2014-0918 Regular City Commission Meeting

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Summm. Minutes: Regular City Commission Meeting September 18, 2014 City or Sunny Isles Beach, Florida Germ Goodman served nine (9) years as a Commissioner, and right now that is more than half the life of our City, and we are certainly proud that Gerry was a Commissioner during the formative years of our City. Roslyn Brezin was the best pick he could ever make for his replacement as Commissioner At- Large, and she served seven (7) years in her capacity as Commissioner. It was a tireless effort on both of their parts. Mayor Edelcup said in the early years it was all volunteered, nobody got paid for three (3) or four (4) of those years because we wanted to make sure the City was on a stable financial footing before there would be any compensation to Commissioners. Also, both of them never hesitated to be here on a daily basis, and the only times they missed was only those times that they may have had personal problems and could not be here at City Hall. Of course the retirement for both of them came and again proving what outstanding citizens they are, they never gave up their efforts of making this City a better place. Gerry has always been involved with Aventura Hospital and really our Ambassador to that hospital. Any resident that needed to go to the Hospital, all they had to do was to let Gerry Goodman know that they were going to be there and he paved the way to make their hospital stay as good as it could possibly be made. Roslyn volunteered at Mt. Sinai Hospital on a once a week basis, but on a daily basis she has headed up our Seniors Program for the City and have made it into an outstanding program. Each year you have more and more members and again this is something that he knows they both do from the heart. Mayor Edelcup personally thanked them from the bottom of his heart for being truly outstanding citizens of Sunny Isles Beach. Mayor Edelcup and the Commission presented them each with a special plaque. He read the inscription for Roslyn Brezin "In recognition of your devotion and dedicated service to the seniors of our community while displaying leadership, loyalty, and commitment that enhanced the quality of life." For Gerry Goodman "In recognition of your years of municipal service to members of our City serving as an Ambassador of Goodwill to the hospitalized, homebound, and the ill. You are truly our City's visiting angel." Roslyn Brezin thanked Mayor Edelcup and the Commission, and said she is forever grateful that she had this opportunity and privilege to serve the City that she loves at the time she served. She said she would never be retired as long as she is alive. Gerry Goodman thanked Mayor Edelcup and the Commission, and thought back when David Samson was the head of the Concerned Citizens and that is when it all started. Gerry ran the first time we became a City and he lost the election. He ran four (4) years later after serving four (4) years on the Planning Committee. The day he ran on was September 11, 2001 and his birthday. A funny thing that happened, he was going with Lila Sterling, who just passed away, she brought a birthday cake for that election, and he won by one (1) vote. They counted the ballots with the machine three (3) times and he won by one (1) vote. The next day there was a recount and he picked up five (5) votes and so he won by six (6) votes. He ran against a dear friend of his, Irving Turetsky who was the first Commissioner, who called up his friend Lila and said if he lost to anybody, he is glad that he lost to Gem because he is doing a much better job than he could have done. Gerry thought that was the greatest compliment that anyone could give him. He has lived in Sunny Isles Beach for 28 years, retired. It is the most beautiful City, and we worked diligently and all we had was the two - story motels, and what we have now is a world class City and he is glad to be part of it. 3