News	April 17, 08

Aventura

Vice Mayor Zev

Aventura needs a vice mayor. Who you gonna call? Zev Auerbach

By Lee Molloy

In a packed house for an Aventura City Commission meeting, more than a dozen citizens applauded the election of the city’s new vice mayor April 8.

Although the position is ceremonious, Zev Auerbach is now the official who would lead the city if Mayor Susan Gottleib were to become incapacitated or, well, take some Susan time.

“I read the charter,” Auerbach said, to the bemusement of the audience. “And if you’re going to the day spa and you’re in the steam room where you cannot be reached, technically I’m in charge.”

Auerbach has served on the City Commission for more than six years, and this marks his second six-month stint as vice mayor. The position comes on the heels of his becoming the president of Stop Hunger Inc., an organization based in North Miami that was founded more than 28 years ago by a former North Miami Beach vice mayor, Julius Littman. Its mission is to provide free food to the needy in South Florida. Auerbach says more than 300,000 meals are distributed each month to those who need help in the tri-county area.

Auerbach comes from a marketing background, working as creative director for Zimmerman and Partners. He is also the guy to blame for burning the catchy, “Who you gonna call? — Maroone!” into South Florida’s collective consciousness.

We may be seeing a little more of Auerbach than originally expected though, after voters cast their ballots through a mail-in vote on April 22. They will vote to align city voting dates with county and national elections.

According to commissioners, this move could save taxpayers about $60,000 per election, and the voter turnout would also likely increase. However, this one-time change, if approved, would extend the current four-year term of Mayor Gottlieb and Commissioners Michael Stern, Billy Joel and Luz Urbaez Weinberg from March 2009 to November 2010. Auerbach, along with Commissioners Bob Diamond and Teri Holzberg, would stay on until November 2012.