To further assist our readers in making educated decisions when voting in November, we have sent a list of questions to each candidate running for the Mayor of Parkland, FL.
Stacy Kagan
1. What is your full name and what position are you running for?
Stacy Joi Kagan, Mayor of Parkland
2. Where are you originally from?
Originally from Queens, NY, and moved back and forth from Kendall, FL, to Queens, NY.
-Why did you choose to move to this city/county/school district/state district? How long have you been here?
I have wanted to live in Parkland from the first time I drove into the community. We have lived in Parkland for over 16 years and our daughter Brittani is a graduate of MSD. We are residents of Heron Bay, The Greens. Parkland was just what we wanted for our family with beautiful communities, A-rated schools–a quiet gem in Broward County. I have also worked in the Parkland area for about 25.
My childhood was difficult, and I wanted a community for my family that I dreamed of. My personal unwavering commitment to give back comes from my past and my goal was for all children to have the opportunity and a role model to know things can and will change. It takes drive, commitment, and passion. I started working at age 12 after my father passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack. Faced with financial difficulties, and not always having a place to live, it made me strong. Overcoming these challenges is what allowed me to develop the strength, tenacity, and compassion that I have today for people of all ages.
3. Why are you running for this position?
I have been serving Parkland as Commissioner for three terms, just short of 8 years and I am incredibly proud that my community has kept me in my seat. I was voted by my peers to be Vice Mayor two years in a row. I’m actually taking a bit of a leap of faith in giving up my Commission seat in order to run for Mayor. This is how passionate I am about my work to serve Parkland residents. There’s so much good that I want to continue to do in this role.
Being on the Commission for almost 8 years tells me that the residents are happy with my service to the people of Parkland. I work and serve the residents. I do not work for the city, I work for the people. During my term, I am proud of my voting record.
I look at the future of Parkland from many different views and I take this position extremely seriously, as it is the Mayor and Commission’s role to create the vision, and the City Manager and staff to implement it. Having strong relationships with the community and related services, Broward County Schools, an understanding of how to work with others, and find solutions to exceed the needs of the people is what I have done and will continue to do as Mayor.
I have always been a working Mom and raised my family here for a reason and I am proud of my daughter who also has served in her heart. One of my proudest moments as a parent was my daughter returning home to Parkland to help the students just days after the tragic shooting. Brittani brought light to our community during our darkest times, the tragic shooting at MSD. Her
high school was such a big part of her life and continues to be. Her compassion and strength for the families, kids, and teachers reached so many.Owning multiple businesses, dealing with budgets, managing people, consulting, crisis management, working with children, being a former preschool teacher, owning a music school, and working with many diverse and unique people have given me the tools I need to protect, and guide, Parkland’s future in the best possible direction. I will enhance community involvement and engagement. I will lead with compassion, teamwork, and an open line of
communication with the residents.
-Have you run in the past?
Yes, I am currently a Commissioner in Parkland District 1 since 2013 and Vice Mayor for 2 years in a row, voted on by the Commission.
4. If elected, what is your first point of action? Why?
There are so many things to get started on and everything is fluid as things change in our city, county, state, county, and globally. I will continue to focus on safety and protecting public health, optimizing Parkland’s city budget (working on that now). We are prepared for a potential active 2020 hurricane season while safeguarding Parkland’s unique character and exceptional quality of life. Restarting our business community here in Parkland and helping Parkland business owners that work outside of our community is important. We need to work together and my many years of networking, building relationships, being a mentor and a business owner will help our community to strive.
I will continue with all that is Parkland and use my experience to expand on what is needed, make certain that my new Commissioners have a strong understanding of the new role and commitment. Having worked with Mayors Hunchofsky and Udine, I offer a great deal of knowledge and experience to our relatively new Commission.
It will be a seamless transition as we have an outstanding Mayor and I will meet with Mayor Hunschofsky, the City Manager, and City attorney to immediately continue what we started and then get to work on with the new Commission and bring new ideas forward.
Creating new boards, community involvement, and open discussions, office hours for residents to meet with me and encourage our new Commission to do the same. May be virtual or in-person or at a park. Those that know me to understand how I communicate. Listening is key and then when you have all of the information you need run with it, boots on the ground! We are all one vote and that is why Resident and Commission communication is key for the future of Parkland. I am here for the good times and the bad times and the unexpected.
5. What mission do you feel most passionate about? Why?
Bringing our community together. There seems to be an invisible line between the east and west side of town. We are “One Parkland’ and we should be working together not dividing. When I meet with the people of Parkland there are so many things they all want and have in common. There are times when the path we choose may be different, however, the end goal seems the same.
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Help our community and businesses rebound from the effects of Covid-19 and work together safely with physical distance while being social. Healing and growing together.
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Keeping our children and adults safe in the fields, in our parks, and in our community.
