OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Boca Raton City Council Organizational Meeting March 31, 2026

Boca Raton Public Meetings — Tuesday, March 31, 2026
BodyBoca Raton, Florida
SessionBoca Raton Public Meetings
DateTuesday, March 31, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Good morning and welcome to the organizational meeting of the Boca Vertone City Council.

0:08

It is March 31st, 2026.

0:10

The time is 10:30.

0:11

Their first item of business is the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:13

Well, everyone, please join and rise.

0:17

There.

0:19

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:26

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

0:34

Ms.

0:34

Siddons, we please call the roll.

0:36

Mayor Singer.

0:37

Here.

0:38

Deputy Mayor Knackless.

0:39

Here.

0:39

Councilmember Drucker?

0:40

Here.

0:41

Councilmember Thompson.

0:42

Thankful to be here.

0:43

Councilmember Wickter.

0:44

Here.

0:44

All present.

0:45

Thank you.

0:46

Our first item of business is our ceremonial proceedings, and we'll begin with the recognition of and comments by outgoing mayor and council members.

0:54

I'll first start with our remaining council members.

0:57

Ms.

0:58

Drucker, would you like to um have any comments, please?

1:03

Can I say you agenda?

1:05

Certainly.

1:07

Thank you.

1:09

If you'd like to say anything about the council members who are departing.

1:14

Sorry, sorry, I didn't have an agenda in front of me.

1:18

So I'll hold my comments to later, but first I want to just welcome everyone to City Hall.

1:22

Thank you all for being here.

1:23

Congratulations to everyone that got elected.

1:25

You'll have part of my comments for later.

1:28

But I also wanted to thank uh Mayor Singer, Deputy Mayor Nathis, and Mark Quigter, Councilman.

1:34

Mark Wigter.

1:35

It's been an honor and a pleasure to serve with you all, and I know that the three amigos will remember will still be will still be the three amigos as we exit out of here.

1:43

So I have prepared comments that I'll save in the essence of time.

1:47

Thank you, Mayor Singer.

1:48

Thank you.

1:48

Mayor Alec Thompson.

1:49

You'll have an opportunity for comments.

1:50

I don't know if you want to take any now, or you can wait until after.

1:53

I was expecting to do so later, if that's okay.

1:55

That's fine.

1:56

Thank you.

1:56

And then we'll turn to Councilmember Mark Wigder.

1:58

Thank you.

1:59

Thank you very much.

1:59

Thank you all.

2:00

Thank you all for coming.

2:02

Thank you, my colleagues.

2:03

Thank you all for the support and the honor of being your councilman for the past three years.

2:08

As many of you know, I'm the son of a Holocaust survivor, and my mother was raised in communist Romania.

2:13

So as a first-generation American, entering public service is something many in my larger family can only dream about.

2:20

Over the last three years, I've had lots of thoughts and observations and ideas, long-range planning in the downtown and in the city.

2:27

Lots of PowerPoint presentations about bike trails, pedestrian bridges, anything else you can imagine.

2:34

So first and foremost, I'd like to thank my colleagues for listening to it all.

2:40

I'd like to thank the mayor just for his leadership.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████70%
Community Engagement████████13%
Board Appointments███████11%
Historic Preservation█2%
Fiscal Sustainability█2%
Affordable Housing█1%
Ethics And Compliance█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Boca Raton City Council Organizational Meeting March 31, 2026

The City Council held its organizational meeting on March 31, 2026, starting at 10:30 AM. The meeting included ceremonial recognition of outgoing council members, the swearing-in of new members, and the selection of leadership positions including Deputy Mayor, CRA Chair and Vice Chair, and various committee representatives. Outgoing Mayor Scott Singer and Council Members Fran Nachlas, Marc Wigder, and Yvette Drucker gave farewell remarks, and newly elected Mayor Andy Thompson and Council Members Michelle Grow, Jonathan Perlman, and Stacy Sippel were sworn in.

