Rabbi Noah Kitty of Congregation Etz Chaim is running for the Wilton Manors Commission.
Kitty has filed campaign documents with the city seeking a seat on the five-member commission. The mayor and two commission seats are up for re-election in November. Kitty joins Mayor Scott Newton and Vice Mayor Paul Rolli as declared candidates.
“I am not running to correct a wrong and I have no argument with current or former commissioners,” Kitty said. “I think they are doing a wonderful job. I love living in Wilton Manors and I feel it is my responsibility as a long-term resident to contribute to my beloved community.”
Kitty migrated to South Florida from Vermont in 2002 and became executive director and rabbi of Congregation Etz Chaim in 2009. Born in Miami in 1974, Congregation Etz Chaim is the spiritual home for the LGBT Jewish community and allies. It currently rents space from the Pride Center at Equality Park in Wilton Manors.
Kitty said she would be stepping down from her rabbi role in May to begin campaigning for commissioner. In addition to being the first challenger to formally announce, Kitty is the first woman to seek a seat on the all-male commission, a distinction not lost on the former president of the Dolphin Democrats.
“Is there a perspective we are not making?” she asked.
Kitty said with so much rapid change taking place in the world now is the time for city leaders to engage in meaningful action to determine what the city will look like for years to come. She is hoping her faithful followers agree.
“Let’s stick together,” she said. “That could be my campaign slogan.”
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