Palm Beach Gardens City Council
Candidate Forum

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Join us for an evening of in-depth discussion of city issues with the candidates for the March 11th election in Groups 3 and 5. With the two of the three incumbents all facing challengers this year, it should be a lively discussion.

Moderated by Dennis Lipp, former Vice-Mayor of Loxahatchee Groves

Tuesday, February 25, 2014
6:00 PM
Gardens Branch, Palm Beach County Library *
11303 Campus Drive
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

The candidates are:

Eric Jablin Michael Peragine Marcie Tinsley Robin Deaton
Group 3Group 5

For information, call 561-972-8789

This event is jointly sponsored by:

Palm Beach County Tea Party
Palm Beach County Taxpayer Action Board
Palm Beach Gardens Residents Coalition
PBG Watch
Republican Club of the Northern Palm Beaches
South Florida 912

* This program is not sponsored/endorsed by the Palm Beach County Library

Candidate Biographies

Vice-Mayor Eric Jablin was born in 1942 in New York City, and attended Horace Mann Preparatory School and New York University. He began his business career in 1963 and has owned several businesses in New York and Florida. Eric and his wife have been residents of Palm Beach Gardens since 1987. From 1987 to 1992 Mr. Jablin served as co-chair of the North County Airport Citizens Committee and the ad hoc citizens committee to fight the expansion of Jog Road through PGA National, and is a founder of CAN! (Community Awareneness Network). Elected to Palm Beach Gardens City Council in 1992, he became Vice Mayor from 2000 to 2002 and was elected Mayor in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2008. He presently serves as the Council's representative member to the Palm Beach County MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) and to the City's Art in Public Places Board. He also serves on the board of Temple Judea and is active in the Give a Smile to a Child Foundation. At the end of his current term, Eric Jablin will have served 22 years in office. He was first elected to fill the unexpired term of Dick Aldred, defeating Thomas Vaughan with just 51% of the vote in 1992, winning a three year term in 1993 against Jim De Longa with 52%. For the next 12 years and four terms, he faced no opponent until challenged in 2005 by Rick Sartory. He won that race with 66% of the vote, beat Jeff Miller in 2006 with 63%, and defeated Kevin Easton in 2011 with 63%.
Michael Peragine was born in 1975 and lived in Syosset, New York. With a degree in Finance and Marketing from Long Island University, he is a venture capitalist and owner of a web hosting firm, and currently President of the Mirabella Homeowners Assocation. Opposed to the stadium location, he is responsible for the "movethestadium.com" website, and thinks the proposal has been mishandled by the city. Michael seeks term limits for council members, transparency in government, and an open bidding process.
Councilwoman Marcie Tinsley has been a resident of Palm Beach County for over 31 years and of Palm Beach Gardens since 2005. A property management professional with over 16 years experience in planning, landscape design and project management, she is currently a Vice President at Karl Corporation, a land management company, where she manages a thriving executives suites business, commercial properties, vacant land, and agricultural facilities. Active in the community through the Evergrene Property Owner Master Association Board and its landscape committee, she helped launch the ongoing Evergrene Community Earth Day Clean Up program. She also volunteers for the PBG High School Chorus, and The Young Singers of the Palm Beaches, where she participates in fundraisers, yearly programs and works as a Volunteer. A Council Member since 2010, she a current Member of the League of Cities, a Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council member, a Board Member of the Palm Beach County Metropolitan Planning Organization, an alternate board member of the North County Economic Development Advisory Board and the City Council liaison to the Park and Recreation Advisory Board. Following the resignation of Jody Barnett, a special municipal election was held coincident with the 2010 general election, in which she won 50% in a three way race against Gary Gomoll and Ken Menard. Running for a full three year term in 2011, she was unopposed.
Robin Deaton was born in 1968. With an MBA from the College of William and Mary, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley, she has been a Lead Project Manager and Team Lead with the South Florida Water Management District, responsible for large infrastructure engineering projects. A Bent Tree resident, Ms. Deaton has been organizing her neighbors in opposition to the proposed plan to locate the baseball stadium on land adjacent to her subdivision, collecting petitions and speaking against the project at council meetings. She remains unconditionally opposed to the proposed location for the stadium, and seeks more transparency on the council and effective oversight of city manager and staff.

Moderator Biography

Our moderator, Dennis Lipp brings the unique perspective of a former elected official in municipal government who has experience in planning and zoning, ethics in government and the political and legislative process on the city and county levels. Recently appointed to the Palm Beach County Planning Commission, Mr. Lipp also chairs the Planning and Zoning Board in Loxahatchee Groves. A former Vice Mayor and Councilman of that town, he was active in the drive for incorporation of Loxahatchee Groves in 2006. A long-time ethics activist, Dennis participated in the early work that led to the county-wide Ethics and Inspector General Ordinances, and most recently was appointed to the drafting committee that considered changes to the ordinance to expand the 5 member Palm Beach County Ethics Commission. A small business owner in the insurance field, Dennis has served as an assistant to district 6 County Commissioner Jess Santamaria.