beginning of a long successful collaboration.”

The Unicorn Children’s Foundation, Inc., recognized as a leading expert in the field of special needs, introduced the program to Boca West Country Club after receiving a training and planning grant from the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council to expand the Project SEARCH program and improve employment outcomes for these young adults.

Unicorn Children’s Foundation CEO, Sharon Alexander, added “This evidence-based program will not only reduce recruitment costs, improve retention rates in high turnover positions, enhance workforce diversity at Boca West Country Club, but we hope that it will create a cultural shift of acceptance, inclusion, and opportunity throughout the community.”

An information night will be held on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at Unicorn Village Academy in Boca Raton from 6-7:30pm for interested families. Students should currently be enrolled in a Palm Beach County, Broward County or other private school and be interested in increasing independence, confidence and self-esteem while learning competitive, transferable, and marketable job skills. For more information or to reserve your space, contact Ivonne Rodriguez at 561-620-9377 or ivonne@eunicorn.org.

PEOPLE ABOVE POLITICS

- Jeremy Rodgers PAID BY JEREMY RODGERS FOR BOCA RATON CITY COUNCIL

March 9 - March 15, 2018

www.bocaratontribune.com

for news 24/7 go to bocaratontribune.com

Edition 355- 5

As Councilwoman, Monica Mayotte will make school safety and overcrowding a priority.

860 S.W. 21st Street Boca Raton, FL 33486 mayotteforbocacouncil@gmail.com www.mayotteforbocacouncil.com As a former Addison Mizner Elementary School PTA President and School Advisory Council Member, Monica has personal experience in our local schools.

Monica knows the current overcrowding at our Boca Raton schools is unacceptable.

As Councilwoman, Monica will: ◆ work with the school board to develop creative solutions to alleviate the overcrowding. ◆ ensure that the School Capacity Availability Determination (SCAD) reports, are updated and accurate - currently they are not. ◆ make sure that any future development takes school capacity into consideration.

And, Monica will support funding extra security measures to keep our schools safe.

The recent school shootings in Parkland have hit too close to home for so many reasons.

Parents sending their child to school with every expectation to see them come home is something we can all relate to.

My heart and prayers go out to these parents. However, words are simply not enough.

As a council member, I will fight to make sure we help allocate the needed resources to implement extra security measures at our Boca Raton schools.

While this may only be a partial solution, we must begin somewhere and do it now. We can’t afford to wait until the county, state and federal governments develop a long-term solution to keep our kids safe.

Monica

The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS STARTS HERE

Vote Monica Mayotte on March 13.

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Monica Mayotte for Boca Raton City Council, Seat D.

2180112 Mayotte education ad.indd 1

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Endorsed by our police, firefighters and paramedics, Councilwoman Andrea Levine O’Rourke and The Palm Beach Post 3/6/18 1:11 PM

March 9 - March 15, 2018

6 -Edition 355 The Boca Raton Tribune EDITORIALS & LETTERS East/West Boca Raton, FL

The Boca Raton Tribune Founded January 15, 2010

DOUGLAS HEIZER, Publisher

Editorial C. RON ALLEN PEDRO HEIZER MICHAEL DEMYAN

Our Writers/Reporters and Columnists MICHAEL DEMYAN

JOSHUA CARLSON

SAMANTHA THOMPSON

CHARLOTTE BEASLEY

SYNESIO LYRA

BRYANNA BASILLO

Business DOUGLAS HEIZER DINI HEIZER

Online Edition PEDRO HEIZER FLAVIA PROENCA

EDITORIAL

By C. Ron Allen

Three Heroes who left their Imprint on Others

As we were mourning the death of Chris Hixson, last week I learned that another Navy shipmate - Marion Dwight Evans – had died a few days earlier.

Almost in unison my friend and I said that death and catastrophes come in sets of threes and we pray that neither he nor I would be the third in that set.

Somewhere underneath the magical thinking, the Grim Reaper was actually poised to take another, because two days later as we were getting ready to lay Hixson to rest, news broke of televangelist Billy Graham’s passing.

While there is not a real “rule” to the Rule of Threes, it is a fact that all three men, who I held in high esteem, left an indelible and impressionable mark on this earth.

I had the honor of working with Chris in the Navy Reserves for two years after he returned from his last deployment in the Persian Gulf. He was a take charge Sailor who you could rely on to get things done.

And just as his peers relied on him to protect their backs while they were in the “Sand box” the students at Marjory Stone-

man Douglas High School knew they could count on him until the very end.

I was not surprised when I learned that the moment he heard shots rang out, the athletic director and wrestling coach got on his golf cart and headed straight to the shooting.

This is what I call a hero. That’s what true leaders do, not running for cover as some charged with protecting us, at times do.

I, and many who served with Chris, am not surprised that he paid the ultimate price for those in his charge.

As I shared with some of his shipmates, one consolation in all this is we would rather him to go the way he did than to be returned home in a body bag.

Chris was a champ, and so was Cmdr. Evans, a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps or a Navy lawyer.

Dwight was more than a shipmate. He was a kind and caring friend. There were times when I needed some legal counsel as I navigated treacherous waters on drill weekends, and he was there to guide. Two incidents stood out when the Navy tried to discharge two Sailors for failing two physical readi-

ness tests because they could not run 1.5 miles or do pushups. And although there were plausible reasons why they failed one or more parts of the test, the administrators did not want to hear those reasons and chose to “abide by the rules.”

Cmdr. Evans methodically pointed them in the right direction, and armed with pertinent information, they went before an appeal board. Both eventually retired with their benefits.

He was there for me when I needed a chief judge for my Black History Brain Bowl competition. He was serving as a judge, assigned to the Arkansas region, and he showed up and served as my judge.

This meant the world to the participating students, who got a close up view of a “real judge” in his robe that day.

Some students, still speak of that day, some 20 years, later.

While I never met Rev. Graham, I felt a kindred spirit as I grew up listening to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s “The Hour of Decision.”

To me, he was obviously not an activist. He was the rock star of Biblical literalism. He was bigger than Elvis and the

Beatles combined.

I used to love how the word Jeeeeesus would repeatedly roll from his tongue during the trademark altar call that ended each service.

As I moved to North Carolina in the late 1980s, I learned more about the man whose hometown was only xx miles from Chapel Hill. My respect for him soared some 30 years ago when I learned that at one of his crusades in the South in the early 1950s, he demanded the ropes separating black and white in the audience be removed.

Remember he did this at a time when it was not popular to cross racial lines, even among the clergy. Yet, Rev. Graham invited Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to pray at a crusade in 1957. He also invited Dr. King to come back to speak at a ministry retreat to help his team get a better understanding of racism in America.

