By: Sharon Aron Baron
The final three candidates for the open seat for the Tamarac City Commission have been narrowed down from eleven candidates to three.
After two days of interviews, three of the candidates received top votes from the commission, so the following have received callbacks for second interviews on Thursday:
Lee Viverette
Lee Viverette lives in the Les Chateaux community of Woodmont and works as a Staff Field Appraiser for RELS Valuation. He is the currently the President of the Woodmont Property Owners Association. He has been a resident of Tamarac for 14 years.
Viverette says he doesn’t believe Tamarac Village has grown fast enough, and believes the city needs a main street and a face. “I don’t like the fact that we’re on Pine Island Road now,” he said. He wants to see the city being an up-and-coming place, instead of a retirement community. He also mentions the lack of a high school is a concern, but isn’t certain how to get there.
Debra Placko
Debra Placko lives in Woodmont’s Palm Ridge community and is retired from working at JByrons for 15 years. She’s currently Co-President of the Woodmont Property Owners Association. She has lived in Woodmont for 10 years and served on their board for eight years.
When asked by Vice Mayor Michelle Gomez what being a commissioner entails, she said, “I think it’s a 24-7 job, and you have to be extremely patient. I truly believe you have to be committed and care about your community.” She believes the Woodmont golf course development currently is a large concern in her district along with Colony West.
James Griffin
James Griffin is retired after 40 years of Government Service with the Department of Justice. He has also served overseas for 29 years. He currently lives in Les Jardins of Woodmont. He also serves on the City’s Planning Board. Griffin received his B.S. from Suffolk University and his MPA from the Kennedy School of Government.
“I like the status quo, I like how things are. The status quo is most satisfactory. “ said James Griffin when asked by Commissioner Glasser how he would like to improve his district.
Once the interviews are completed on Thursday at 1:00 pm at City Hall, the commission will vote for their selection. The candidate they select will be sworn in immediately.
