Meeting With Juno Beach Mayor Jason Haselkorn

JUPITER, FL – August 29, 2017 – Mayor Jason Haselkorn arrived in Juno Beach 15 years ago with his growing family—he had a one-and-a-half-year-old and a baby on the way—with the intent of finding a community to raise his children. A few years later, that community would encompass not only his family life, but also his career. With a background in law (he is a partner at Ciklin, Lubitz & O’Connell), Haselkorn was first appointed mayor in March of 2016, after being on the council since March of 2014, and recently reelected for another year-long term. Today, Haselkorn takes a friendly approach to his mayorship, creating a “Mayor Hour” and promoting that same sense of community that drew him to Juno Beach all those years ago. 

InJupiter: You’ve been the Mayor for two years now, what made you decide to run?

Haselkorn: It started off because I had an issue with a detox center in a residential area of town three years ago. It bothered me enough that I wanted to get more involved and it coincided with an open council seat. I had my concerns and issues and I thought I could do a good job. The election went favorably for me and that was great; I was thrown right into it. 

InJupiter: How did you get to Juno Beach?

Haselkorn: It was in 2002; I had a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter at the time and another child on the way, and I was looking for a place in South Florida that didn’t have the transient feel to it, a place you could get that sense of community. I found Juno Beach and knew it was the town I wanted to live in. On the following spring, I got invited to an ice cream social, which I thought was funny because, who does that anymore? But I went down to see if anyone would be there and the whole town was there. It was great to have that kind of atmosphere.

InJupiter: What is your role as Mayor of Juno Beach?

Haselkorn: In Juno Beach, we have a weak mayor system, so the Mayor doesn’t run separately from the council seat—

a distinction from Jupiter or someplace else. So in a weak mayor system, my vote is no different than any other council member. I run meetings and function as an ambassador if someone is coming to town to visit and as a figurehead when someone wants to see the Mayor. There is a leadership element to it, but our day-to-day management is run by a full-time town manager, who is effectively our CEO. 

InJupiter: In terms of community outreach, what sort of programs are there in Juno Beach?

Haselkorn: For a town of just below 4,000 full-time voting residents (with part-time and seasonal, Juno Beach is up around 11,000), we have a lot. The Juno Beach Civic Association has made an effort to get out there with local business owners and has been proactive in generating business for them. For the residents, they’ve created a couple of different branches, and one of them is the beach cleanups. I think the residents really enjoy that because the beach is part of who we are. In addition, they bring in authors and speakers, sometimes nationally renowned; they really go above and beyond. There’s not a month that goes by where there isn’t an event or celebration going on. 

InJupiter: What has been one of the biggest changes you’ve made since becoming mayor?

Haselkorn: Last year, my first big change as Mayor [was my “Mayor Hour.”] Mort Levine, the former Mayor, would keep Mayor’s Hours before the council meetings where you could make an appointment to see him [in his office.] That was nice, but I’m spending way too much time behind a desk and wanted to cut out the formality. So I created a Mayor Hour (as opposed to a happy hour) the first Friday of every month from 4pm-5pm. Most of the department heads are there and able to answer any questions, have a drink, say hello to neighbors—and there’s no appointment or RSVP needed. 

InJupiter: How do you think Juno Beach keeps its sense of community? 

Haselkorn: I think this does get a bit more difficult as property values get higher and higher but that’s also what’s interesting because whether they’re living in a million-dollar home or regular-sized home, they are all still there at Octoberfest with you drinking beer out of a paper cup. Every one is down to earth here. Juno Beach tends to attract the type of person who enjoys having that sense of community.