All three men went beyond self. Graham crossed the color line. Evans guided blacks through the Navy’s legal system and Hixson became a human shield for his students.

POSITIVE LIVING

By Dr. Synesio Lyra, Jr.

Don’t Miss New Opportunities!

A great tragedy affecting large numbers of the human population, pertains to missed opportunities in life. Many live without a compass, never consult a map, and operate from the wrong script.

These are people who simply let life happen to them instead of discovering and following the plan and design the Creator had preordained for maximum fulfilment in their earthly trajectory.

Many persons are easily satisfied with a mediocre life instead of the kind of existence available if they earnestly seek the pattern of what it can and must be for their personal enjoyment and for impact on others.

Very recently I was reflecting on these issues when my eyes fell on a phrase from an author I was reading, which somewhat sums it

all up. He wrote: “Many of us refuse to grow where we are put, consequently we take root nowhere.”

A most meaningful challenge for all to heed is, “Bloom where you are planted!” Allow the storms which may surround you, and the winds of change which may confuse you, to provide new incentives to remain on course and fearlessly to keep on keeping on! Do not wait for conditions to improve before you attempt something great. Even in the midst of any other trouble, in the face of giant obstacles, in frail health or with limited resources, you can still take a positive step forward in the execution of any project.

Dr. Howard G. Hendricks offered a meaningful reminder when he wrote: “We are all faced with a series of opportunities,

brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems.”

Indeed, some people thrive on challenges and even welcome impossibilities which they creatively transform into significant, new realities!

Others, sadly, become paralysed the moment things do not go their way; they prefer to seek a safe refuge elsewhere and dismiss all previous attempts in pursuing their objectives. But as anyone can easily recognize, the dictionary is the only place where “success” comes before “work.” Only through persistence, sweat and tears, may one’s goals be reached, and often transcended!

Sometimes you may need to take detours along the way and even experience unpleasant hardships, but as long as it is the unequivocal path for you to follow, such is the

right road where you need to remain! After all, for every problem there is a solution; some take longer than others but all can be resolved!

As I’ve written before, no door of hope, no gate of opportunity, will ever be shut to you if, with endurance and determination, you seek to enter it. Along with the opportunities God grants us all, we’re also provided with infinite resources for real triumph!

Remember, big opportunities start quite small before they reach the level intended for them. Don’t miss any which may seek entrance at the doors of your heart and of your mind, even when you least expect it.

Capture the moment, seize the opportunity, and run away with it into fulfilment!

Dr. Synesio Lyra, Jr. is a Florida resident who, for many years, was a professor at the post-graduate level. He is a writer, a sought-after conference speaker, a man who lived in five continents of the world, having received his education in four of them. When he resided in southern California, he wrote a weekly column for the daily “Anaheim Bulletin,” which was carried for about six years, until he moved to south Florida.

March 9 - March 15, 2018

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Edition 355- 7 The Boca Raton Tribune ELECTION SPECIAL 2018 East/West Boca Raton, FL

Meet Your Boca Raton City Council Seat C Candidates

By: Michael Demyan

Jeremy Rodgers Incumbent Jeremy Rodgers will be running against newcomer Kim Do for City Council Seat C in the upcoming election on

March 13.

Rodgers was born in New York and moved from Chicago to South Florida in 1997 to attend Florida Atlantic University, where he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer engineering.

He was selected to be an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2010, has worked with IBM for over 18 years and currently serves as the deputy mayor after being elected to Boca Raton City Council in 2015. He is now seeking to serve his second and final term.

“When there was an opening three years ago on council, I threw my name in the ring and was fortunate enough to get elected,” he said. “It was a bit of a surprise, because I think one of my opponents had all of the backing of the establishment and the other opponent had a heck of a lot of money, but we kind of went down the middle, stayed pretty moderate, stayed positive and was fortunate enough to serve.”

Rodgers said that during his three-year term, there have been some improvements made to the city through development, however he also sees the concern residents have regarding overdevelopment.

“It’s been a little too much in some areas,” he said. “People treat it as a completely bad thing and what’s also bad is no development. It needs to be controlled, it needs to be planned, it needs to be within code.”

Rodgers mentioned that development outside of Boca Raton is also putting some extra cars on the road, continuing the city’s constant struggle with traffic.

“All the traffic doesn’t come from just what’s in town,” he said.

“There’s been a lot of development in Delray and Deerfield and West Boca, some of which I’ve actually fought against and those cars and people are going to use up your traffic one way or the other, so that’s why it’s important to get smart investment before your traffic concurrency gets used up.”

To improve parking, Rodgers

would like to add a new parking structure, but the tough part is finding the correct place to construct it. He said that part of the parking problem stems back to when many properties were built under a code which no longer exists.

“As some of these projects come forward for redevelopment, you actually improve the parking,” he said. “You make them add some parking.”

Rodgers was also a part of the movement in city council to bring a new elementary school to Boca and feels that it will end up getting the approval required. He said that the current overcrowding in schools has much to do with how great the schools are.

Rather than look at building a new high school, possibly next to an existing one like his opponent suggests, Rodgers thinks the best thing to do is invest in improving the high schools already in place.

“There’s two issues with [adding a high school],” he said. “One, there isn’t room next to another high school and two, if you’re doing that, that’s a high school expansion, that’s not a new high school. I would rather see investment in our current high schools.”

While Rodgers sees that Boca Raton has great schools, he believes that money should be put toward improving the actual facilities.

“I like to say we have “A” rated schools, we have great schools, but if you go and walk around our schools, we don’t have “A” rated facilities and that’s an issue,” he said.

Rodgers was also in favor of letting residents vote for the ultimate decision of turning the Wildflower property into a park and is excited with the ideas they have for the city’s parks in the future.

“Over the next three to five years you're going to see some of these parks, especially the ones on the water, really be activated, have people hanging out there, enjoying it.”

If elected, Rodgers plans to continue is goal to create jobs, improve quality of life and make the city the most veteran friendly place to find a job or to open a business.

“The great thing about local elections and local politics is we go to the same restaurants, we go to the same Publix, the same Costco. We’re right there,” he said. “I’m happy to grab a cup of coffee with anyone in town or hop on a phone call and hear them out. Our meetings are right here in town. Come out and let us know and we listen. It only takes a few people to get a point across.”

Kim Do

Kim Do will be running against incumbent Jeremy Rodgers for City Council Seat C in the upcoming election on March 13.

Originally from Vietnam, Do came to the United States in 1983 and she moved to Boca Raton about a year ago.

She received a bachelor’s degree in accountancy at the University of San Diego and went on to become a certified public accountant the same year. She also earned a JD at the University of Washington and a tax law degree at Georgetown University.

