Margate candidates Dan Booker, Tommy Ruzzano, Anthony Caggiano, Nina Culver, Juli Van Der Meulen, Arlene Schwartz, and Robert Reiner.
The Margate Commission has three available seats in the November 5th election. All incumbents are running to retain their positions and face challengers.
Commission Seat 4
Dan Booker
Dan Booker is challenging Mayor Tommy Ruzzano for seat four and did not respond to four attempts from Margate Talk to reach him.
According to the website onyourballot.vote411.org, Booker, a former fire chief at the City of Hollywood, is running for his position due to issues he observes within the commission. He believes the commission should prioritize developing policies that city administrators can implement and that its members should collaborate effectively. Booker asserts that he will unify the commission and enable the administration to manage the city effectively. He also emphasizes improving infrastructure to meet the city’s demands.
Tommy Ruzzano
Ruzzano did not grant an interview to Margate Talk. According to comments made during meetings, he is passionate about baseball and coaches the sport in the city’s recreation program. According to the city website, Ruzzano is a licensed general contractor who has lived in Margate since 2002.
According to Ruzzano’s Facebook page, he will continue to make Margate a beautiful, family-oriented community by providing the best public safety and public services.
Commission Seat 1
Anthony Caggiano
The incumbent, Anthony Caggiano, has lived in the city since 2003. He was elected to the Margate City Commission in 2016 and reelected in 2020.
He believes he has served the city by fighting to win back the land where the city center will be built.
Caggiano told Margate Talk that the city center land must be developed to benefit Margate. An important priority is rebuilding the underground infrastructure rather than waiting a few years. Caggiano, who has worked in the lighting industry, strongly supports the $120 million bond to pay for improvements to the wastewater treatment plant.
Nina Culver
Nina Culver wants to clean up Margate and improve communication between the commission and the residents. She told Margate Talk that she believes the city should be appropriately redeveloped and promised to listen to residents. She also wants Margate to retain the environment of a small town. Culver volunteers for the Florida Guardian Ad Litem Office and has raised her children in Margate.
Juli Van Der Meulen
Juli Van Der Meulen has lived in Margate for 37 years. She is frustrated with the commission and wants to give residents a more prominent voice in the city. Van Der Meulen told Margate Talk that city building permits should be more accessible and that there should be more incentives for new businesses. Her essential goals are to bring new companies to Margate and improve the city’s overall appearance. She works at American Recruiters, specializing in the healthcare field.
Commission Seat 2
Alene Schwartz
Vice Mayor Arlene Schwartz, who has lived in the city for over 40 years, is the incumbent.
Schwartz was first elected to the Margate City Commission in 1991, through 1994, 1997-2004, and 2016-2020, and was reelected in 2020 for another four-year term.
Schwartz aims to make Margate a destination rather than a pass-through city. Schwartz told Margate Talk she wants to see smart growth in the city and is firmly committed to protecting Margate’s green space and retaining the city’s small-town feel. The $120 million bond for the wastewater treatment is vital to the city’s future.
Schwartz is a retired educator who served as a teacher and school administrator for 35 years.
Robert Reiner
Robert Reiner, who has lived in Margate for over 20 years, wants the commission to establish better relations with residents. Reiner told Margate Talk that the commission is committed to preserving Margate’s green space and wants to see innovative development in the city.
He owns an industrial supply business selling tools and fasteners to commercial plumbers, electricians, HVAC, and mechanical contractors.
Reiner wants Margate to be a destination city rather than a place people pass through.
Early voting will take place Oct. 21 through Nov. 3, 2024, daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and voting on election day will take place Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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