He’s on our Town Commission but not on this year’s ballot. His three picks, and why he’s voting NO on all 8. View in your browser

Let's Protect Our Paradise

Lauderdale-By-The-Sea

Vote NO on all 8 · November 3

A letter from John Graziano.

Hi neighbor,

John Graziano sits on our Town Commission today. His seat is not on this year’s ballot. In May, he voted no on putting all eight charter amendments on your ballot. He wrote this letter to his neighbors, and he asked us to share it with you.

✦ ✦ ✦

Dear Neighbors,

This year, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea will choose a new Mayor and two Commissioners. Under our Charter, every one of us votes for all three, even though Commissioners represent District 1, north of Sea Ranch, and District 2, south of Sea Ranch.

I am asking you to vote for Randy Strauss, Esq., for Mayor; Howard Goldberg for District 1, from Bel Air; and Patrick Ferguson, Esq., for District 2, from Tradewinds. Each supports the Charter that shaped our welcoming boutique community, and each has run his own independent campaign.

They are long-time residents, highly credentialed, with a record of making our quality of life better. They have pledged to protect our tradition of local independence, free from party politics and overreaching agencies. Each is registered with a national party, and each is running, as our Charter intends, as a nonpartisan. They are independent thinkers who will listen to residents, keep our town of about 6,000 on a sound budget, and support the businesses and events that make this one of the best places to live in South Florida, from the Farmers Market to Christmas by the Sea.

I also ask you to vote NO on all eight Town charter amendments. I voted against putting them on your ballot. Our Charter has served us well for years, with very few problems, and it does not need this many changes. I objected to cutting the time a candidate must live here to six months; the people who lead our town should know it well. And I do not believe we should hand ethics decisions to a state agency in Tallahassee.

“All ethics are local.”

Please vote for Randy, Howard and Patrick, and vote NO on all eight.

With respect,

John Graziano

Terra Mar · Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Resident

Commissioner Graziano wrote this letter personally, as a resident, and approved this version. It is not a statement of the Town.

Commissioner Graziano’s ballot

Town first, from top to bottom.

Mayor Randy Strauss	✓
Seat 1 · District 1 Howard Goldberg	✓
Seat 2 · District 2 Patrick Ferguson	✓
Town charter questions 1–8 All eight	NO

All eight went on your ballot by a 3–2 vote in May. Mayor Malkoon and Commissioner Poulopoulos voted yes. Commissioner Graziano and Randy Strauss voted no.

November 3

Hold them accountable. Hold our candidates accountable. You can only do that if you keep your rights.

on all 8 charter amendments

We are asking you to trust three neighbors with your vote. Do not trust anyone with your rights, including them. Vote NO on all eight and you keep the power to hold all of them to their word, including the three we recommend.

One reason for all eight. The people asking you to rewrite the charter are three of the five people it is meant to keep in check. Vote no on every one and it stays as residents wrote it. Anything worth changing can come back on its own.

November 3

Vote for these three. Town first.

Randy Strauss

For Mayor

Voted no on putting all eight amendments on the ballot.

Howard Goldberg

Seat 1 · District 1

Longtime Chamber of Commerce voice for the businesses on Commercial Boulevard. Committed to the charter as residents wrote it.

Patrick Ferguson

Seat 2 · District 2

Worked with neighbors on a citizen charter petition. Committed to the charter as residents wrote it.

Each has committed to vote in public, with their reasons on the record. If any of them breaks that promise, you should keep every right to act. All three races are decided by the whole town.

Election Day

Tuesday, November 3

Vote by mail, early, or on Election Day. Mail ballots and early voting times are at browardvotes.gov. Town races here are decided by a few hundred votes.

See all our emails

Forward this to the neighbor who says “but they promised.” Ask them what the promise is worth once the rights are gone.

Your neighbors at Let’s Protect Our Paradise

Where this comes from: Commissioner Graziano’s letter, shared and edited with his permission; his statements in the May 12, 2026 Town Commission minutes; his photo from the Town’s website; and the May 26, 2026 Town Commission minutes and Ordinance 2026-04 roll call. All of it, with links, is at letsprotectourparadise.org.

Why you’re getting this: you signed up at letsprotectourparadise.org, a neighbor passed your email along, or your address is in Florida’s public voter-registration file. If it’s not for you, the unsubscribe link at the bottom works with one click. No hard feelings.

Questions, corrections, or you think we’ve got something wrong: hello@letsprotectourparadise.org. We answer.

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Paid political advertisement paid for by Kelly-Kate Pease, 5555 N. Ocean Blvd, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL 33308, independently of any candidate or committee. No candidate approved this advertisement.

Let's Protect Our Paradise is an independent group of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea residents. This email is not paid for, approved by, or coordinated with any candidate or candidate's campaign, and we are not affiliated with the Town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, or any political party.

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