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Keeping city services, programs, and our schools top-rated.
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Protecting our property values.
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Protecting the character and the hometown’s special vibe of Parkland.
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Working with the families and community for a permanent memorial to help the healing process from the MSD tragedy. We will always remember and honor.
6. Where do you feel our city needs improvement? Why?
There is always room for improvement in whatever you do. Personally, I strive every day to improve and I believe the city staff does as well. If I had to pick one area, I would say communication and community involvement. We have so many active residents that truly care about Parkland and its future and have new and different ideas. We need to have more opportunities for them to be heard. It is also important for all areas of Parkland to see another’s point of view and understand that when the Commission votes, we need to look at all the moving parts. The decisions we make are not easy and often there are people that are extremely upset. Although I would like to be able to agree with everyone’s point of view, that is not possible and there are times that things go the way I would like and others they do not. That is democracy! I believe in working towards solving an issue, problem, or concern and listening to come up with the best possible outcome.
There will be many issues before us. I have every confidence that when we work together as a community—from parks to roads, to development, fiscal planning, safety, business development, schools, long-term strategic planning, community spirit, and well being—so much good can be done. This has been my strategy and promises from my first day in office as Commissioner. I am
extremely satisfied to watch new residents choosing Parkland as their home and everything our Commission has archived to keep our community beautiful.
7. Where do you feel our city stands above the rest? Why?
Parkland is an exquisite gem. It is a place that is our home, community, and offers a lifestyle for all from small children to the young at heart. Parkland has top-notch communities, beautiful parks that offer unique amenities, an award-winning library, dog park, P-Rec Center, houses of worship, bike paths, located next to a magnificent part of nature, the Everglades. In the middle of my term, we had several issues relating to school overcrowding, which Broward County Public Schools governs. The Mayor at the time, Michael Udine, and our Commission fought for Parkland children to stay in schools located in Parkland. This is not common. We worked diligently with the school board when they wanted to bus children out of Parkland. We added additional classroom space at Riverglades, Pine Trails, and Heron Heights working with Broward County Public Schools, city staff, and developers. We offer free SAT and ACT tutoring for MSD students at our Library and I worked with MSD students involved in the National Honor Society to develop a tutoring program that is student to student. The people of Parkland make our city stand above the rest!
8. How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process in our town?
Communication is crucial now more than ever. I am not waiting until day one, I have already started my plan and with every opportunity, I talk with the residents about how they feel and get their input on why Parkland, what they like and dislike, and what they would like to see going forward. It is so important to recognize that it is our home and everyone has a voice in moving the community forward. I have also shared my vision with our City Manager about creating more volunteer opportunities and focus groups. This is key to knowing the true pulse of the city. It is my goal to listen to the people of Parkland and share that with the commission and encourage them to do the same. We need to be sensitive to what is going on in the world, our community, and make certain no resident is left behind. Our population is changing and we
need to address the needs of all of Parkland and want to create opportunities for our children to our seniors. I believe we all want the same thing and together sharing ideas and vision will lead us in the best possible direction for the future of our already outstanding place to live and work.
9. If someone came to you with a proposal to build a new piece of public infrastructure in our city (road, bridge, etc.) how would you evaluate whether that project was worth implementing?
I will always meet with anyone that involves Parkland. That is part of what I do now and what I will continue to do. There are many steps in any form of development and processes that municipalities have to follow regardless of what type of proposal or development and needs in our community. As elected officials either Mayor or Commissioner, we are policymakers and the staff runs with the details. It also depends on many complex issues and how they can be resolved. This is actually a very complex question with many steps prior to anything moving forward. Always starting with a discussion and meeting is step one.
10. What neighborhood do you live in?
I live in The Greens of Heron Bay with my husband Richard of 35 years and our dog Ziggy and cat Tiggy.
-Why?
This is an interesting story… When we moved to Parkland we only had two weeks to find a home and move. Our house in Weston sold quickly and we had to be out in less than a month. We were not even considering Heron Bay, and it is crazy to even think about it. Every home we bid on we lost to buyers who offered more money. The market was crazy and my family had very specific things we wanted. My husband wanted a big yard, pool with a lake and trees, and my daughter wanted a bedroom with a walk-in closet, bathroom, and room for a couch. All I wanted was to pick up my house in Weston and move it to Parkland. When my Realtor called about our house, my husband did not even want to look at it. He was done looking, so Britt and I went to look at the house we now call home. It was close to meeting our needs and we needed a place to live. The view was spectacular on the golf course, the bedrooms were big,
and it was empty and needed a family. We all compromised and it became our home. We put in a pool two years later and it turned out to be the perfect place for the Kagan Family!
11. Where are your favorite places to spend time in our town?
Now is a very unusual time and the way I do things now is very different than would be without a pandemic. Meeting and talking with the people of Parkland in our communities and at our events, supporting all of the residents of our community in any way possible, which has been an extremely new experience with COVID. I do much more facetime, zoom, and physically distance talks and walks so I can connect with our community.
