By: Sharon Aron Baron
The qualifying period for the 2022 elections is right around the corner and If interested candidates miss this opportunity, they’ll need to wait until 2024.
The City of Tamarac will have three seats on the November 2022 ballot, including one for the mayor and two for the city commission.
These nonpartisan positions pay $50,240 for a city commissioner and $60,500 for mayor. Each gets a hefty $700 monthly car allowance, travel expenses, health and life insurance, and other benefits.
Michelle Gomez
Gomez held her kickoff reelection event on Jan 27. Before she won the mayor’s seat in 2018, she was a city commissioner for District 2 from 2010 to 2018.
So far, she has raised $43,000. Her campaign finance report for April shows most of the donors are Tamarac residents, according to her April 2022 campaign report.
Gomez is the president of Saunders, Curtis, Ginestra & Gore, P.A. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from The American University, School of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C., a Master of Arts from The American University, School of Communication, and her Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center. She’s a licensed attorney in Florida, the District of Columbia, and New York.
Mike Gelin
Gelin will be stepping down from his District 2 commission seat to run for mayor. So far, he has raised $36,075 with individual donations coming from out of the city, according to his April 2022 campaign report.
Gelin is the owner of Gelin Benefits Group, an insurance advisory, brokerage, and benefits consulting firm. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Morris Brown College and is a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist.
In 2013, Gelin was a runner-up for an appointment to District 2 after Patte Atkins Grad stepped down, facing an imminent recall election. The seat went to Gomez. First running as mayor in 2014, Gelin lost against Harry Dressler. In 2018, he successfully won his commission seat for District 2.
Since Gelin will no longer be running for his seat, three candidates have stepped up, including newcomers and Joseph Lanouette. Stuart Michelson, and Tyneka Rene.
Debra Placko is stepping down from the seat in November. So far, two interested candidates, Carol Mendelson and David Mountford to the open seat.
The qualifying period for Tamarac commission candidates for the November election is from noon on Monday, June 13, through noon on Friday, June 17, at City Hall. Tamarac’s mayoral and commission terms are four years.
If you are interested in running for mayor, you can live anywhere in the city; however, you must live in either District two or four if you want to run for city commission. Next, you will need to find a campaign treasurer to open a campaign account. More importantly, you will need to contact the city clerk for filing instructions.
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