MITCH KATZ
City Commissioner | Delray Beach
F
or Mitch Katz, seeking a seat on the Delray Beach City Commission last March was as much about the future as it was about the present. Katz had been active in the city since moving here 13 years ago—serving as president of his Bexley Park homeowners association for nine years and as chair of the city’s education board—but he stepped up to the commissioner’s race when he perceived the city was lacking leadership. “I thought either I help make it work better so I can help my children want to stay and raise their families here, or we would end up having to move away,” he says. Now, about six months into his three-year term, Katz is making it a point to be visible and accessible to the residents he serves. He is likely to be seen at a Kiwanis meeting or a Chamber of Commerce breakfast gathering, and it’s not unusual to see him meeting privately with
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residents eager to share their views. “I represent the interest of our residents,” he says. “I need their input to make the right decisions.” Throughout his conversations, Katz, 44, frequently talks about maintaining what Delray Beach has achieved over the last quartercentury and the quality of life it offers. “Delray Beach is a small town with a lot of people,” he says. “I want to try to preserve that as much as possible.” The freshman city commissioner, with a day job working for a company that helps colleges and universities build online programs, says he is pleased to see residents getting involved in the city and packing city commission meetings. He’s also encouraged by an increase in the number of residents applying for positions on city advisory boards. “People want to be involved,” he says.
“They’re realizing the only way they can make a difference is by stepping up to the plate.” Katz says that resident involvement has created what he calls a “new era” in Delray Beach. “There was a time when developers decided the future of Delray Beach,” he says. “Now the citizens are deciding the future growth and direction of the city.” He points to several projects, including the contested Atlantic Crossing development, where resident input has had an impact on development plans. Going forward, Katz would like to see the city work toward compromise and balance when it comes to growth, and to see improvements to the city’s infrastructure and more progress on the economic development front, especially along the Congress Avenue corridor. “It’s not that we’re doing badly,” he says. “After all, everyone wants to be in Delray. But we can do better.”
september/october 2015