The SunPost

Mayor Charles Burkett and Commissioner Mark Blumstein, who are running against one another for the mayoral seat in the March 18 election, bickered about a contest designed to get Surfside’s children to think about why voting is important. The contest was advertised in Surfside’s newsletter, the Surfside Town Gazette.

Burkett accused Blumstein of portraying himself as the contest’s sole sponsor and ordering a banner with Blumstein’s name attached to the poster contest during the town’s Beach 5K Run on Feb. 17.

“Are you finished accusing, mayor? Are you finished accusing? Yes or no? Thankfully, I answer to the electorate,” Blumstein responded. “It is clear what the mayor is attempting to do here. Let’s try and not make this something that it is not. This is for the children of Surfside, and I am more in touch with the town than you can ever hope to be.”

The poster contest was, in fact, Blumstein’s idea. Blumstein forwarded the idea to interim Town Manager Pam Brangaccio, who “sanitized the advertisement,” or made it nonpolitical, and then forwarded it for publishing without the commission’s approval.

“As for town staff,” Brangaccio said, “after being contacted by Commissioner Blumstein with the idea of a poster contest, any reference to one commissioner was deleted, as well as stating that no specific campaign or individual could be included on any posters.”

Brangaccio, who was previously Broward County’s top administrator, spent her first days in Surfside dealing with this issue.

“The step I think I missed, as it was my first full week in Surfside when this originally came up in January, was not bringing the item to the commission first before printing it in the Gazette, which was Commissioner [Mark] Imberman’s point,” she said.

The discussion led to a motion to eliminate a Gazette column titled “Commissioner’s Corner,” in which Surfside commissioners speak out, until after the election.

But the mayor’s portion of the gazette, called “Mayor’s View,” will remain.

“The Commissioner’s Corner devolved into a political platform,” Commissioner Steven Levine said. “To some degree, the mayor sits in a different position. I hold him in a high position of trust and authority.”

Once the discussion was over, Burkett could not help but continue admonishing Blumstein. “The appearance of your actions [is] very duplicitous,” Burkett told Blumstein.

“I can’t read his mind, only his words and demeanor,” Blumstein said about Burkett’s reaction. “[The contest] is all about the children of Surfside and not politics. This was designed to highlight the children of this town and this only demonstrates his inability to identify with them. There was no reason to make as big a deal as he did.”

Burkett responded that he was tired of Blumstein’s “self-dealing” tendencies.

“He comes to a meeting knowing full well that he alone is the sponsor of this contest and lets the town administration present it and take the rap, hoping it will pass as it is already in the Gazette,” Burkett told the SunPost via e-mail. “… It is debated, fails and still he never says one word, not one word about it to the commission during that meeting.”

Before the commission meeting, Surfside closed its qualifying period for all five seats on the commission. Commissioners Marc Imberman and Levine drew no opponents and were elected automatically to their two-year terms. Commissioner Howard Weinberg faces a challenge from Joseph Graubart, the town’s former Planning and Zoning Board chair and a fierce critic of Burkett. Running to fill Blumstein’s seat are attorney Elizabeth Calderon and Randi MacBride, wife of former Commissioner Frank MacBride.

With the exception of Levine, the current members of the commission were elected two years ago, defeating candidates endorsed by former Mayors Tim Will and Paul Novack. Levine was elected in March 2004.

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