After spending time in Washington. D.C., Do went back to Vietnam and became an in-house counsel for a private equity fund. She was also the Head of Legal and Compliance for Eastspring Investments.

This will be the first time Do will be running for political office.

“I first heard about Jeremy running unopposed, so I was intrigued,” she said. “I thought it’s an American value to have competition. Nobody should win by default. The voters should have a choice.”

Do believes that Boca Raton needs to be weary of overdevelopment, however she realizes that it cannot be stopped altogether. She said that the best course of action would be to really listen to the residents about how they feel.

“I don’t think it’s realistic to say stop development and zero growth, but we can have smart growth,” she said.

One of Do’s major campaign issues is traffic and public transportation.

She said that Boca needs to have more options for public transportation, which will in turn alleviate some of the issues of busy streets throughout the city.

“We have close to 250,000 people coming into the city to work and then they leave at night, but if they can use the train and other public transportation, that will eliminate a lot of the traffic coming through the city, so it will increase quality of life for everyone, including people who drive,” she said.

Do said that she wants to be someone who listens to the people and takes action for them as she strives to better their quality of life. Many residents were in favor of turning the Wildflower property into a park, so she was happy to see it turned into a reality.

“I believes that’s part of the elected official’s responsibility is to act based on the wish of the people,” she said.

While the Boca Raton City Council is currently focused on the possibility of a new elementary school being brought to the city, Do is also in favor of a new high school, explaining that while a new elementary school is great, it is necessary to also pay attention to the higher levels in education.

“When all these kids grow up, where are they going to go? They need a new high school,” she said. “The high school is just as crucial, if not even more crucial to their learning because from there, they are going to go to college.”

Do also pointed out that due to her background in business, she would make sure that the city budget continues to be healthy.

“Boca is a wealthy city but our expenditures have been rising faster than our revenue by 1-2 percent, so in the last approved budget, the city manger highlighted in bold that it is critical we pay closer attention to the rising costs of services,” she said.

Do realizes that she is fairly new to Boca Raton, however she feels she will be able to use her new perspective and knowledge to come in and get things done for the Boca residents.

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8 -Edition 355

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Edition 355- 9 The Boca Raton Tribune ELECTION SPECIAL 2018 East/West Boca Raton, FL

Kim Do 1) Kim Do 2) Age 48; Caldwell Heights (East of FAU) Single mom; 2 children: daughter Maxine 13, son David 11 3) • Georgetown University Law Center: Masters of Law in Taxation • University of Washington Law School: Law Degree (JD); and • University of San Diego: Bachelor in Accountancy/CPA, with high honors

Jeremy Rodgers

4) My work experience including serving as an Attorney at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington D.C., as a consultant to Energycorp UK Limited, and Head of Legal for Eastspring Investments in Vietnam which managed an investment portfolio of over $2 billion dollars. In addition to my corporate and government experience, I have been the owner of a small business for many years. Currently, I am the Managing Director of Golden Earth of Florida LLC, a real estate investment firm.

5) 1st time running for office 6) • Board Member of TechFarms, a high-tech incubator for start-up companies in NW Florida • Host family and sponsors for multiple international students through Department of State program • Active in church: was singing in the choir and volunteered at retreats in Gulf Breeze, FL. Currently at St. Joan of Arc in Boca Raton.

1) Jeremy Rodgers 2) 39, Colonnade, Married 13 years, 4 kids ages 9, 7, 5, 1

7) I learned that for the upcoming municipal election, Jeremy Rodgers was running unopposed on Seat C. I thought no elected official should win by default; voters should have a choice. So I’m presenting voters with a choice. With my educational credentials, CPA and extensive business law background, I am a solid, strong candidate; a better candidate.

3) BS Computer Engineering, FAU MS Computer Engineering, Business Minor, FAU Current Student - PhD Computer Engineering, FAU 4) Technical Client Success Manager, Safer Planet Security - IBM Cryptological Warfare Officer, United States Navy Reserve Deputy Mayor, City of Boca Raton

8) My children attend Boca Middle School and high school is not very far away for them, so I have perfectly aligned interests with Boca parents/grandparents in solving the school overcrowding problem. Even residents without grand/children are interested in school quality as it has a big impact on their property value and the community’s long term economic prosperity.

5) City Council, 3 years

Boca High is currently at 131% capacity and projected to get worse! A new high school takes 2 ½ years and millions of dollars to construct. Plans are in the works for elementary/middle school improvements, but currently there is no plan for any such construction of a new high school in Boca Raton. I will work closely with the School Board and champion a NEW High school for Boca students!

6) Boca Raton City Council Financial Advisory Board, City of Boca Raton Coach, Upward Basketball Coach, Florida Volleyball Mentor, FAU Startup Weekend Chapter Advisor, FAU Volunteer, Boca Raton HS NJROTC Volunteer/speaker, Engineering day, multiple local schools Boca Raton Chamber Government Affairs board Boca Raton Economic Development board

9) Our city’s budget has been healthy and still has AAA rating from Moody’s, but Expenditures have been rising faster than Revenues, which means money are flowing out faster than coming in. With my CPA and business law expertise, I will ensure Boca’s budget continues to be strong.

7) To make sure that Boca Raton is the best place for young families to raise their kids.

10) The decisions of local government impact residents in a much more immediate way than those of state and federal governments. If it does not happen at the local level, it does not happen! “All politics are local”. But few citizens vote in local elections.

If citizens realized how much influence they have in local government decisions, they would be more vocal. Luckily for us we have citizen groups who successfully lobbied. Look at the case of the Wildflower Referendum!

8) The palm beach county school board needs to spend much of the money Boca is sending to them back in Boca.

We need to push back against the overdevelopment and variances. And we badly need to add capacity across all grade levels.

11) The residents voted overwhelmingly to maintain the Wildflower property instead of selling it. The city is turning it into a public park. In combination with other water-front properties, it will make fantastic component of our iconic magnificence. In protecting Wildflower, we have ‘honored the beauty of the city’.

9) More collaborative workshops and idea sharing instead of pontificating.

12) • CPA Expertise to ensure Boca’s Budget continues to be strong • Understand Legal implications of Council decisions • International perspective • Commitment to Ethics & Good Governance • Dedication to meet rigorous demands of this position, including voluminous & complex reading

10) It’s the government that’s closest to the people. We’re highly accessible. We live right in the community, shop together, go to parks together. Your problems are our problems. Your traffic is our traffic. Your neighborhood is my neighborhood.

11) The residents voted to make it recreational use.

12) My biggest strength is that I’m invested in the community. I transferred to FAU in 1997, 21 years ago. My experience as a Navy Officer brings strong leadership to the table. As an engineer, I truly look to solve problems--not create more of them.

