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OPINION EDITORIAL
Key Endorsements Indicate Sun-Sentinel Missed the Mark on Hollywood Mayoral Endorsement
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Mayor Josh Levy and the Hollywood City Commission enter into Interlocal Agreement with Broward County and CRA, bringing millions of dollars into the city for affordable and workforce housing programs, work skills development and infrastructure.
Mayor Levy on the Issues
Mayor Levy has led the city to create programs that ensure Hollywood continues to be a community of choice, through reinvestment in our distinctive, established neighborhoods. Mayor Levy led the creation of Hollywood’s Neighborhood Pride Program, in a historic $100M, 18-year agreement that he reached with Broward County in 2018, which redirected excess beach CRA dollars to create programs that help the residents with housing rehabilitation, work skills training, first time homebuyer, infrastructure improvements and gap financing for the creation of affordable and workforce housing. Cheryl Fried, Boulevard Heights Resident- “The citywide funding allocated has been truly remarkable. We’ve greatly benefited from the program, especially since we've never been eligible for any government assistance to improve our home before. Thank you, Josh Levy and the City Commission” Mayor Levy has worked to reduce neighborhood speeding through approval of new and expanded traffic-calming measures throughout Hollywood and implemented upgrades to street lighting with brighter and more energy-efficient LED fixtures.
During Mayor Levy’s tenure, the city has done more than ever to protect our environment and our water infrastructure. We now have a first-ever Comprehensive Stormwater Master Plan to address flooding as the city experiences more rainfall amidst changing climate conditions. With major investments in new deep-injection wells, we are ending the disposal of treated wastewater into our ocean. We are protecting the city from sea-level rise, with improvements to our shorelines and preventing tidal water backflow from our stormwater system. More electrical lines are being moved underground for better storm protection and better aesthetic appearance. Mayor Levy has championed the planting of hundreds of new trees across the city to beautify the city and help clean our air. We are investing in coral reef initiatives, to create new ocean habitat and new recreational attractions close to our shore.
Public safety is a top priority for Mayor Levy With the stronger city budget that Mayor Levy helped to hire more police officers to protect our residents. Our officers now have new technology and equipment to bolster crime prevention, detection and investigation. Our schools are safer with increased funding for School Resource Officers. Our paramedics and firefighters are now even better equipped with the most advanced life-saving equipment when they respond to our medical emergencies.
Alex Recio, Hollywood Hills Resident Opinion Editorial Mayor Levy is the most experienced and qualified candidate for mayor in Hollywood’s upcoming election. His significant improvements in Hollywood have earned him several strong and qualified endorsements.
Mayor Levy has a clear understanding of Hollywood’s
demographics, challenges, and unique needs of our community. His approach demonstrates that he genuinely has the interests of all residents in mind, regardless of their background or income level.
He has consistently shown his ability to bring resources to our city, and his commitment to public safety initiatives, infrastructure improvements, process streamlining, flood mitigation, improved transportation, homeless efforts, neighborhood and city revitalization, sustainability and resiliency actions, balanced the budget, and his track record of negotiating redevelopment projects that improve the quality of life for residents is a testament to his leadership.Mayor Levy is running for re-election to ensure that Hollywood continues to move forward as a financially healthier city, with governance that continues to lead us toward a future that is physically safer, environmentally greener and more resilient, operationally better, economically stronger, visually more attractive, and historically prouder too.
He implemented a text-alert system to better connect you with hazardous weather and other important alerts for public safety. Beach safety is better with full-time lifeguard positions and more police presence. Homelessness is being addressed in more ways than ever in our city, through new and expanded partnerships with the Broward Outreach Center, social service agencies, rapid rehousing, family reunification, and a new Community Court program.
Mayor Levy has led Hollywood’s city government through a remarkable financial turnaround
Mayor Josh Levy's Leadership Earns Strong and Qualified Endorsements
Mayor Levy has led Hollywood’s city government through a remarkable financial turnaround The city achieved its first structurally balanced budget in over a decade last year, and this year, our Adopted Operating Budget for 2024, is at a record 779 million dollars and is again structurally balanced. Citywide property values are now at a record $23.2 billion dollars, up a very strong 11% over last year, and up 75% since Mayor Levy was first elected, in 2016. By controlling expenses and developing reliable and steady increases in revenues through smart-growth policies, the City is finally now able to generate enough revenues to sufficiently cover ongoing expenses without the use of one-time funds or touching our reserves. This growth has led Hollywood to upgraded bond ratings, which, like a good credit score for a person, lowers our cost of financing and saves Hollywood taxpayers millions of dollars a year. This year’s growth has also allowed us to see a reduction in the total property tax millage rate, all while also implementing the city’s largest ever investments to restore our public spaces, parks, public safety facilities, neighborhood improvements and historic environmental resiliency projects. Mayor Levy showcases the new Building Permit software expediting the process.
Mayor Levy worked to make the City’s citizen’s services operationally better
Mayor Levy is leading a large overhaul of our building permit process. By directing the implementation of a completely new software system, hiring additional staff and constructing a new one-stop permitting center for our Building Division, Engineering, Planning, Transportation, Mobility and Community Development departments, our residents and businesses will soon have much more streamlined and efficient building permit services to help you process your home and business improvements. Mayor Levy has led an effort to expand more city communications to residents and small businesses of vital city services, programs and projects – and are to be made available in Spanish language, to better engage with our region and city’s growing Hispanic population, earning him the Hispanic Vote endorsement.
