A Night at the Roundtable: Delray Debates City’s Troubles

By Erika Slife, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Jan. 31–DELRAY BEACH — With markers, giant sheets of paper and a list of questions, about 100 people put their heads together Tuesday and tried to solve the problems of the city.

While a cure-all wasn’t found among the suggestions made late into the night at Old School Square, city officials were pleased with the consensus-building, roundtable discussions that drew creative recommendations such as “building more jails” to address crime and “mandatory recycling” to settle environmental concerns.

“I’m excited about the interaction and the intimacy of sharing ideas,” said Mayor Jeff Perlman. “This is what gives ourselves a sense of place. This is what makes us different.”

The first Citizen’s Roundtable replaced the public comment period of the annual town hall meeting. Typically, residents got only two to three minutes to speak to city officials.

The new format upset some in the community, most notably government critic Annette Annechild, founder of Savedelray.com, who professed her discontent in an e-mail blast sent to about 400 people this month.

City officials noted she was absent from the discussions, which stretched for two hours. Vice Mayor Rita Ellis wondered whether Annechild was willing to face fellow residents without a stage and microphone.

“Having to look them in the eye was too much to ask?” Ellis said.

Many participants remained enthusiastic late into the night.

“We’re the think-tank table,” announced Cecilia Boone, a Delray Beach resident for 10 years.

Crime, affordable housing and property taxes topped the list of concerns people raised during the conversations, although discussions raged. One group hadn’t listed more than three issues facing the city before erupting into a debate, while another group cruised through at least a dozen of possibilities with little argument.

“I personally like this kind of format. It’s more of a positive approach,” said Gene Fisher, who has lived in Delray Beach for 28 years. “I think when you have the open mikes, first of all, you don’t have enough time. By the time you get your complaint out, you don’t have enough time for a follow-through.”

Participants began trickling out halfway through the meeting. The turnout was a far cry from last year, when hundreds of residents showed up for the town hall meeting. At that time, a controversial development proposal for Atlantic Plaza and other projects motivated residents to get involved, said City Manager David Harden.

Vince Dole, chairman of Friends of Delray, agreed.

“I think last year, people were afraid. Afraid of what might happen. Afraid of all these projects coming out of the ground,” he said. “Now that they’ve seen things put in place, they’re happy.”

Erika Slife can be reached at eslife@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6690.

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