ABOUT MY CAMPAIGN
YOUR
REPRESENTATIVE ON THE COMMISSION
In my time on the Commission, I’ve worked hard to be a representative of the whole Town–to be someone that YOU, and the entire Town, can trust. Earning and keeping the trust of my constituents means delivering on two major promises.
1
When there is an issue that you care about, you can rely on me to listen to your concerns, to learn thoroughly about the issue, to think it through, and to vote with your best interests and those of the community in mind. I am an independent thinker, and I approach every issue with an open mind.
Of course, it’s not possible for me to agree with every resident on every issue, every time. But when I do disagree with one of my constituents, I want for them always to feel that they’ve been heard, that their interests have been taken into account, and that I have cast my vote in a thoughtful, well informed way.
2
When you don’t have an issue that preoccupies you–when you’re busy living your life, working, and caring for your kids and loved ones–you can trust that Town Hall is in good hands. Most importantly, you can trust that I am there representing you. I don’t serve outside interests. My political campaigns are funded transparently, by friends and neighbors. I listen, I read, and I do the work of representing and serving the entire Town.
ACHIEVEMENTS ON THE COMMISSION
I’m proud to have served on a Commission that has delivered on its promises.
Together...
We completed the design process for the Champlain South memorial, a project that is central to the identity and the soul of our community.
We finished the 96th Street Park, resolving the issues that had dragged out its construction and delayed its opening.
We took a major step forward to address stormwater flooding by building new pumps and wells on Abbott Avenue.
We have defended our Town’s right to legislate on zoning and new construction, and we have fought back against intrusive, pre-emptive State laws such as the Live Local Act and S.B. 180.
We amended the building code to protect the look and feel of the Town, and we appointed a Planning and Zoning Board whose expertise and hard work will be reflected in many well-designed, contextually appropriate houses that will be going up in the next few years.
We passed ordinances that protected residents’ free-speech rights and that strengthened the ethics code for public officials–increasing financial-disclosure requirements and restricting the ways in which Commissioners can profit from their votes on the dais.
And, even though we had our disagreements, we accomplished all of that while following the Sunshine Law, remaining free of scandal, and maintaining decorum.
Bringing Something Special
Apart from the achievements I shared with my fellow Commissioners, I am proud to have been the main driver behind initiatives that reflect my distinctive interests and my personality.
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The new native-plant garden at Little Bay Park, funded in part by a grant from the Florida Wildflower Foundation.
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A successful application in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets for All (SS4A) program, which yielded a $200,000 grant for the Town.
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The new Community Relations Board, which has worked to build community by sponsoring wonderful events such as Pizza & Palm Fronds, the CRB Book Club, the community yard sale, and the community resource fair.
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New cultural partnerships (through the Resort Tax Board) with the Miami Film Festival, the Miami Jewish Film Festival, the Bass Museum of Art, and the Jewish Museum of Florida.
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A tree giveaway that expanded the Town’s urban tree canopy, plus a successful effort to re-locate and save a mature Seagrape tree from a development site.
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Singerfest (a literary festival honoring Surfside resident and Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer), which I hope can become an annual event coinciding with the Miami Book Fair International.
Looking Forward
(my to-do list, on the issues that matter most to me)
Improving our infrastructure and securing our Town’s future
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Completing the Abbott drainage project and moving forward with other projects in the Stormwater Master Plan.
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Guiding the Town through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets for All grant program: Using our $200,000 Planning Grant to design streets that are safer for all users, and to prepare an application for an Implementation Grant next year.
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Adding new traffic-control devices that are professionally designed and sensitive to the concerns of residents of adjacent properties.
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Restoring the dune on our beach, to protect the beach and the Town against storms.
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Creating new, vibrant public spaces in the heart of our Town, in the alleyways of the Business District and on Town properties in the 9300 block of Harding.
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Promoting sustainable practices Town-wide and equipping the Town’s staff to deal with the challenges posed by sea-level rise and climate change.
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Creating a process for planning the next major Parks & Recreation project.
Preserving the spirit of our community
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Breaking ground on the Surfside Memorial, and making sure that the wishes of the Champlain South families, the survivors, and the broader community come first in the construction process–not the interests of developers.
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Re-appointing the Community Relations Board and creating new events that bring the community together in meaningful ways.
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Making sure that Surfside is and remains a haven from divisiveness--a place where people and families of all different backgrounds can live together and enrich one another's lives.
Ensuring open, ethical, accountable government
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Bringing honest, rational, and compassionate dialogue to Commission meetings.
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Expanding citizens’ rights to participate in public meetings.
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Further restricting the use of non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements to limit what Town employees can say after their employment ends.
My History
My family–my parents, my grandmother, my brother, and I–moved into a rented house in Surfside when I was just one year old. My parents saved up to buy the house a few years later, and that purchase was the realization of their American Dream. The house on Froude Avenue was where my parents, who had fled Castro’s Cuba fifteen years earlier, could finally put down roots.
I was the lucky beneficiary of my parents’ realized dream. And I loved growing up in this friendly, diverse, open-minded community. I went to Bay Harbor Elementary (back before it was “Ruth K.”) and Nautilus Middle School, and I graduated from Miami Beach High in 1992 as the valedictorian of my class. I continued my studies at Yale and UC Berkeley, and I worked for twelve years as a professor of law before coming home to Surfside in 2020 to take care of my elderly mom.
I was the lucky beneficiary of my parents’ realized dream, and I loved growing up in this community. I went to Bay Harbor Elementary (back before the “Ruth K.”) and Nautilus Middle School, and I graduated from Miami Beach High in 1992 as the valedictorian of my class. Being raised in a diverse, open-minded community helped prepare me for my studies at Yale and UC Berkeley and for my career as a professor of law.
I CAME BACK TO
TO GIVE BACK
After coming home, I reconnected with the community–getting to know many of my fellow Surfside residents, learning about local issues, and attending meetings of the Town Commission. In 2024, in my first run for elected office, I won a seat on the Commission, earning 1,005 votes to finish second in a field of ten candidates.
