Leif Ahnell has been Boca’s city manager for 15 years. In addition, Ahnell is director of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, which oversees downtown Boca. No other manager in the county has such a dual role, and Ahnell has it in the county’s second-largest city. Delray Beach has a separate CRA director, as do Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach.
Ahnell has no vote on the council. But neither does Mayor Jeri Muoio in West Palm Beach, the county’s only city with a strong-mayor system. Like Muoio, though, Ahnell hires all staff members and shapes the agenda for city council meetings and CRA meetings, when the council serves as the CRA board. Like a strong mayor, Ahnell controls the staff reports and recommendations that shape council votes. Read more here: http://bocamag.com/blog/2014/11/20/the-seat-of-power-in-boca/
