The Broward County Board of County Commissioners has chosen Commissioner Ken Keechl to serve as the mayor of Broward County and Commissioner Sue Gunzburger to serve as vice mayor.

Mayor Keechl was first elected to the Commission in 2006 to represent District 4, served as vice mayor in 2008 and is the first openly gay man to serve as Broward County Mayor.

"Whether you know it or not, your vote to make me Broward's Mayor was historic in America - but that's a discussion for another day, in another venue," said Mayor Keechl. "This upcoming year's budget will be our most difficult and challenging yet. In the past three fiscal years we have cut spending by $385 million. We must continue to separate our wants from our needs and starting tomorrow, I will begin overseeing the 2011 budget process."

Mayor Keechl noted that in the upcoming year the Commission must continue to work diligently toward the southern runway extension at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport while continuing to minimize the impact on surrounding communities. He also supported the continued expansion of Port Everglades in order to "keep ahead of our competitors." The new mayor added that the Commission must determine how to fund a new Broward County Courthouse. "We were elected to make the hard decisions," Mayor Keechl said. "Let's make them."

Vice Mayor Sue Gunzburger promised her support for Mayor Keechl and said that she would continue with her "mission" to "make the world a better place" as she continues her longtime public service in Broward County. Sue Gunzburger was first elected to the Broward County Commission to represent District 6 in November 1992 and in 1998, 2002 and 2006 she was re-elected without opposition.

In the 2009 State of the County Address, outgoing Mayor Stacy Ritter noted the County's accomplishments in not raising property taxes while closing a $100-million gap to balance the 2010 budget. "The County budget reflects the Commission's conscience. Our commitment to reduce property taxes became our practice and the average homeowner in Broward County will see a reduction of $264 in property taxes." Ritter also noted that the Commission originally expected to lay-off 250 employees, but was able to move "all but a handful" of workers into full- or part-time jobs.

During her 2009 term as mayor, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport got the go ahead from the Federal Aviation Administration to expand the southern runway. Port Everglades expanded to open a new terminal and welcome in the world's largest cruise ship - Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas. The Broward County Courthouse Task Force she created developed a plan to build a scaled down courthouse. "It is my hope that the embarrassment of a leaking, failing courthouse will soon be over."

Broward County also benefited from President Barack Obama's American Recovery and Re-investment Act in 2009. "Stimulus dollars totaling $51 million have been received. Transportation, airport improvements, community development and services, homelessness prevention and the cultural arts have benefited-and we're applying for more," said Ritter.

She also noted the great progress that Broward County has made toward her mayoral directive to "go green."

"Broward County hosted a precedent-setting Climate Change Leadership Summit. Commissioners from Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach Counties agreed to champion a coordinated approach to global climate change," said Ritter. "We also far exceeded our goals in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions." Commissioner Ritter was elected in 2006 to represent Broward residents living in District 3. The following year, she was selected by the Board to serve as vice mayor and in 2008 she was chosen to serve as mayor.

The Broward County Charter stipulates that Commissioners, elected from single member districts, vote annually in November for the leadership positions.

For more information on the Broward County Board of County Commissioners, visit www.broward.org/countygov.