Commissioner Anthony Caggiano, Nina Culver, Juli Van Der Meulen, Vice Mayor Arlene Schwartz, Robert Reiner, and Mayor Tommy Ruzzano.
Margate’s upcoming commission elections on November 5, 2024, are heating up as candidates lay out their visions for freshwater access, economic revitalization, and enhanced community services.
Commissioner Anthony Caggiano is the incumbent for seat one. He says his main objective is to ensure residents have full access to fresh water and complete waste management.
“I want to ensure our infrastructure is updated and our underground piping is relined. We need to repair our water treatment plant,” said Caggiano.
Candidate Nina Culver believes city leaders must work harder to bring higher-quality businesses to Margate. According to her, many business areas have fallen into disrepair and must be cleaned up. “We need to redo the south area of Margate,” she said.
Culver also believes the city needs to better care for its employees and first responders. She serves as a guardian ad Litem and advocates for children. In 2022, Culver ran for seat five but lost to Joanne Simone.
Juli Van Der Meulen is also running. According to her, she wants to see more smart city development and preserve green space. She is also concerned about the welfare of children and wants to see more programs for older residents. Van Der Meulen served on the Margate planning and zoning committee in 2019. She is an executive recruiter and loves to bake and cook.
Vice Mayor Arlene Schwartz is the incumbent for seat two. According to the city information, she is looking forward to working to develop City Place and wants to attract high-quality businesses to downtown Margate.
Schwartz has worked as a Broward County Public Schools public school teacher and administrator, and she holds a master’s degree in American History from Binghamton University.
Robert Reiner is a candidate running for seat two in Margate. He has a long list of improvements he would like to make to the city. Reiner believes that attracting more businesses and building higher-end townhomes and single-family homes instead of apartments for rent will bring in more tax revenue. He thinks that police officers and first responders should be paid more, have state-of-the-art equipment, and have full staffing.
Mayor Tommy Ruzzano is running unopposed for seat four. He is currently serving as mayor and is a state-licensed general contractor. He has been involved in building and development for more than twenty years.
Ruzzano was elected to the Margate Commission in 2012 and re-elected in 2016 and 2020. According to the city’s information, he was appointed to one-year terms as mayor in 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2023.
“I will continue to make Margate a beautiful family-oriented community, providing the best public safety and public services available,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
There’s still time to apply. The candidate qualifying period starts at noon on Monday, June 10, and ends at noon on Friday, June 14.
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