letter | Your Delray Boca

The recently renovated Cornell Museum features a new exhibit that celebrates OSS’ contributions to Delray Beach.

Last week, eight former mayors signed a letter in support of Old School Square.It was an extraordinary gesture. I don’t think we’ve ever seen this level of solidarity among every living former elected mayor.The eight mayors—Doak Campbell, Tom Lynch, Jay Alperin, David Schmidt, me, Rita Ellis, Woodie McDuffie and Cary Glickstein represent 33 years of service. Some have lived in Delray for 50, 60 and 70 plus years. I may be the newcomer with almost 35 years in town.We’ve seen a lot.We’ve all worked with Old School Square which has been serving Delray for 32 years.Our call to action is simple: we’d like to see the public have input into the future of Old School Square and we’d like to see a discussion/process on how to heal some of the divisions and hurts caused by our current political environment, a culture that we all feel threatens our present and our future.Old School Square is a casualty of this environment. It’s lease was terminated without notice, cause, public input or even an agenda item that may have notified it’s many supporters.Given no choice, the non-profit was forced to litigate the very city it has served. It was either sue or walk away from three decades of service and millions of dollars in assets.What’s next is costly litigation for the organization and taxpayers. There’s a better way.Here’s the letter. It calls for our better angels to prevail. In this holiday season, it may be the best gift we can give our community.

An open letter to the citizens and stakeholders of Delray Beach:

We are a group of former mayors whose service to Delray dates to 1984.

Some of us have lived here for 60 plus years.

We love our city, but we are worried about the direction the current administration is taking.

We find our community is divided, unable or unwilling to talk and we fear that the progress we have made as a community is in danger as a result.

The most recent issue is the impulsive termination of the lease with Old School Square Center for the Arts, Inc., the non-profit organization who created and has successfully managed Old School Square for the past 32 years, without a conversation with the organization or input from the City’s diverse stakeholders who deserve a say in its future. All of us have worked closely with the dedicated volunteers at Old School Square during our terms. We believe that they are willing to work hard to improve their partnership with the city. As with any long-term relationship, we believe that any problems can be solved with open communication.

This decision to terminate Old School Square’s lease has proven to be highly controversial, but we are just as alarmed at the lack of transparency and due process when making such a monumental decision.

We must do better.

Delray has a rich history of citizen involvement. That involvement has been a key factor in our success.

But while the Old School Square termination is what’s on everyone’s mind, we see a similar pattern in the general culture of division and polarization in our city politics that has led to costly turnover and litigation.

We don’t believe this is the “Delray Way,” and while we may not ever see eye to eye on the issues, we risk losing what’s been built if we don’t call a time out and endeavor to do better as a community.

As former mayors, we understand the difficulty in leading a city as active and complex as Delray Beach.

We stand ready to assist and suggest the following:

• A charrette to gain public input on the future of Old School Square.

• A process to discuss the culture in Delray Beach so that we can find a better way forward for everyone.

We need to reverse the damage and hurt that has occurred in our town before it is too late.

Sincerely,

Mayor Doak S. Campbell III (1984-1990)

Mayor Thomas E. Lynch (1990-1996)

Mayor Dr. Jay Alperin (1996-2000)

Mayor David W. Schmidt (2000-2003)

Mayor Jeff Perlman (2003-2007)

Mayor Rita Ellis (2007-2009)

Mayor Nelson “Woodie” McDuffie (2009-2013)

Mayor Cary Glickstein (2013-2017)

8 Mayors: We Can Do Better