LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. — The current mayor and vice mayor of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea are set to go head-to-head in a battle to run the town.

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Mayor Edmund Malkoon told Local 10 News why he thinks voters should keep him in his current role, emphasizing his stewardship of town funds.

“I believe the last two years have shown a steady progress in our government. We’ve remained fiscally responsible. We’ve increased our investments for the town,” said Malkoon. “We are making sure that we are scrutinizing every expenditure, making sure that every dollar is spent wisely. We can ensure that we are moving forward with infrastructure and resiliency. Those are the items that really matter and keeping our town unique.”

Running against him is LBTS Vice Mayor Randy Strauss.

“First of all, we’re going to keep what works, fix what doesn’t,” he said. “We’re going to remain local, and that’s the key to the reason I am running.”

Strauss stressed the importance of keeping the notably charming beach town out of the national spotlight.

“We are going to take us back into direction or course that we were going in just a couple of years ago and maintaining our local identity, keeping our town and our town culture is priority to the reason I’m running,” he said.

Both candidates agree the preservation of the elements that make Lauderdale-by-the-Sea so special is a top priority.

“I know that generations have fought to protect what makes this community unique, and that is being a low-rise human scale town on the ocean, something old Florida, if you will,” said Malkoon. “I want to continue to preserve that.”

Said Strauss: “Our height limits are sacrosanct to our town and our people that live here. It allows us to have this small-town feel, our small-town culture. It enables us to have the walkability around town and still feel the sun in your face and the wind in your hair while you’re walking.”

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