13) Safety - We must be safe in our neighborhoods and in our schools.

Jobs - We must be able to find good, strong, jobs and have a competitive work force and innovative and diverse companies that are growing.

Economy - We must keep taxes low and keep government spending restrained to be successful in good times and in bad.

14) Needs to be examined on a case by case basis. No rush to grossly expand the city.

15) Boca Raton is a very special place. We have been blessed with so many great things. This city could be home to the next big startup, the next big discovery. As an elected leader, I can’t make that happen, but I can put the framework in places for people to succeed.

16) We need to setup a college district to the East of FAU. Housing needs to remain primarily on FAU. Our neighborhoods need to be protected and codes enforced. To retain students, we need to grow local businesses and attract new ones. Our new graduates need high paying jobs.

17) The question is a misnomer. I am against over-development, and granting additional rights to developers when they bring nothing to the table. I am for property rights. We need to ensure that any projects brought forward are reasonable, low-density and are improvements to the surrounding areas.

18) Former Mayor Steven Abrams has always taken a thoughtful, moderate approach to everything he approaches.

He may not agree with you, but he will hear you out, consider it, and tell you how he feels. That’s admirable.

Editor’s Note: Each of the two candidates for Seat C on the City Council received a copy of this questionnaire. We asked them to tell us a little bit about themselves so you could be more informed as you vote on March 13.

1) Name:

6) Community Involvement:

2) Personal:

7) Why have you decided to run?

4) Profession: 5) Political Background:

14) This is a long-standing issue for all the residents. There are many short and long term political, economic, and human factors to be considered in an annexation decision. It will take a careful and comprehensive approach to come to a mutually agreeable solution. At a minimum, 3 elements must be satisfied: (a) Residents of Boca Raton have to want it; (b) Residents of the area-to-be-annexed have to want it; (c) There must be sufficient resources (including budget) to ensure municipal services can be provided to the newly annexed area.

15) Our beautiful city’s common vision – as stated in our public declaration – is that “Boca Raton will be known as the premier community in which to live, work and play. The City of Boca Raton will be recognized as a world-class local government…”

16) We have to address the unfortunate brain-drain in our city. Thousands graduate from FAU each year, and the very large majority of those graduates move away from Boca Raton. Also, many talented local high school students leave Boca for college and they never return! This is a terrible loss of human capital! We must slow the brain-drain and to provide high-income jobs.

One particular industry that we can pay even more attention to is Medical Innovations. The chief economist of TD Bank has recently stated that South Florida’s new niche is medical innovations. With FAU Tech Runway, FAU Medical school, and great hospitals in Boca Raton, we can push to leverage this niche even more, to create high-paying jobs for our college graduates and for our economy.

17) So much so it is a top issue in my race for City Council. I would be lying to say Zero growth for the next 3 years, but we can absolutely do better in achieving Smart Development for better Quality of Life.

18) Eleanor Roosevelt is among the top world leaders in history! She used her proximate power to her husband Franklin Roosevelt to create programs to get the U.S. out of the Great Depression, and continued to create significant impact on an international scale. My favorite quote from her: “You must do the things you think you cannot do.”

10) Why is City Government important?

Questionnaire

3) Education:

13) 1. School Overcrowding (See answer 8) 2. Smart Development 3. A resident-friendly voice on City Counicl

11) Thoughts on the Wildflower property. Did the city do the right thing in making that a green space.

12) What do you feel are your strengths and how do they help the city council?

8) What are your thoughts on school overcrowding?

9) Is City Council currently doing anything that you would immediately like to change if elected?

13) If you had to pick your top 3 campaign issues, what would they be?

16) What are your thoughts on the evergrowing population of FAU? Can Boca Raton become a college town? And if so, how will the city be able to retain these students once they graduate?

17) Are you pro or anti-development?

18) Who is a political figure you admire the most, and why?

14) What is your position on expanding the service boundaries of the city?

15) What’s your vision for the City in the future?

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10 -Edition 355 The Boca Raton Tribune ELECTION SPECIAL 2018 East/West Boca Raton, FL

Armand Grossman 1) Armand Grossman 2) Married 32 years, two children. Army dad.

3) B.A, M.Ed., MBA Kent State University, Florida Atlantic University, Harvard University 4) Educator

Questionnaire

5) Vice-Mayor and Member of Council: City of Miami Springs, FL

Editor’s Note: Each of the three candidates for Seat D on the City Council received a copy of this questionnaire. We asked them to tell us a little bit about themselves so you could be more informed as you vote on March 13.

1) Name: 2) Personal: 3) Education: 4) Profession: 5) Political Background:

6) • Former Vice-Mayor and member of Council, City of Miami Springs, Fl 1977- 1981 • Director, Dade League of Cities, 1979- 1981.

• 2005 He and his wife Gina chaired the Boca Raton Heart Ball.

• 2004 – Present. Has served on the Board of Governors, Royal Palm Improvement Association • 2002-2004 President, FAU Alumni Association • 2005 Founder and President Florida State Universities Alumni Associations.

• 2005 Chairman, FAU Foundation Board • 2005-2011, Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees.

• 2007-2010, Chairman Student and Academic Affairs Committee, FAU Board of Trustees.

• 2013- 2016. Vice-Chairman of the Palm Beach County Planning Commission. Appointed by Steve Abrams.

• 2013 – Chaired the Boca Gridiron Club. Supporting the Boca High football program.

• Two sons: Michael age 26 graduate of Boca High, Served four years U.S. Army, currently full-time student. Mark, age 21, Florida Atlantic University.

• Former Instructor Florida Atlantic University.

• Former Adjunct Professor, Northwood University.

• Recently recognized as one of the 50 most distinguished educators to graduate from the FAU College of Education.

• First Talon Award winner at FAU Outstanding Alumni • Member Phi Beta Phi, National Honorary Academic Society • Charter Member FAU Parliament of Owls 7) We need a voice on the City Council who represents All the people not just one segment or coteries.

6) Community Involvement:

8) I am an advocate for a Vocational-Tech High School in Boca Raton 9) No Response

7) Why have you decided to run?

8) What are your thoughts on school overcrowding?

9) Is City Council currently doing anything that you would immediately like to change if elected?

10) Why is City Government important?

10) There is no level of government official that is more directly responsible for serving the community than the local elected officials. Local government can affect nearly every aspect of daily life.

Example: Public Safety, Fire and EMT, Land Use Planning, Recreational services, public libraries, town and gown relationships, economic development and sustainability, code establishment and enforcement, road maintenance, trash responsibilities and the list goes on and on. In essence the local government establishes priorities and allocation of values through the budgetary process.

