Tamarac city commissioners needs to start serving the people rather than themselves.
We have roughly 72,000 residents living within a 12-square-mile area. With an average household income of just $49,000 and nearly half of residents aged 45 and older, Tamarac is a community where stability, financial responsibility and compassion for seniors are essential. Almost 20,000 residents are seniors, and more than 14% of them live in poverty, many on fixed incomes. These are the people who depend on the City Commission to act responsibly, ethically and with their best interests at heart.
Yet over the past few years, that trust has been compromised.
Unlike some other cities that elect commissioners citywide, each Tamarac commissioner represents just one-fifth of the city, yet they are compensated at a level unmatched by comparable cities.
Commissioners currently earn nearly $65,000 for what is considered a part-time role, and recent cost-of-living adjustments have dramatically increased that amount. An 8% increase in 2025, followed by 7% in January 2026, and an additional 6% set for January 2027 brings their base pay to over $78,000. With perks included, that total rises to more than $100,000 annually! Again, for a part-time position.
To put this in perspective, Coral Springs, twice the size of Tamarac, pays its commissioners $25,000, and Margate pays $45,000, with both cities’ commissioners representing their entire population.
This pattern of spending raises important questions. Last year, Tamarac had $35 million in reserve funds. Today, that number sits just above $7 million. City commissioners also maintain $25,000 each in discretionary funds. Why does Tamarac need full-time aides and part-time liaisons when no comparable city has such staffing? Why are millions of Tamarac residents’ tax dollars allocated to projects and events with little measurable benefit?
Recent examples include:
- $5 million earmarked for a track field that could have been provided through a partnership with a local school.
- Nearly $500,000 spent on city events in under a year.
- Approximately $200,000 spent on a single concert.
- A business expo costing $10,000 that attracted only 40 attendees.
But perhaps the most troubling decision came at a commission meeting on Nov. 12.
Since 1997, Tamarac has allocated $72,000 annually to the Aging and Disability Program, a lifeline for seniors, particularly those living in poverty. At the meeting, one commissioner proposed shifting funds to the Dare to Care Program, another organization helping residents in need. While supporting residents in crisis is unquestionably important, the commission voted 4-1 to strip all funding from the Aging and Disability Program, an organization that had relied on this funding for nearly three decades, and immediately give $36,000 to Dare to Care. The remaining $36,000 will only be reconsidered after a future presentation.
With so many seniors depending on this longstanding program, this abrupt reversal is not only irresponsible, it’s harmful. Reallocating critical funds for vulnerable seniors is not leadership. It is a failure of leadership.
What happened next is even more concerning: Immediately after cutting funding to the Aging and Disability Program, commissioners voted to award themselves an additional $5,000 perk, bringing their total discretionary funds to $25,000. That money that could have supported Dare to Care without harming seniors. Instead, it went directly back into commissioners’ own accounts.
How does this decision help the residents most in need? How does this reflect fiscal responsibility or ethical leadership?
The truth is simple: it doesn’t.
Tamarac residents deserve leaders who understand that public service is a commitment, not a benefit package. Leaders who protect taxpayer dollars rather than drain reserves. Leaders who support seniors rather than cut long-standing lifelines. Leaders who act with integrity, civility, collaboration and fiscal responsibility.
The next election will determine the future of our city. Voters must pay close attention. Leadership matters, and the choices made today will impact every Tamarac resident tomorrow.
It’s time for accountability. It’s time to restore trust. Tamarac deserves better.
Carol Mendelson is a candidate for Tamarac City Commission in the Nov. 3, 2026, election.