Ceremonial Proceedings

  • Recognition of Outgoing Mayor and Council Members: Council Member Yvette Drucker deferred comments, and outgoing Council Members Marc Wigder, Deputy Mayor Fran Nachlas, and Mayor Scott Singer each gave remarks thanking staff, colleagues, and residents. Wigder noted he is the son of a Holocaust survivor, praised the police and fire departments, and urged full staffing of fire station eight. Nachlas thanked numerous city departments and staff by name. Singer thanked residents and staff, noting 1,800 city employees.
  • Swearing-In of New Members: Mayor Andy Thompson was sworn in by Pastor David Cassidy of Spanish River Church. Council Members Michelle Grow, Jonathan Perlman (sworn in by his wife Luta Perlman), and Stacy Sippel (sworn in by her husband Patrick) took the oath of office.
  • Comments by Newly Elected Officials: Mayor Thompson emphasized unity, stating the greatest task is to "help unite the city" after a divisive election and called for leading with "grace" and serving all residents. Council Member Grow, a CPA and government auditor, pledged to put residents first and focus on accountability, transparency, and fiscal responsibility. Council Member Perlman noted 75% voter turnout and a "strict mandate by the voters to put them first." Council Member Sippel said residents are ready for a change that "brings us back to who we are," emphasizing development that fits the community and the importance of grace and respect.
  • Comments by Council Member Drucker: Drucker acknowledged outgoing members and stated she remains committed to serving until January 2027, focusing on quality of life, responsible planning, and affordability. She requested continued appointment as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) chair, noting it is a significant role for the city.

Organizational Proceedings

Selection of Deputy Mayor

  • Nomination: Council Member Sippel nominated Michelle Grow, seconded by Council Member Perlman. No other nominations were made. Approved by voice vote with all in favor.

Selection of CRA Chair and Vice Chair

  • CRA Chair: Council Member Drucker self-nominated, but the nomination was withdrawn. Council Member Grow nominated Mayor Thompson. Seconded by Grow. Approved by voice vote with all in favor.
  • Vice Chair: Council Member Perlman nominated Council Member Drucker, seconded by an unidentified member. Approved by voice vote with all in favor. Council Member Drucker noted the time commitment of the deputy mayor and CRA chair roles.

Selection of Auditor Selection Committee Chair

  • Nomination: Council Member Grow nominated Council Member Sippel, seconded by unidentified. Approved by voice vote with all in favor.

Selection of Affordable Housing Advisory Committee Representative

  • Nomination: Mayor Thompson nominated Council Member Perlman, after Council Member Drucker noted the role involves running meetings. Seconded by Grow. Approved by voice vote with all in favor.

Other Business

Selection of IPARC Representative and Alternate

  • Representative: Council Member Drucker nominated Council Member Sippel, seconded. Approved by voice vote with all in favor.
  • Alternate: Not specified who nominated Council Member Perlman. Seconded. Approved by voice vote with all in favor.

Selection of Palm Beach County League of Cities Voting Delegate and Alternate

  • Voting Delegate: Council Member Drucker nominated Michelle Grow. Drucker requested to continue as alternate, noting her roles with the Florida League of Cities and National League of Cities. Seconded. Approved by voice vote with all in favor.

Selection of MPO Representatives and Alternates

  • Representatives: Council Member Drucker self-nominated to continue as MPO chair. Council Member Drucker also nominated Council Member Grow as a representative. Council Member Sippel was also nominated as a representative. The slate was: Evet Drucker, Stacy Sippel, and Michelle Grow as representatives, with Jonathan Perlman as alternate. Approved by voice vote with all in favor. Drucker noted the MPO meets monthly in West Palm Beach.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at approximately 11:55 AM.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning and welcome to the organizational meeting of the Boca Vertone City Council. It is March 31st, 2026. The time is 10:30. Their first item of business is the Pledge of Allegiance. Well, everyone, please join and rise. There. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Ms. Siddons, we please call the roll. Mayor Singer. Here. Deputy Mayor Knackless. Here. Councilmember Drucker? Here. Councilmember Thompson. Thankful to be here. Councilmember Wickter. Here. All present. Thank you. Our first item of business is our ceremonial proceedings, and we'll begin with the recognition of and comments by outgoing mayor and council members. I'll first start with our remaining council members. Ms. Drucker, would you like to um have any comments, please? Can I say you agenda? Certainly. Thank you. If you'd like to say anything about the council members who are departing. Sorry, sorry, I didn't have an agenda in front of me. So I'll hold my comments to later, but first I want to just welcome everyone to City Hall. Thank you all for being here. Congratulations to everyone that got elected. You'll have part of my comments for later. But I also wanted to thank uh Mayor Singer, Deputy Mayor Nathis, and Mark Quigter, Councilman. Mark Wigter. It's been an honor and a pleasure to serve with you all, and I know that the three amigos will remember will still be will still be the three amigos as we exit out of here. So I have prepared comments that I'll save in the essence of time. Thank you, Mayor Singer. Thank you. Mayor Alec Thompson. You'll have an opportunity for comments. I don't know if you want to take any now, or you can wait until after. I was expecting to do so later, if that's okay. That's fine. Thank you. And then we'll turn to Councilmember Mark Wigder. Thank you. Thank you very much.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com