Sun Sentinel Endorses Warren!! http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/editorials/fl-op-editorial-fort-lauderdale-city-commission-endorsements-20180112-story.html DISTRICT 4: Warren Sturman As a cardiologist, Warren Sturman fixes hearts for a living. As a longtime civic association leader, he also tracks the pulse of south Fort Lauderdale. We encourage District 4 voters to let him bring his experience to the City Commission. Struman isn’t a flashy candidate or dazzling campaigner, but he’s smart, caring and articulate. And his medical and engineering background would add professional diversity. “I am not beholden to developers nor lobbyists,” Sturman wrote in his questionnaire. “Voters know where I stand. I have a track record of fighting for our neighborhoods.” Sturman’s background running a local medical practice, leading community groups, serving on city advisory boards and volunteering with first responders is experience his competitors can’t match. He wants to focus on fixing failing pipes and to stop sweeping the city’s water-sewer fund to cover other expenses. He also supports passage of a $200 million bond to address overdue repairs. And as a member of the the 17th Street Mobility Advisory board, Sturman also is behind an alternative route to the port and convention center, changing signal light timing to help traffic flow on southbound U.S. 1, and adding another ramp from U.S. 1 onto Interstate 595. Sturman, 60, says new development must play a bigger role in addressing the city’s infrastructure needs. Before approving new homes, he says the city should ensure roads and pipes are up to par. “To continue to build on a compromised foundation is an invitation for disaster,” he says. As president of the Rio Vista Civic Association, Sturman has held forums to raise awareness about sea level rise. He says solutions must go beyond raising seawalls and roads, which come with unintended consequences. He also wants drainage improvements to handle increased flooding. Sturman says he will pay more attention to residents’ concerns and stop the practice of deciding contentious issues late at night. In December, commissioners approved the controversial plan for Bahia Mar at 3:30 a.m. He was there to speak against it, the only one in his race. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board interview with Fort Lauderdale City Commission District 4 candidates Walter B. Duke III, Benjamin Sorensen and Warren Sturman. The other candidates are former Dania Beach Mayor Walter Duke III, 58, who heads a Fort Lauderdale real estate and business appraisal firm; and Ben Sorensen, 39, a pastor, civic volunteer and owner of a leadership and sales training firm. Duke moved to his “dream house” in Rio Vista about two years ago, after resigning his seat in Dania Beach nine months early. Almost immediately, it seemed he filed to run for Fort Lauderdale City Commission. During his days in Dania Beach, the commission was marked by dysfunction. Members struggled to build consensus and frequently deadlocked. At one embarrassing point, Duke voted to remove a hospitalized commissioner from her seat for having missed two meetings. He says he didn’t know she was hospitalized. Today, Commissioner Chickie Brandimarte says she and Duke were the targets of small town politics and that he is a smart man who really cares. She says she would vote for him “in a heartbeat.” Indeed, Duke is smart, well prepared and offers a deep understanding of government. But as a candidate, he was slow to take a position on the Wave and Bahia Mar projects. But mostly, we prefer people live in Fort Lauderdale for more than a month or two before running for office. Sorensen, 39, is personable and well-versed in city issues, but lacks Sturman’s longtime Fort Lauderdale ties. Sorensen lists six college degrees, from ministry to law, and membership in 22 civic groups, from the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce to the Fort Lauderdale Rotary Club. Because of his doctoral degree in ministry, he uses the title “doctor.” Sturman, by contrast, doesn’t use his title in campaign materials though he is a medical doctor. Sturman trails his opponents in campaign fundraising, but far outpaces them in his long-term commitment to the city. District 4 voters can trust Sturman to well represent them on the city commission. Editorials are the opinion of the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board and written by one of its members or a designee. The Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Rosemary O'Hara, Elana Simms, Andy Reid and Editor-in-Chief Howard Saltz.