11) I advocated for a waterfront restaurant which would have been of great value to recreational boaters and citizens. It could have created an estimated 150 jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue. I t could have been a facility to be used by thousands of people rather than a very small segment and will only serve as a tax liability. City already has over 1,600 acres of park.

12) I bring 50 years of professional service.

11) Thoughts on the Wildflower property. Did the city do the right thing in making that a green space.

13) Land management, traffic and allocation of resources.

14) Annexation is contingent on a number of factors. I advocate if favorable 15) A beautiful city to live, works, learn and play for ALL of the residents of the city.

12) What do you feel are your strengths and how do they help the city council?

16) Advocate for a positive town and gown relationship and a city where people want to live. This means a city of balance of various interests.

13) If you had to pick your top 3 campaign issues, what would they be?

18) George Washington

17) Cannot be pro or con without a definition.

14) What is your position on expanding the service boundaries of the city?

15) What’s your vision for the City in the future?

16) What are your thoughts on the ever-growing population of FAU? Can Boca Raton become a college town? And if so, how will the city be able to retain these students once they graduate?

17) Are you pro or anti-development?

www.atechroofers.com

18) Who is a political figure you admire the most, and why?

March 9 - March 15, 2018

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Edition 355- 11 The Boca Raton Tribune ELECTION SPECIAL 2018 East/West Boca Raton, FL

Monica Mayotte

Paul Preste

1) Monica Mayotte

1) Paul G Preste

2) Age: 55 Neighborhood: Palm Beach Farms Personal: Married to Terry Mayotte, 2 children, Rebecca, age 24 and Jason, age 19

2) Personal: Age 65 , lives in Boca zip code 33434 , Married with 2 daughters, Alexis and Sierra 3) MD

3) Bachelor of Science, Management Information Systems, Florida State University 4) IT Project Manager, System and Business Analyst; currently a Sustainability Specialist

4) Medical Doctor

5) This is my first time running for public office

5) Non-partisan

6) a. Addison Mizner Elementary School PTA President, 2002-2004; School Advisory Council, 2002-2004 b. City of Boca Raton, Green Living Task Force and Green Living Advisory Board, 2009-2016; Chairperson 20142016 c. Climate Reality Project, Climate Reality Leadership Corps, 2013-Present d. Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Boca Raton Chapter – Congressional Liaison, 2016 - Oct 2017 e. Bocawatch.org, Contributing Writer

6) 40 years worth, too voluminous to cover here

7) a. To be another voice on the city council for the residents b. To address the over development of our city and how it is causing school overcrowding, traffic problems, lack of parking, diminishing open green space, and negatively impacting our quality of life c. To restore residents’ trust of city council by ensuring all actions and decisions are accomplished with accountability, integrity and transparency

9) Almost everything I would like to develop a collegial environment as that we may get more meaningful strategies accomplished

8) There is good news to report at this point in time. Boca Raton is getting a new elementary school adjacent to Don Estridge High Tech Middle School. The school district is currently in the conceptual design phase of the project. Once this school is built, the Addison Mizner Elementary (AMES) student will use this school while their school is being rebuilt in its current location as a K-5 school. Once AMES is rebuilt, the AMES students will move back to their home school. The new elementary school next to Don Estridge will help alleviate the overcrowding at elementary schools located within the city. Verde elementary will be rebuilt as a K-8 school to help with the Boca Middle School overcrowding. Spanish River High School is also getting new classrooms, both modular and permanent, to help with the overcrowding at Boca High. For the future, we must ensure the impact fees paid by developers is adequate to cover the costs of the new student stations that will be required for their development projects. Boca Raton City Council must ensure that impact fees paid by developers in Boca Raton are spent on Boca Raton schools to add the required student stations.

9) Right now, the city council members don’t understand the School Capacity Availability Determination (SCAD) process at the Palm Beach County School District. I believe every council member must understand how the SCAD documents are generated and what formulas are used to calculate a development project’s potential impact on our schools. And, I feel it is important to do an analysis a year or so after a project is complete to determine if the original SCAD analysis was correct. Understanding the reality of a project will assist in modifying the SCAD process to make it more accurate for future projects.

City council members, when reviewing development projects for school impacts, must not look at a project’s impact in a silo. They must understand that there are several projects in process or in the pipeline that must be taken into consideration. It is the total impact of all current development projects that will have an effect on our schools’ capacities.

10) It is important to understand that city governments are responsible for the management of the city. Decisions made by city leaders can and will affect city residents on a daily basis, unlike state or federal laws, which may not affect everyone, everyday. It is at this level of government that residents can affect the most change by voicing their opinions. City governments are the foundation of our democracy.

11) I am proud to say that I was one of the team members that gathered signatures for the petition to make the Wildflower property a park for all residents to enjoy. I unequivocally believe the city is doing the right thing in transforming this property into another city waterfront park.

12) My IT background, including my project management and analysis skills, will be an asset to the city council.

Understanding the project management process is key to ensuring a quality and useful end result. For any type of project, whether it is a new computer system, or a new development project, it is necessary to identify the ‘user’ requirements for the project first. What problem should the project solve? What types of high-level features and functionality should it have? It is important to have a solid plan that is agreed upon by all the stakeholders. My experience as the PTA President at Addison Mizner Elementary School has given me insight on how a school interacts with its students, teachers, staff and parents, and the valuable role each of these stakeholders has in the success of a school.

13) 1. Over Development – future projects need to address our quality of life issues such as school overcrowding, parking, density, open green space and traffic. Future projects also should be the right fit for its location. The developers need to be held accountable for addressing these issues to ensure we preserve Boca Raton’s brand and provide welcoming opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses to thrive. Moving forward, we should expect responsible, smart, sustainable growth from future projects.

2. School Overcrowding – As of right now public schools in Boca Raton are all either over capacity or very close to over-capacity. The causes are two-fold, over development and changing demographics. Boca is getting a new elementary school adjacent to Don Estridge High Tech Middle School. Once built, the students from Addison Mizner Elementary School will temporarily attend school there while their school is rebuilt in place as a K-5 school. Verde Elementary School is being rebuilt as a K-8 school. All of these projects with help with the overcrowding at the elementary and middle school levels. Spanish River High School is also getting several new classrooms which will help with the overcrowding at Boca Raton High School. City council must continue to work with the school district to ensure developers are paying the correct amounts in impact fees and the money paid to the district for Boca Raton projects is used to increase capacity at Boca Raton schools.

3. Restore Residents’ Trust – Over the past several months, the residents have been inundated with news about alleged unethical behavior by our mayor. One of my life goals is to adhere to the ‘golden rule’ that we all learned about in kindergarten – treat others as you wish to be treated. Being truthful, respectful and kind are important for a civil society to thrive. That is how I live my life and how I would operate as a city councilperson.

