Name: Ryan Boylston

Seat you are running for: Delray Beach City Commission, Seat 3

Education and highest degree attained: B.S., Business Administration, University of Central Florida

Occupation: CEO of 2TON, A Creative Agency

Outline your work history for the past 15 years. (Please do not attach a resume.)

CEO of 2TON, A Creative Agency (2011 to Present); AutoNation (2009-2011); JM Family Enterprises (2005-2009)

Have you ever been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime? Have you ever received a “withheld adjudication” or had a matter sealed or expunged? (We have had a number of candidates answer yes and still get our endorsement.) No

Have you ever been a plaintiff or a defendant in a civil action, including bankruptcy or foreclosure, or had a restraining order issued against you? If so, please explain. No

Are you a member of any civic groups? City Commissioner, Delray Beach (2018 to Present); Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (2020 to Present); Host of Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce’s weekly 30 minute video series (2016-Present); Founder/Organizer of annual AdoptionU (a free half-day adoption workshop), (2017-Present); Instructor, Jim Moran Institute for Entrepreneurship Palm Beach & Broward (2016-Present); Watson Institute Mentor, Lynn University (2019-2020)

Have you ever run for office before? If so, where and when? I ran successfully in 2018 for Delray Beach City Commission Seat 3

Why are you running for this office? To continue to serve my city in a role that I organically grew into after over a decade of serving on boards in our city. I am an NPA (no party affiliation voter), and my service in this position is not driven by a goal of serving in higher political arenas.

If you have chosen to run against an incumbent, why specifically have you done so? N/A

Please describe your city and/or your district as you would to someone who has never visited. Delray Beach is a unique city that has everything you could want in a city: beaches, parks, vibrant downtown, unique neighborhoods, great weather and a long history. Our city is the perfect place to live, work and raise a family.

In your view, what are the top three issues facing your city or district?

1. Response to COVID-19 and the impact it has had on our residents, businesses and non-profits. Continue to be aggressive with programs and policies that will help residents and businesses in the pandemic and in the aftermath of the pandemic.

2. Recruiting and retaining top talent for our city administration. Our city has witnessed administrative turnover at unprecedented levels. That is in part due to the culture of fear and intimidation that permeates from certain city elected officials. I am working to instill a level of trust and understanding with city staff so we can work together to address the needs of our city. I am the only commissioner that has met, worked with and shadowed our city department heads to better understand the challenges they deal with on a daily basis and how they perform their jobs. This has given me a greater understanding of how our city works and how we can better serve our constituents.

3. Infrastructure needs, neighborhood projects, workforce housing and traffic improvements. We need a balanced growth of market, workforce and affordable housing that meets the standards and character of our city. I want to continue to leverage the private sector, city incentives and CRA funds to provide a diverse increase in housing stock in Delray Beach, including “to own” affordable housing. We also need to focus on our infrastructure, traffic and neighborhood improvements. We need to complete our capital improvement projects, focus on traffic and transit improvements, and continue to make improvement to our utilities, including water supply system.

How would you assess the performance of the city commission? What grade would you give the commission for how it works?

Overall, I would give the commission a B. I am very impressed with how we have handled adversity, but disappointed with my colleagues’ failure to be a model for civility and collaboration. We need a commission that is collegial and works together. The constant politicking on social media, negative and personal attacks, sets a bad precedent and creates a culture of fear with city staff. We can disagree without being personal. Unfortunately, not all of my colleagues on the dais act in this manner and continue to vilify and attack those they disagree with.

I worked to lead through example by treating city staff with respect, by being responsive to resident needs, and working to instill trust, honesty and integrity in every decision I make. My citywide endorsements and support speak to these actions.

Is there anything you want us to know about your opponent(s)?

I ran against my opponent, Mitch Katz, 3 years ago and won this seat because the people of Delray Beach were fed up with his brand of politics. His divisiveness, lies and nastiness put so many people off and our residents do not want a return to his antics.

Is there anything that we didn’t ask about that you would like to bring up?

I am a proud resident of Delray Beach who wants to serve my community and create a sustainable environment to pass this great city on to our future generation to enjoy just as we did.

Is there anything about you that we didn’t ask about that would embarrass you if an opponent found out? No.

Why should voters vote for you?

In these challenging times, leadership matters. That’s why I am running for re-election – to keep leading Delray Beach forward with a clear vision, and not setting us back with political division. I’m bringing people together to get things done in Delray and won’t let anything stop our progress when it comes to prioritizing public health and safety, stopping overdevelopment, standing up for our neighborhoods and schools, and bringing dignity back to City Hall. I keep my promises, and as City Commissioner I don’t play politics. Every day I go to work for the citizens of Delray Beach to deliver real results – and I’m just getting started.

How much money have you raised so far? Please include today’s date. $51,049 (1/28/2021)

Have you received endorsements? Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association; Delray Beach Firefighters Local 1842; Services Employees International Union (SEIU); Palm Beach County Human Rights Council; Voters Alliance; Former Delray Beach Mayors Jay Alperi, Rita Ellis, Cary Glickstein, Tom Lynch, Woodie McDuffie, Jeff Perlman and David Schmidt; State Rep. Mike Caruso; Palm Beach County Commissioners Mack Bernard and Robert Weinroth; Palm Beach County School Board Members Erica Whitfield and Dr. Debra Robinson