Matzner ready to start his job as new mayor

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Community activist Gary Matzner helped lead the battle for Pinecrest’s incorporation eight years ago, and now he’s back — but this time as the mayor.

“I was just waiting for Evelyn’s term to be up,” said Matzner, referring to Pinecrest Mayor Evelyn Greer.

Greer has held the seat since the village’s inception in 1996 and was forced to retire this year after serving the allowed two terms.

After getting word that Greer’s time was up, Matzner decided to step up and apply for the spot. He won the mayor’s seat without a race because no one filed to run against him.

Councilman Barry Blaxberg and Leslie Bowe’s seats were also up this year because of term limits. Filling in for Blaxberg is community leader Gail Serota who also won unopposed.

But the winner of Bowe’s seat will be determined by voters who’ll have to choose between Nancy Harter and Dwight Hill on Nov. 2.

As for Matzner, he moved to Miami in 1972 from his hometown of Connecticut where he went to school. He met his wife, Veronica, here, and the duo later moved to Pinecrest — before it was “the village of” — where they raised their four kids.

Matzner said his background as a healthcare attorney and his stint at the head of his own firm will prove to be useful experience now that he’s in charge of running a village. Matzner also serves on the board of directors for Big Brother Big Sisters.

“I’ve known Gary for probably 10 years or more, and he’s a very dedicated person, especially to the public interest,” said Bruce Toland, an attorney who worked on the incorporation committee with Matzner. “He’ll make an excellent mayor.”

Matzner said he didn’t apply for the seat sooner because he wanted his friend Greer to finish what she started. Plus, he was busy raising his teenage kids — but two of the four have now gone away for college.

But while Greer took the lead, Matzner supported her by working on some of the village projects.

He organized a group called Preserve the Jungle to raise money to buy the former Parrot Jungle, now called Pinecrest Gardens.

“My main focus is to see through and complete Pinecrest Gardens,” Matzner said, referring to the village’s long-term project to build a library and community center, pave pathways and add soccer fields to the park, among other things.

He also hopes to get rid of some of the controversy surrounding the park’s entrance fee by doing away with it.

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Some village residents say they shouldn’t pay to go to a park they already paid for once through a bond issue.

But perhaps what most recall about Matzner is his hard work in getting the voters to agree to the village’s incorporation.

“I remember missing a day of school on election day and riding around in our SUV holding up signs ‘Vote for Pinecrest’,” said his 19-year-old son Ryan Matzner, who goes to Florida State University. “It’s really gratifying to know he’s going to be mayor of the city he worked so hard to build.”

Matzner doesn’t feel there are any pressing issues in Pinecrest, and he just hopes to keep building on the legacy the founding council left behind and maybe help neighboring cities do the same. He’s proud of the city’s financial state and success.

Outgoing Mayor Greer, now a candidate for the Miami-Dade School Board, had this advice for Matzner: “I told him that when people get angry or frustrated and vent their feelings at you, just remember my motto ‘Don’t take it personally’ because they’re really expressing their frustration at the situation not at the person.”