14) There must be a 4-pronged approach to annexation: • Residents of the community to be annexed must want it to happen • Annexing a neighborhood or community must make financial sense for the city • Services like fire and police must be able to handle the annexed area without compromising their level of service • Proposed annexation must be voted on via a referendum for the public to provide input 15) Today, Boca Raton is an amazing place to live, raise a family, go to school, own a business, retire and enjoy the outdoors. It’s going to take dedication to ensure the quality of life that we expect is kept in the highest regard. It needs to be protected and nurtured every step of the way with every decision that is made by the city leaders. City councilmembers are the stewards of our quality of life and future of Boca Raton. Boca Raton will be the “shining city by the sea” if we protect the Boca brand, protect our delicate environment and provide opportunities for businesses to attract the best and the brightest.

7) Just more of the same commitment to community service that I have been doing for 40 years 8) Simple- we do not provide overcrowded schools, we provide sensible efficient schools

10) Local Govt. rocks local Local Govt. Rules 11) Yes that is what the People wanted and it was too small for an 18 story bldg. It was a simple sacrifice so Big Builders could get their next 10 Approvals and Permits. Miami’s skyline of cranes may be more than our skyline of cranes and more to come.

12) Entrepreneur, excellent people skills, excellent brain power, excellent health ( 20 pull ups- runs for miles, stamina (ask my wife!) All others happy to discuss at Thursday night session at 6pm 03/06/2018 13) 20 years of a big building condensed into 3 years (2014-2017) overbuilt with a dizzying velocity!

14) Yes if we get our current budget more efficient 750M spent/year 15) The Greatest City we have yet to see!

16) All simple questions. Never can over teach. Thank God for FAU Boca can retain many new people.

17) Yes and no I am for planned development that makes sense so we don’t get overbuilt or over trafficked anymore than we are at present. We have to accept what has been done, there is no reversal at this point.

18) Representative E Clay Shaw because he was my friend and worked with me on community matters to help people voice their opinions over different matters through the years of this new millennia.

16) Boca Raton is lucky to have FAU, its students and faculty, right here in our city. FAU provides cultural, sporting, and learning opportunities for our entire community. The city is waiting for the results of the feasibility study for the University Corridor, located on NW 20th Street. I believe this is an opportunity to make this area a destination for small businesses that cater to college-aged residents.

To stop the ‘brain drain’, when FAU/Lynn/Palm Beach State College graduates leave Boca Raton for jobs located elsewhere, we need to be able to attract businesses, both large and small, that can create well-paying entry-level jobs for the graduates. In addition to jobs, the city needs to provide affordable housing that recent college graduates can afford.

This must be done in a well-planned manner that solicits input from students, city planners, and the community.

17) I am neither. I am for smart, responsible, sustainable development.

18) President John F. Kennedy. President Kennedy had a vision for our country that used innovation and inspiration to push our country to embark on much needed and exciting initiatives, such as, space travel and civil rights. It is unfortunate that he was unable to see his vision put into action.

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12 -Edition 355 The Boca Raton Tribune ELECTION SPECIAL 2018 East/West Boca Raton, FL

Meet Your Boca Raton City Council Seat D Candidates

By: Michael Demyan

Armand Grossman Armand Grossman will be running against Paul Preste and Monica Mayotte for City Council Seat D in the upcoming election on March 13, with the winner taking over for incumbent Robert Weinroth.

Grossman first came to Boca Raton in 1965 and was part of Florida Atlantic University’s inaugural class, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in human behavior. He has continued to stay involved with the school through the years and was a former president of the FAU Alumni Association.

He has spent much of his life in education and is the only candidate running for Seat D who has previously run for political office, serving as the vice mayor and member of city council in Miami Springs from 1977-1981. He was also recently the vice chairman of the Palm Beach County Planning Commission for three years.

In 2015, Grossman was planning on running for Boca Raton City Council but dropped out in January.

“It wasn’t my time. My heart wasn’t in it at that time,” he said. “We also had a couple of hit pieces come out that were very painful and the people who did that are friends that lived across the street. My wife was deeply hurt and insulted that they would do that.”

He decided to run this year after Weinroth pulled out of the race.

After meeting with a committee to figure out who could become a challenger, he decided he would have to be that person.

“[Mayotte] was designed to take Weinroth’s spot and there was another man in the race [Preste] who was a candidate that no one’s going to vote for,” he said.

Grossman believes he has a very different view on city development compared to Mayotte, saying that even if Boca Raton never constructs another building, traffic will still increase from people simply passing through.

He does, however, feel that traffic will eventually start subsiding once selfMarch 9 - March 15, 2018

driving cars start to become the norm in the near future.

For Grossman, development is not something that should simply be dismissed. He said that development is what has made Boca Raton the great city that it is today.

“I’ve been in Boca long enough to remember when downtown Boca was blighted, shabby and certainly not the type of downtown that was representative of a world class city. You’d be embarrassed,” he said. “So now we do have a downtown.”

With school overcrowding still being a very highly discussed topic in the city, Grossman noted that it is due to Boca Raton being a fabulous city.

“People want to live here,” he said. “Schools in Delray are not overcrowded, schools in Boynton are not overcrowded, but they’re overcrowded in Boca Raton. My opponent [Mayotte] seems to feel in a very simplistic analysis that the reason they’re overcrowded is because of overdevelopment in downtown. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Grossman has proposed another high school in the south end of the county and wishes to see a vocational school in the area so students can learn and develop skills to break into the workforce.

He also noted that through his experience in education, he was a part of the creation of numerous security measures at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School, which he feels is very important to keep children safe while attending school.

“The chances of what happened in Parkland would have been nil at that particular high school,” he said.

Grossman was also not in favor of turning the Wildflower property into a park, which happened this past November, citing that the many parks in Boca Raton are currently under-utilized.

“We didn’t need another park,” he said. “I would’ve loved to see a restaurant there with docks out there so people can pull up in their boats.”

If elected, Grossman said that he wishes to continue to make Boca Raton a residential and business friendly city.

“I want to make sure it continues to be this great place to live, work, learn and play.”

Monica Mayotte Monica Mayotte will be running against Armand Grossman and Paul G. Preste for City Council Seat D in the upcoming election on March 13, with the winner taking over for incumbent Robert Weinroth.

This will be Mayotte’s first time running for political office. She is a graduate of Florida State University where she received a bachelor of science in Management Information Systems and has been a Boca Raton resident since 1996.

In 2009, she became one of the founding members of the Boca Raton Green Living Advisory Board. It was there where she noticed the lack of a voice residents were given in front of city council.

