Hollywood Commission appoints Demaris Henlin as city attorney in 4—3 vote after contentious final round

The Hollywood City Commission voted on June 18, 2025 to authorize negotiation of an employment agreement with acting City Attorney Demaris Henlin, after public interviews earlier in the day narrowed four finalists to two: Alexander Boxner and Henlin.

Why it matters: The city attorney serves as the Commission’s chief legal advisor and oversees municipal legal services. The selection drew sharply different views at the dais over whether to retain an acting city attorney with deep local and county experience (Henlin) or to hire an outside candidate with longer municipal practice across other jurisdictions (Boxner). Commissioners highlighted staff morale, local relationships, and whether a senior outside hire would provide additional institutional advantage.

What the Commission heard

- Support for Henlin: Commissioners Schuham and Vice Mayor Quintana, among others, praised Henlin’s recent service as acting city attorney, her knowledge of Broward County practice, and the morale and responsiveness reportedly restored in the office during her tenure. Multiple staff and members of the public spoke in favor of Henlin at the meeting. - Support for an outside hire: Other commissioners — including Mayor Josh Levy and Commissioner Gruber — said they wanted a more seasoned, broadly experienced municipal attorney to lead the office and to mentor deputies; they argued an outside hire could bring additional institutional experience and a different perspective to complex legal matters. - Candidates present: Angel Rosenberg attended and signaled willingness to serve in a deputy role, Alexander Boxner participated by Webex and confirmed he would not take a deputy role after serving as city attorney; Boxner said he would rely on existing staff expertise where helpful.

Formal action and vote

- Motion: Commissioner Shuham moved to appoint Demaris Henlin as the next city attorney; Vice Mayor Quintana seconded the motion. - Vote outcome: Motion carried 4—3. The mayor announced the three commissioners who opposed the motion by name: Mayor Josh Levy, Commissioner Lehi, and Commissioner Gruber; the commission did not record a roll-call aye/no for each of the four yes votes on the public record during the roll call, so the transcript records the tally and the named opponents.

Implementation and next steps

The Commission authorized the city manager’s office to negotiate an employment agreement with Henlin and directed staff to proceed. The mayor indicated the city attorney’s office will later advertise for a deputy city attorney and Henlin, assuming a contract is reached, will have hiring authority for that post. The commission also discussed but did not adopt a binding succession guarantee in the employment agreement; several commissioners urged that any incoming city attorney be expected to build and mentor internal staff as part of the office’s priorities.

Ending

The decision follows a public selection process with four finalists interviewed in a public workshop earlier the same day. The vote was the most contested item of the meeting, and commissioners who supported and opposed the decision emphasized different priorities — local experience and morale versus broader, decades-long municipal experience.