Tom Powers during the 2012 swearing-in ceremony in Coral Springs. {Photo by Howard Lewis©}
By Bryan Boggiano
Tom Powers, former Coral Springs Commissioner, resigned as Chairman of the Broward Republican Executive Committee due to ongoing health issues.
Powers, 66, was diagnosed with cancer in early 2021. Despite this, he led the organization in the lead-up to the 2022 Midterm Elections and helped lay the foundation for the 2024 Presidential Election.
However, in an August 27 letter sent to the organization’s executive board members, Powers said he could no longer serve in his role.
“I have fought as hard as I can fight, but in recent months, my health has deteriorated quicker than I expected,” he wrote. “I would prefer to spend the moments I have left with my family.”
Powers wrote he spent the past year mentoring other leaders to foster a new generation of leadership. For the organization’s next chair, he endorsed Abby Stafford, the organization’s current treasurer.
“We have great people who can do this job and will do this job for the right reasons,” he said. “I just ask you to give them the opportunity to succeed by rallying behind them.”
Vice Chair Chris Marino will serve as interim chair of the Republican Party of Broward County.
Powers was elected to the Coral Springs City Commission in 2008. The commission appointed him twice as vice mayor. He served until 2014, when he was defeated in his bid for mayor.
Powers was also the Coral Springs-Parkland Republican Club vice president and a member of the Children’s Services Council of Broward County. Before his leadership in the Republican Party, Powers was an Arizona state police officer, serving as a narcotics agent along the U.S./Mexico border.
“It has been my honor to serve — for God, family, and country,” he wrote.
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