'The Carousel Lady' Rides Again

The smiles beaming from the faces of dozens of children about to take a free carousel ride couldn't match the one on Elaine Kleinman's face.

In their bliss, it's unlikely that any of those children realized they were about to take a spin with the woman most responsible for bringing the carousel to Sugar Sand Park.

“What I dreamed of really came true!” Kleinman said.

Appointed a District Commissioner in 1981 by then governor Bob Graham, Kleinman played a major role in the District's purchase (1988), development and opening (1995) of Sugar Sand Park.

Kleinman's push for a carousel began before the park opened. As part of her research she determined that the closest parks with carousels resided in the Miami area.

“I thought that putting a carousel in Sugar Sand Park would make our community stand out and have a facility for someone of all ages,” said Kleinman, now in her 80s.

Kleinman couldn't convince other District Commissioners to include the carousel in initial development plans. 

That barely slowed her down. Believing that a carousel would be a park feature that could simultaneously be enjoyed by everyone from infants to grandparents, Kleinman spent the better part of the two decades that followed pushing for a carousel. In 2005 her vision became reality when the carousel opened in time for the holiday season.

“She just wouldn't give that up and kudos to her,” said former Commissioner Dirk Smith, who served with Kleinman.

Kleinmen's quest earned her the nickname “The Carousel Lady.”  To this day the walls of the same house where she lived while so fervently pushing for the carousel are adorned with pictures and paintings of carousels. Miniature carousels rest on end tables. There's even a replica merry-go-round horse, complete with pole, in the center of her living room.  

As iconic as the Sugar Sand carousel is, Kleinman's contributions to the Boca Raton community extend to more than a merry-go-round.

During Kleinman's 30-year tenure as Commissioner, the District purchased, developed and opened Patch Reef and Sugar Sand parks, purchased the land that would become Ocean Strand Park, and purchased the Boca Raton Swim and Racquet Center.

Prior to becoming a Commissioner, Kleinman worked as a guidance counselor at Boca Raton middle and high schools. When Ed Tobin resigned in 1981, Governor Bob Graham appointed Kleinman to fill the Seat 4 vacancy, making her only the second woman to serve as a District Commissioner.

“I was always politically involved,” said Kleinman, who moved to Boca Raton from New Jersey. “I liked the idea of being politically involved locally.”

Kleinman said most assumed she would finish her term and return to private life. Instead, with the encouragement of fellow Commissioner Al Travasos, she elected to run her first campaign.

“I just saw somebody who cared about the park system and that's what I cared about,” Travasos said. “She is a very intelligent person and she believed in the park system.”

Kleinman defeated Stephen Mackey in 1982 to win her first full term as Commissioner. She would run for re-election six more times – always unopposed. Kleinman ultimately served three decades as a District Commissioner. The entire time she served as the lone woman on the five-person board.

“At that time there was not a distinction particularly between being a woman and a man,” Kleinman said. “The distinction was being effective. The distinction was being knowledgeable.”

Kleinman elected not to run for re-election in 2010, ending the longest tenure ever for a Commissioner. 

“I thought that 30 years as an elected official is a very long time and that you should leave and leave it open to others,” Kleinman said. “And I still believe that, on all levels of government, there's a limit to how long you can be effective.”

Fittingly, Susan Vogelsang replaced Kleinman as the Seat 4 Commissioner, keeping a female voice in District decision making. Vogelgesang remains a Commissioner today, and in 2016 current Chair Erin Wright joined Vogelgesang as a District Commissioner, the first time two women served simultaneously. 

Following her retirement in 2010, Kleinman remained active in the Boca Raton real estate market until the onset of the COVID pandemic. Kleinman and husband Hank still make frequent trips to see the Sugar Sand carousel – especially when her grandchildren are in town.

“I'm very proud to have been involved in the development of the park,” Kleinman said.