Well another election cycle is over and life can now return to normal as it relates to politics. It is well known that the general public does not like the negative aspects of political campaigning. The time has come for us to work together especially during the Holiday Season.
While the Presidential election was the main topic during this political season, the City’s election was the main topic for a number of residents. The race between Incumbent Commissioner for Seat 3 George “Bud” Scholl and candidate Harvey Busch was the only contested race because candidate Jennifer Levin was automatically elected to Seat 3, due to the fact that she did not have an opponent. Seat 3 was formerly held by Vice Mayor Lewis Thaler, who could not run again for Seat 3 due to term limits.
In the race between Commissioner Scholl and candidate Busch, Commissioner Scholl was able to retain his seat by winning the race. I congratulate Commissioner Scholl for his reelection and I would like to thank candidate Busch for his contribution to the democratic process in making the election a competitive election. More than 4000 residents voted in the election. The turnout for the City’s election was approximately 50% according to Miami-Dade County Elections Department.
The elections are over. We must now unite to make this country and our City a better place to live no matter our political differences. We need to continue to focus on continuing to improve our lovely City. I welcome back Commissioner Scholl to the City Commission. I also welcome our new Commissioner Jennifer Levin, who is an experienced attorney in the area of real estate. She will be an asset to the Commission.
Lastly, I would like to publicly thank Vice Mayor Lewis Thaler for serving on the Commission for 9 years since 2003 and being the Vice Mayor for the City for many of those years. Vice Mayor Thaler’s dedication to the growth and development of our City has been outstanding and his presence on the Commission will be greatly missed. Knowing Vice Mayor Thaler, I know that he will continue to be actively involved in helping our City Commission continue to make Sunny Isles Beach the best community to live in South Florida and recognized worldwide as Florida’s Riviera.
If I do not get a chance to see you during the Holidays, I want to personally wish you the best and Happy Holidays.