I love everything in Parkland and I do have a few personal favorite things. I love driving down Holmberg and Trails end with the top down on my car. I love driving by Hendricks Farm and Parkland Golf and smelling the peppers, it’s like being in the country. Taking walks all over town with Richard, my husband, and Ziggy, our puppy is wonderful and I get to meet and talk with neighbors that are out safely as well as the dog park and walking with friends physically distancing around town and in our parks. Spending time at Carmella’s and meeting friends and neighbors while physically distancing and getting fresh air and grabbing take out from our incredible restaurants.
I would be remiss if I did not share how much our community activities mean to me, not for me for our families of Parkland. When I see smiling faces at the Drive-in Movie, on the fields, events like Snowfest, (my personal favorite), Egg Hunt, Farmers Market, the school events, Parkland Dash, all of our incredible charity events, activities at our P-rec, visiting with residents at their clubhouses, an MSD football game, a drama production at MSD, a baseball game, watching the band play, our homecoming parade, police and fire meet and greets, reading to the kids at the library, and watching a Parkland sunset at the Levee or even my own backyard. I can go on and on….
Parkland is a special place for all ages and there is so much to do even now! I was so pleased when my plan for the drive-in movie was approved. I really wanted to get creative with the Commission and city staff and find a way to bring everyone together safely. I look forward to more of that as Mayor.
To learn more or get involved in my campaign: visit StacyKaganforParkland.com or email StacyKaganforMayor@gmail.com, or call 954-288-5261.
Best to all,
Stacy
Rich Walker
1. What is your full name?
Richard Walker
2. Where are you originally from?
I am originally from New Jersey
-Why did you choose to move to Coral Springs/Parkland?
I chose Parkland because of the schools and the community.
-How long have you been here?
I have lived in Parkland for 7 years.
3. Why are you running for this position?
I am running for Mayor because I bring a unique perspective to the dais. My wife and I have 5 children ranging from ages 6-16 at each level of the school system. We are an active family in schools, Parks and Recreation, and throughout the community. I am engaged and I am always accessible for our residents. My business background gives me the knowledge and know-how to identify problems and always look for a solution.
– Have you run in the past?
I am currently a Commissioner in District 2
4. If elected, what is your first point of action?
Obviously to continue to ensure our residents are safe is #1, but I want to make sure our businesses have the support they need from us as a City to be
successful.
-Why?
During this COVID time, our businesses have had a difficult time. Our businesses are great partners for our City. They sponsor events and sports leagues. They also give our residents additional opportunities to see one another around town.
5. What mission do you feel most passionate about?
I believe our Parks are very important. Parkland is a family-based community and we have to be forward-thinking as we continue to grow our infrastructure.
-Why?
To have a successful and wonderful City we need to make sure we are meeting the needs and level of service our residents deserve. Proper planning is essential. Having my business background is exactly how I think. I am results-oriented and forward-thinking. The decisions you make today can impact tomorrow in both good and bad ways, so it’s imperative to not be impulsive in that decision making.
6. Where do you feel our city needs improvement?
Our City is behind in terms of our infrastructure. We have grown so much over the last 5 years and we are playing a bit of catch up to this growth.
– Why?
The government is not overly fast and nimble, so it’s so important to make quick and decisive decisions. We cannot keep up with the level of service our residents need if we are making reactionary decisions. We need to be proactive. My engagement daily within the community gives me this insight. I am with you at the Parks, Schools, Community Events, and businesses daily.
7. Where do you feel our city stands above the rest?
Our community is resilient. We have been through so much and every time we get back up and move forward stronger than ever.
-Why?
We are a close-knit community, so we are always there for one another. We have so many opportunities during the year to see each other whether it’s the Farmer’s market, Eats and Beats, or any of our other wonderful events.
8. How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process in our town?
Communication and engagement are vital to the success of any entity. I have always made a point to engage with our residents whether it’s at the schools, parks, community events, or our local businesses. I am always open and available, and I will continue that throughout my service.
9. If someone came to you with a proposal to build a new piece of public infrastructure in our city (road, bridge, etc.) how would you evaluate whether that project was worth implementing?
I would listen to their plan regardless of my initial thought. It’s so important to listen to everyone with an open mind. I will always listen and try to find the value in any discussion or idea. This is how you grow as a person and this is how we can grow as a community.
10. What neighborhood do you live in? Why? Where are your favorite places to spend time in our town?
I live in Parkland Isles. I love our community. I have been to so many other wonderful communities in Parkland and they all have their own unique feel. It’s wonderful. My favorite thing to do is ride my bike throughout our City. I will ride my bike several times a week and it’s great to be able to ride around town and see the differences within each community. This is one of the things that makes Parkland so special.
Rich