By: Sharon Aron Baron
The City of Tamarac will have two new representatives on the Broward County Commission, and a third who was reelected to his seat.
On Tuesday at the Governmental Center in Fort Lauderdale, former State Senator Nan Rich was sworn-in by her husband David Rich and will represent District 1 which covers all or portions of Davie, Lauderhill, Plantation, Sunrise, Tamarac, and Weston. In Tamarac, she has portion: the Woodlands Country Club, a 900 single-family home development just west of the Turnpike.
Rich was first elected to the State Senate in 2004 after serving two terms in the House of Representatives. She was the first woman to be elected Senate Democratic Leader and served from 2010 until she was term-limited in November 2012. Rich was excited about the opportunity to serve on the Broward County Commission. She said that several people told her that sometimes you can do more in Broward than in Tallahassee and in Washington “…and right now I’m beginning to believe that,” she said.
Former Parkland Mayor Michael Udine was sworn in by his father Morey Udine. Udine will represent District 3 which covers all or portions of Coral Springs, Parkland, Tamarac and North Lauderdale. Udine, is no stranger to the city growing up in Woodmont Country Club and graduating from JP Taravella High School. Udine served as mayor of Parkland since 2016, and before that was a Parkland City Commissioner for three years. An Attorney, Udine’s passion shows in local schools. He helped start the city’s educational advisory board, the education advisory scholarship program to help deserving student and set up quarterly meetings with all school principals to assist them. His portion of Tamarac will be the largest of any of the three county commissioners.
“I am honored and humbled by the overwhelming support of the residents and the voters of County Commission District 3 that elected me and placed their trust and confidence in my ability to help work on the problems of local government and the issues that matter to them most,” he said. “I’m here to tell them today I will not let them down and I will work hard for the betterment of Broward County.”
Also, sworn-in was Dale Holness, who was sworn in by U.S. Congressman Alcee Hastings. Holness represents District 9 which includes portions of Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Oakland Park, Sunrise, Tamarac, Plantation, North Lauderdale, and Lauderdale Lakes. In Tamarac, that would start east of Rock Island Road. A real estate agent and mortgage broker, Holness has used his expertise to create affordable housing and financing opportunities. In Lauderhill, he worked with city staff to increase home ownership by revamping the Affordable Housing Down-payment Assistance Program, which hired grant writers to bring in $30-million in additional housing revenue and worked to increase homestead exemptions for senior citizens. In 2004, he founded The Lauderhill Regional Chamber of Commerce which now includes over 310 businesses and is one of the most diverse Chambers in Broward County.
“The election is past…no matter what our ethnicity is, no matter what our backgrounds we must work together,” he said.
Broward County Commissioner-elect Steve Geller, representing District 5, was sworn into office by Chief Judge Peter Weinstein. He will represent the cities of Southwest Ranches and Cooper City and portions of Davie, Plantation, Sunrise, and Weston. Also, Broward County Commissioner Tim Ryan began his second term representing District 7 which includes parts of Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach, Davie, Hollywood, Wilton Manors and Lazy Lake.
Vice Mayor/Commissioner Barbara Sharief will serve as Mayor for the next year and Commissioner Beam Furr to serve as the next Vice Mayor.