“It was our duty to provide advice to city council on ways residents could live a greener lifestyle,” Mayotte said. “We came up with 81 different initiatives and we would report on how the city could implement them and it was always a ‘thank-you’ with no response, no movement on any of our ideas. I felt like it was always a one-way conversation. I thought it needed to be a two-way conversation.”

Mayotte said that she wants to be the voice of the resident, opening the door for them to have a true impact on the city through their thoughts and ideas.

“Wanting to have the residents have a louder voice also means that I think the developers have too loud of a voice,” she said.

Overdevelopment has often been a discussion surrounding the city, with parking and traffic similarly being brought into the conversation. Mayotte feels that they all are issues that need to be looked at, pointing out the tall and bland buildings as well as the Brightline trains causing problems with the synchronization of traffic lights.

“People will peg me as antigrowth and that’s just not me,” she said.

“I’m for smart, sustainable growth.

Responsible growth.”

Another issue she feels strongly about is the overcrowding in Boca Raton schools.

“We have great schools here in Boca, but they are way too crowded and if we want to great people and great companies to come and do business in our city, we need to have A+ world class schools.”

As a strong proponent of green living, Mayotte continues to be involved with climate change through the bipartisan Citizens Climate Lobby.

She is also excited about Boca Raton’s Waterfront Master Plan, as well the Wildflower property being opened as a city park.

“It’s such a prime piece of real estate in our downtown that I always felt that we needed some green space downtown,” she said. “It’s such a prime piece of property that I think could be the crown jewel of our waterfront parks.”

Mayotte said that she wants to make Boca Raton a place for people to bring and raise their families, while providing opportunities for small business and a voice for the community.

“We have professional, intelligent residents that live here in our city that have some great ideas that can be implemented and I think we need to pay attention.”

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Edition 355- 13 The Boca Raton Tribune ELECTION SPECIAL 2018 East/West Boca Raton, FL

Paul Preste Paul Preste will be running against Armand Grossman and Monica Mayotte for City Council Seat D in the upcoming election on March 13, with the winner taking over for incumbent Robert Weinroth.

Preste has lived in Boca Raton for 12 years and currently practices internal medicine in Fort Lauderdale.

He is also affiliated with the Holy Cross Hospital and was a lobbyist for the Adult Care Association of South Florida. He received his medical degree from the University of South Florida.

This will be his first time running for political office.

“I’ve never ran for election anywhere else because for 38 years I’ve been one of the most industrious doctors in Fort Lauderdale,” he said. “I’ve decided to run because I’m community minded and people oriented.”

Preste feels that he can bring unique answers to problems facing Boca Raton that other candidates cannot, especially in regards to traffic in the downtown area.

“Nobody has come up with an idea how to negate this problem in a way that we don’t have to talk about it every year when a politician is running for office,” he said.

Preste suggested a way to solve the problem would be to divert traffic away from Federal Highway to Dixie Highway, creating a bypass. Then after a five to 15 year adjustment period, add a second floor of highway above Dixie Highway.

With overdevelopment being widely discussed, Preste believes that the people should decide what they want to see in Boca Raton and not settle for the vision of developers.

“The number one thing I hear is how Boca has changed because of over-building and I started thinking, ‘You know what? It is,’” he said.

“Somebody and some companies have really been able to penetrate Downtown Boca and have actually changed the skyline. Is that good or bad? For me, I am a representative and I am a person

for the people.”

He does, however feel that the current city council has done a good job in their positions, but he would like to figure out why overdevelopment has become a problem.

“A lot of things that the city council have been doing are good. I don’t know enough because I’m not an insider yet. I don’t know enough of why and how the number one complaint from the residents of Boca, being over-building, I don’t know how that all came about. It seems like in the last two, three years, they have opened the floodgates on the ability to build.”

Preste, along with the other candidates, also believes that overcrowding in schools has become a major issue in the Boca Raton community which needs to be addressed.

He suggests that once a solution comes to Boca, it should be shared with other cities.

“We need to make a root cause analysis of why it’s happening, but it’s not only happening in Boca,” he said.

“We have a solution for Boca and we can export that solution eventually to other cities. The solution is to look at each school and understand the need for more space and we build at the school or the need for more schools and we build new schools.”

He wants to take the idea of helping other cities to heart, with other ideas for Boca potentially being utilized in other places around South Florida.

“We are the best city to live in,” Preste said. “We can come up with methods that we can export to other great communities to answer problems of mass shootings and maintaining coordinated traffic lights. These seem like such small issues. I just went from mass shootings to traffic lights. This is what Boca is most interested in and dealing with most of the conversation in our [recent city council candidate] debate was traffic, parks, swimming pools, traffic jams, coordinated lights.”

Preste said that he wants to be a voice for the people of Boca Raton.

What they want to happen, he wants to turn it into a reality.

“I have unwavering integrity. I am going to give my faithfulness to the city residents of Boca Raton and I will fight for them on every issue that they feel they’re not being dealt fairly. I will be their best voice.” www.bocaratontribune.com

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March 9 - March 15, 2018

Brain White Named FAU Vice President and Director of Athletics

Florida Atlantic University’s rapid rise to an elite national athletic program will continue under the leadership of Brian White, who was hired today as FAU’s vice president and director of athletics. White, who has signed a five-year contract, brings an extensive background in collegiate sports administration to a program growing in stature and prominence.

White, the Owls’ sixth full-time athletic director, will be formerly introduced at a press conference on FAU’s Boca Raton campus on a date to be determined.

An experienced administrator and proven fundraiser, White joins FAU from the University of Missouri, where he was named senior associate athletics director in 2015 before becoming deputy athletics director for external relations in 2016. He also served as Missouri’s sport administrator for football and men’s basketball.

“I challenged our coaches and our entire athletics department to create top 25 programs capable of competing at the highest level,” said FAU President John Kelly.

“Everyone involved has risen to the challenge and, in bringing Brian White to FAU, we will continue on our exciting journey under his skilled leadership.”

White replaces Pat Chun, who departed FAU in January for the same role at Washington State University. Brian Battle, serving as FAU’s interim director of athletics since January, returns to his role as senior associate director of athletics for internal operations.

“The moment this opportunity arose I knew immediately I wanted to join the team at Florida Atlantic University,” White said. “From the vision and ambition of the president and the board of trustees to the huge potential of all the school’s athletic programs, these are exciting times to be at FAU.”

At Missouri, White oversaw all external units, including development, marketing, ticket sales, strategic communications, Mizzou Sports Properties, and the Mizzou Network. He managed the university’s relationship with Learfield Sports, which also partners with FAU to protect and maximize FAU’s brand awareness and royalty revenues.

