Come Nov. 3, voters in central Hollywood’s District 3 will elect a successor to Vice Mayor Traci Callari.
They have two options: David Raskind, the owner of a Jewish nursery and preschool, or Alex Recio, the owner of a bakery and the son of a retired Hollywood police officer.
Callari, a registered nurse who joined the dais 14 years ago, cannot run due to term limits.
With two other veteran commissioners also leaving the dais, the District 3 winner will be one of three new faces joining Hollywood’s seven-member board at a time when Hollywood is tackling flooding woes, development concerns and other challenges.
Recio, who has served on several city boards and frequently speaks on important issues at City Hall, argues he’s the right person for the job.
He points to his ability to build bridges between people who clash and disagree — including the folks on his very own campaign host committee.
“From the beach to west of the Turnpike, some of my host committee members absolutely hate each other,” Recio confided. “They cannot agree on the color of the sky — but they agree on me. Because they know me, they’ve seen me in action on city, county and nonprofit boards. And because they know my ability to bring different sides together for the betterment of Hollywood.”
A lifelong resident, Recio served on the city’s Charter Review Committee, striving to give voters more of a say on the fate of public lands.
He has also served on Hollywood’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and currently serves on the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization as Hollywood’s citizen representative.
Recio, 38, has received a slew of endorsements: Six out of seven members of the commission, including Mayor Josh Levy, have backed him in the race along with a trio of Hollywood unions representing police officers, firefighters and municipal employees.
“What distinguishes me from my opponent is my widespread community support, because of our vastly different histories and experience levels in Hollywood,” Recio said. “My opponent moved to District 3 only two years ago. He has never once attended a civic association meeting — including our candidate forum — never once spoken before the City Commission on any issue, and never once served on any city boards or committees.”
Raskind describes himself as an outsider, but he argues that’s not a bad thing.
“I am offering District 3 a fresh, independent voice and a different perspective at City Hall,” he said.
Raskind, 37, acknowledges that he has not served on city boards or spoken up on hot issues at City Hall, but says that makes him like thousands of other residents in the city who he hopes to represent.
“I’m a 100% pure outsider,” Raskind said. “I think we have to understand that there are groups of people in Hollywood. You have the governing group. You have the civic group. You have people who have gotten involved like Alex (Recio). But you have thousands and thousands and thousands of people who are residents of Hollywood, who are taxpayers, who live here, who’ve raised their kids here, who haven’t stepped foot into City Hall.”
Raskind says he wants to give those people a seat at the table and a chance to take part in civic life in Hollywood.
“I didn’t come up through the traditional political or civic pipeline,” he said. “I’ve never held elected office or served on city boards or committees. I came to this as a resident, a father, a small-business owner, a school founder and someone who became increasingly concerned about the direction and priorities of our city. I believe that gives me a fresh perspective and allows me to look at issues without being tied to the way things have always been done.”
Recio says that while Hollywood has challenges, the city is generally heading in the right direction.
He points to the fact that the city budget is structurally balanced, Hollywood’s police and fire departments are rated Class 1, and the city is finishing up with the successful implementation of a voter-approved General Obligation Bond that saw $200 million invested in Hollywood’s parks, infrastructure and public safety.
But he does think the city needs to use caution and care in planning ahead for the next 100 years.
“As a small-business owner and longtime Hollywood resident, I understand that growth can bring opportunity, but it also comes with impacts,” Recio said. “Traffic, noise, flooding, parking, pressure on roads and utilities, and the overall character of our neighborhoods all need to be considered when we make development decisions.”
Before approving new development, the city should understand the impact on roads, drainage, utilities, public safety and surrounding neighborhoods, Recio said.
“I’m not opposed to growth,” he said. “I’m opposed to growth that leaves residents carrying the costs. We can welcome investment and new businesses, while protecting the character of our neighborhoods and making sure our infrastructure is ready for the future.”
If elected, Recio says he would focus on reducing non-essential administrative spending, lower the municipal tax rate and push for an audit of consulting contracts and user fees.
“Hollywood is one of the highest taxed cities in Broward County,” Recio said. “Residents and businesses are struggling every day to stay afloat.”
Recio says that’s just one reason he backs Amendment 3, the property tax cut ballot measure coming to voters on Nov. 3.
“While I believe Amendment 3 is another Tallahassee attack on Hollywood’s home rule, I welcome any opportunity to save taxpayers money,” Recio said. “Hollywood’s budget grew from roughly $900 million last year to $1 billion this year — a $100 million increase. I had to cut far more than 2% from my restaurants’ budgets during COVID. If I could do it as a Hollywood small-business owner, I can do it as a Hollywood city commissioner.”
Raskind says he also supports Amendment 3.
“I believe property-tax relief should force government to prioritize, not force residents to sacrifice,” he said. “Amendment 3 would certainly require the city to make difficult choices, but I don’t believe the first response should be threatening residents with cuts to parks, public safety or essential services, or simply replacing property taxes with higher fees.”
City Hall should look inward first, Raskind added.
“Go line by line through the budget, eliminate unnecessary spending, find efficiencies, use technology to operate smarter and prioritize the services residents actually depend on,” he said.
If elected, Raskind says he would take a closer look at the city’s budget, with an eye for whittling down the fat.
Hollywood’s recently adopted budget increased personnel costs by approximately $19.2 million in a single year, bringing total personnel spending to approximately $322.7 million, he noted, and the number of authorized positions increased by 40, from 1,493 to 1,533.
“I understand that some of that increase reflects negotiated cost-of-living adjustments and legitimate staffing needs,” he said. “But continued growth in the cost and size of government should also come with measurable improvements in the services residents receive.”
Raskind vows to be a decision-maker on the dais who will help guide the city back on the right track.
“I believe Hollywood has tremendous strengths and enormous potential, but I have serious concerns about the direction of its priorities,” Raskind said.
He says he is not opposed to growth and development but criticizes the city for pursuing the next major development project while basic quality-of-life issues remain unresolved.
“Flooding remains a serious problem in parts of our city,” he said. “Aging infrastructure needs attention. Residents continue to raise concerns about traffic, public safety, code enforcement, parks and basic city services. That is a major reason I entered this race.”
Raskind recommends the city fix the basics first, manage growth responsibly and spend taxpayer dollars carefully.
“I’m not running because I think Hollywood’s a bad city,” he said. “I’m running because I think Hollywood is an incredible city with enormous potential. I’m very much invested in how Hollywood looks, not only in four years from now, but in 10, 20 years from now. I believe that we can grow as a city. Let’s fix our flooding. Let’s fix our infrastructure. Let’s fix the things that touch our residents the most.”
In appealing to voters, Recio touts his experience and his ability to build consensus among warring factions.
“I was born in this city,” he said. “My father’s a retired police officer from the city. I was educated in the city. I own a business in the city. I have the experience. But I believe I also have the heart. And I have the wide support from people from every party, from every side of every issue to ensure that I play a balanced voice. That’s what I offer voters.”
Editor’s Note: This is the second of three news articles about the contests in Hollywood for the Nov. 3 election.
Outgoing Commissioner Caryl Shuham, first elected to the District 1 seat in 2018, was elected to the County Commission in August.
Catherine “Cat” Uden, Brian Paruas and Itzhack Feldman are running in the high-profile race for District 1.
District 5 Commissioner Kevin Biederman, who represents the western neighborhoods, was elected 14 years ago and cannot run due to term limits.
Erin Marcelline Marvasti and Adam Roberti are vying for the District 5 seat.
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan