Tamarac City Commissioner Debra Placko.
By Agrippina Fadel
Commissioner Debra Placko announced she would not be running for re-election in November.
In her message to constituents, Placko said it has been her privilege to serve as the District 4 commissioner for the past eight years, but “as life changes, different paths unfold before us,” she decided to “take a personal path.”
Placko added that her commitment to the Tamarac community will never change, and she will continue to be a “strong advocate.”
Placko, who lives in Woodmont’s Palm Ridge, was appointed to the commission in 2014 after Governor Rick Scott suspended then-Mayor Beth Talabisco. Commissioner Harry Dressler took over the mayoral position, leaving an empty commission seat in District 4. Eleven candidates applied for the job, with Placko getting the most votes and ultimately being offered the position.
She won her seat unopposed in November of the same year and was reelected again in 2018, with 68 percent votes against challenger Doug Maesk.
Placko’s tenure as a commissioner was not without controversies. Red Broward questioned her connection to Happy Feet Advertising and the “For Better Florida For All” endorsement card during her campaign in October 2018. In January 2022, Placko almost canceled the open-air Inspiration Way exhibit after deeming one of the sculptures “inappropriate,” which caused the commission to question the rest of the exhibition. It took a gentle encouragement from the city staff to convince commission members to approve the art pieces, allowing the installation to take place.
Currently, two candidates have announced running for the District 4 commissioner seat. A retired Broward County School Board administrator, Carol Mendelson, and David Witman Mountford, a retirement consulting professional.
The qualifying period for candidates for the November 2022 election is from noon on Monday, June 13, through noon on Friday, June 17, at city hall, so there is still time for other candidates to come forward. Tamarac’s commission terms are four years.
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