White led fundraising efforts that set the single-year Missouri athletics department records of more than $50 million (more than doubling the previous year) and 11 seven-figure gifts. In addition, the department secured the necessary donations that allowed the Board of Curators, which oversees the University of Missouri system, to approve a funding model for a $100 million expansion of Memorial Stadium set to be completed before the 2019 football season.

In leading the athletic department’s external teams, White implemented a strategic marketing and ticket sales approach that increased the men’s basketball season ticket revenue by 57 percent and sold out Mizzou Arena’s season ticket offerings for the first time in school history.

He was also instrumental in the March 2017 hiring of men’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin, who has quickly turned around the Tigers program with a 19-11 record enter-

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ing the final weekend of the regular season.

White’s family is highly-respected in collegiate athletics. His father, Kevin, is Duke University’s vice president and director of athletics; his oldest brother, Mike, is the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Florida; and brother, Danny, is vice president and director of athletics at the University of Central Florida.

With a wide-ranging understanding of the college sports landscape, White arrives at FAU intent on building upon the athletic program’s recent success, both on and off the field.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Lane Kiffin, the Owls’ football team earned its first Conference USA championship in 2017, finishing with an undefeated record in league games and closing the season on a 10-game winning streak with a 50-3 victory over the University of Akron in the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams have both improved on their records from last year and will participate in the Conference USA postseason tournament, while the Owls’ baseball team is off to an impressive 7-2 start highlighted by a victory over the University of Miami on Feb. 28.

The softball team, coached by women’s sports icon Joan Joyce, is 10-8 through the first month of its 2018 campaign after compiling a .714 winning percentage the previous three seasons.

In November 2016, FAU opened a new eight-court tennis facility just north of the FAU Arena on the Boca Raton campus.

The 29,419-seat FAU Stadium is home to the Boca Raton

Bowl and has hosted home games for the Florida Launch (Major League Lacrosse), as well as the 2014 NCAA Women’s Soccer College Cup, and a U.S. men’s national soccer team friendly.

In the classroom, the fall 2017 semester marked the fifth consecutive term FAU’s student-athletes earned a 3.0 or higher department GPA. Thirty student-athletes earned a spot on the President’s Academic List, 77 were named to the Dean’s List and 45 received Conference USA academic medals.

Prior to his time at Missouri, White was the associate athletic director for development and chief development officer at Army West Point. He led Army’s A Club fundraising initiatives, securing donations for the annual fund, endowments and capital projects. He also oversaw all athletic fundraising efforts at the University of Tulsa in 2014 and was associate athletic director for external affairs at Louisiana Tech University from 2012-2014. Before moving into athletics development and administration, White spent 2007-12 as an account executive at IMG College, a leading collegiate sports marketing company.

White earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Notre Dame (2006) and a master’s in business administration from Ohio University (2008).

White and his wife, Paige, have two daughters, 2-year-old Callahan, and Emerson, 5 months.

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Edition 355- 15

The Boca Raton Tribune

SPORTS Lynn Lacrosse Grabs Two SSC Player of the Week Awards

Dryden Brous and Nick Howard of the Lynn University lacrosse team were each tabbed Sunshine State Conference Players of the Week on Monday, as announced by the league office. Brous was named Specialist of the Week with Howard picking up Offensive Player of the Week honors.

It is the first award of the season for Brous, but fifth of his career, after being named a program-record four times last year as a freshman.

Brous dominated all over the field as Lynn went 2-0 in nonconference play this week. The Fighting Knights first routed Dominican (N.Y.) in their home opener, 14-5, before posting a big revenge win over previously-nationally-ranked Wingate, 14-9.

Aside from his usual prowess at the faceoff X, Brous contributed offensively with two goals and two assists while firing off just two shots. He went 33-of42 on faceoffs for the week at a 78.6% success rate. The sophomore also picked up 25 ground balls, averaging over 12 per game.

Against the Chargers, Brous tied his career-high with two assists while winning 17 of 19 faceoff attempts (89.5%) to go along with a game-high 11 ground

balls. He followed up with the first multigoal game of his career in the big victory over Wingate, finding the back of the net twice while winning 16-of-23 faceoffs and picking up a career-high 13 ground balls.

Brous' 13 ground balls are the second most in a single game in program history and he has recorded double-digit ground balls in three of Lynn’s four game so far this season. On the year, Brous is far and away the SSC leader in ground balls per game and faceoff percentage.

Howard nets the first SSC weekly honor of his career after exploding offensively with nine points behind eight goals and an assist.

Howard had a career game against the Chargers, logging a natural hat trick through the halftime turn before burying two more. He finished with a career-high five goals, hitting the frame on six of his 10 shot attempts. Howard’s five goals are one shy of the single-game program record.

The junior offensive midfielder recorded another hat trick on Saturday and added an assist for a four-point outing in the win over the Bulldogs. He finished the week with 10 shots on-goal, three ground balls and a caused turnover.

On the season, Howard leads the Fighting Knights in points (12) and goals (10).

Seitz named PBSC Athletic Director

Palm Beach State College welcomes Tom Seitz as its new athletic director.

Seitz officially began his duties Jan. 2. He replaces John Scarpino, who served as the interim director for the past 15 months.

Originally from Daytona Beach, Fla., Seitz has more than 25 years of experience as a collegiate player, coach and administrator. Before joining Palm Beach State, he was the commissioner of The Crossroads League in Indianapolis, where he oversaw the operations for a league comprised of 10 institutions of higher education.

Before that role, he served for 15 years as the athletic director at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla., Jacksonville State University in Jackson-

ville, Ala. and California State University in San Marcos, Calif. In those roles, he helped develop and implement strategic plans, build new facilities, double the size of athletic programs and number of student athletes, increase revenue and more.

“My passion is in developing a vision and a strategic plan to help student athletes reach a higher level of academic and athletic excellence,” Seitz said. “I was a community college student athlete and understand the challenges facing these students and how to help them succeed.”

Seitz was also the first executive director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, where he helped transform its structure while developing annual and major donor campaigns.

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March 9 - March 15, 2018

16 -Edition 355

Please Join Us at the

20th Annual

Honor Your Doctor Luncheon to benefit the Helen M. Babione Medical Scholarships

Wednesday, March 28th, 2018 | Boca West Country Club Welcome Reception: 11:15 a.m. | Program: 12:00 p.m. | Completion: 1:30 p.m.

FOR SPONSORSHIPS, TICKETS OR NOMINATIONS: https://mkt.com/rotary-club-downtown-boca-raton-fund

Nominate your doctor for $50 per nomination, or 3 nominations for $125 all proceeds go to health & wellness scholarships for local medical and nursing students

(561) 299-1429 | info@rotarydowntownbocaraton.org | www.rotarydowntownbocaraton.org March 9 - March 15, 2018

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