Name: Nicholas Coppola

Age: 58

Website: NickForDelray.com

What distinguishes you most from your opponent(s)?
I am the only Seat 3 candidate who has never been rejected by Delray Beach voters in the past. One of my opponents, Juli Casale, was voted out of office just last year. I have been asked many times to run for office, and after discussing it with close friends and family, I decided it was time to bring a fresh perspective to the City Commission.

I have years of leadership experience from my work as chair of the Delray Beach Code Enforcement Board, chair of the Compass Community Center, and vice president of my neighborhood civic association. I understand how to solve issues by working alongside residents and city staff taking a collaborative approach to decision-making. To me, being a great leader is about working well with others and empowering those on your team to be the best they can be. I am an open-minded and transparent leader who will listen to all sides before making a decision; I will not allow politics or personal feelings affect my judgement.

I am also the only candidate running for Seat 3 that is endorsed by our local mayors, our police and fire fighters, local human rights advocacy groups, and residents from across Delray Beach.

List in reverse chronological order, starting with most recent, colleges and universities attended with years of attendance and degrees held.
I am a certified journeyman electrician who holds an associate’s degree in labor studies and a bachelor’s in human services from SUNY Empire State and a certificate in building construction management from NYU.

List in reverse chronological order your work history for the past 15 years.
⦁ 1985-1992 Electrician
⦁ 1992-1997 Electrical Contractor
⦁ 1997-2009 Electrician

After my apprenticeship, my career was a journeyman electrician, a general foreman, superintendent and project manager.

Have you ever been a party to a lawsuit, including bankruptcy or foreclosure? If so, provide details and disposition.
Twenty-five years ago, a business partnership I was involved in ended poorly and my partner failed to repay monies owed to me. As a result of those debts going unpaid, I struggled financially and ultimately had no choice but to take legal action as well as being forced into bankruptcy. I am grateful that my case was successful, and the trustees were satisfied taking no action. Since then, those debts have been settled and my financial situation has rebounded.

Have you ever been charged or convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, including an adjudication of guilt withheld? If so, provide charges, dates and terms of sentence.
No.

Do you support creation of a historic district to protect East Atlantic Avenue, and why or why not?
I believe we need to manage development on East Atlantic Avenue carefully and I support efforts to protect the historic character of various buildings in that area. I think the current plan is a good start but needs to go further in providing guidelines for property owners and details about what constitutes a historic building.

Pension benefits for city public safety workers have increased and public safety costs are roughly half the city budget. Is this appropriate, and would you support additional increases?
Keeping our community safe is the most important thing a city government can do for its residents, so it’s not uncommon for public safety costs to make up a good portion of municipality budgets. As costs have risen across the board, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain fully staffed fire and police departments, which makes it harder to address our city’s growing safety needs. As other cities offer more enticing employment packages year after year, we must stay competitive in order to keep personnel in our city. We must continue to invest in the equipment and training our first responders rely on to do the best job they can.

Do you think the city’s building height limits are too low, too high or just right, and would you pledge to oppose any easing of height restrictions in the future?
Different areas of our city have different height limitations, and I think that approach is working well in Delray Beach. We must continue to limit height on new developments to ensure they fit the character and density of their surroundings. I will lean on resident input and oppose any easing of current height restrictions.