Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. – A cluster of campaign signs reflects the crowded campaign field in Lauderdale Lakes. Four candidates and the incumbent want to be the city’s next mayor.
Beverly Williams, a mayoral candidate and former commissioner, has called Lauderdale Lakes home for over five decades and said she wants to restore order to City Hall. The city’s budget, public safety, and infrastructure are all crucial issues to be addressed.
“I don’t like being the laughing stock of the county,” Williams said. “We look like we are a club now, as opposed to a city. They don’t understand your budget is your backbone; they don’t understand that our staff is our backbone.”
Mayor Veronica Edwards Phillips, the incumbent; Vice Mayor Mark Anthony Spence, and Nicole ‘Nikki’ Hall are also campaigning. Spence, a businessman who supports redevelopment, said he was born and raised in Lauderdale Lakes and wants to attract more families to the city.
“I know this community inside-out. I have watched the changes that have taken place throughout the years, and I’m ready to move the city forward. I believe this is the time that our city can experience growth,” Spence said adding there is a need for “housing for our seniors ... housing for young folks like me ... our residents are crying out for a change … old politics does not work …. old politics is not initiating growth…they’re not bringing new ideas to the city.”
Hall, a businesswoman, is also a candidate who wants to improve the city’s infrastructure and budget. She said new businesses will help ease the tax burden and generate more income.
“We are heavy on the residents paying the taxes. Our taxes are the second-highest in Broward County, currently,” Hall said, adding a message for voters, “Look at all the candidates and ask yourself, what have they done for your material interests? We’re in a place right now where we need a new era of leadership.”
Phillips said there is a benefit to continuity, and she lists the development of new workforce housing, and single-family homes in the city among her accomplishments.
“I want to continue the progress that we have made in the city ... our ad valorem taxes have increased, so, of course, that helps us provide better services,” Phillips said.
Her new plan includes improving public safety and business development.
“With the knowledge, the wisdom, and the experience, and the vision for our residents and businesses in the city ... we are going to move forward together.”
Former Lauderdale Lakes Commissioner Gloria Lewis, also running for mayor, declined to speak to Local 10 News to contribute to this story.