Mark Schuckman {BSO}
A contentious political feud in Wynmoor between Coconut Creek City Commission candidates escalated into a physical confrontation Tuesday, leading to the arrest of a Coconut Creek resident.
Mark Schuckman, 72, of Coconut Creek, and a vocal supporter of Vice Mayor Jackie Railey, was charged with robbery by sudden snatching, a third-degree felony, after allegedly lunging at District B candidate Philippa Sklaar, seizing her phone, and attempting to flee.
Coconut Creek police records indicate that Schuckman’s arrest followed a heated incident at a community forum held at the Wynmoor ballroom this past Tuesday. Sklaar recounted the confrontation to Coconut Creek Talk, describing how Schuckman approached her aggressively after the event concluded.
“After the forum ended, I walked back to the table where some of my supporters were, and Mark Schuckman began to shout, demanding I talk to him,” Sklaar said. “He has been screaming obscenities at me for well over a year, calling me a ‘liar, fraud, scam artist.’ I ignored him and walked on, but he came up behind me, still shouting.”
According to Sklaar, Schuckman grabbed her phone forcefully, causing pain in her thumb. “He lunged toward me with a maniacal, deranged expression and squeezed my thumb so hard that it ached for hours afterward,” she said. “My boyfriend, Joe, ran toward him, and Mark began to run toward the entrance. Luckily, officers stationed nearby intervened and retrieved the phone.”
Reflecting on the confrontation, Sklaar drew parallels between the local incident and broader national issues of political division.
“What we are experiencing with Commissioner Railey in Wynmoor is a mirror image of what we see nationally,” Sklaar stated. “Vicious intolerance and uncontrolled rage. It sounds trite, but if only everyone had the same paradigm shift I’ve had living in Coconut Creek. Just because we disagree with each other’s political points of view, it doesn’t affect what we think of each other. We can still have respect and great friendships.”
In speaking with Coconut Creek Talk, Sklaar emphasized the importance of embracing shared humanity despite differing political beliefs. “We have so much more in common if we accept that political beliefs do not have to be the criteria for a friendship. When I left LA, no one would have believed that I would ever say I adore my Republican friends,” she said. “I did not even know a Republican in LA. That’s the problem. When I got to know them and saw them as people, not as some freak of nature, I fell in love with them.”
That being said, Sklaar expressed disappointment in Railey’s conduct. “What greatly disturbs me is how a Democrat like Commissioner Railey conducts herself. She does not deserve to hold public office,” she added.
At the January 9 commission meeting, Railey called for a third-party investigation into Sklaar’s accusations concerning her work as a commissioner.
“I would like to take this opportunity to address the delusional allegations made by my opponent at the last Coconut Creek commission meeting pertaining to my role as commissioner. These allegations are completely absurd,” Railey said.
Sklaar offered practical ideas for fostering healthier political discourse. “Having meals together — there is nothing like food to mend fences, resolve differences, fall in love, and see each other from a clearer perspective,” Sklaar suggested. “That’s the chef in me talking after witnessing the power of food. Forget about food as the way to a man’s heart. Food is the way to every heart, Democrats and Republicans included. Mending America with meals — it’s certainly worth a try.”
She concluded with a reflection inspired by her childhood art education teacher: “I had an art teacher who taught us to draw trees by focusing on the negative spaces. Instead of looking at the obvious, the leaves and branches, look beyond that,” she said. “The same applies to people’s political beliefs. Instead of focusing on the obvious, focus on what else is there. That’s where the magic happens.”
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