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Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Election: Who is on the ballot for Tuesday's Palm Beach County municipal elections
Palm Beach County residents living within the boundaries of some municipalities have important choices to make Tuesday, March 11. Voters in 12 local towns, cities and villages will be voting in the March 11 election. Some ballots will contain just one town council race, while others will see multiple races and ballot questions. Election Day polls are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. You must vote at the polling place that is assigned to your precinct. Polling places may change. Visit to confirm your polling place before you go vote. Run-offs will be Tuesday, March 25. Here's a look at who and what will be on the ballot: Four candidates are running for mayor in the county's third biggest municipality. The office is currently held by Ty Penserga, who has served three years and is term-limited. Golene Gordon, Court McQuire, David Merker and Rebecca Shelton are running for the vacant position. For District 3, incumbent Thomas Turkin faces challenger Dominick Vargas. For District 1, incumbent Angela Cruz is running unopposed and will retain the seat. BOYNTON ELECTION: City will have a new mayor as four candidates vie for vacant position There are no candidates running for office, but there is one amendment question on the ballot that asks if the Village Council should consist of three or five members. There are no candidates running for office, but there is one amendment question on the ballot that asks if the Town will be authorized to spend up to $3.5 million for two safety projects — rehabilitation of the old fire station and apparatus bays and construction of a public safety marine facility for docking and water rescue service. Voters will elect a mayor and two Town Council members. Incumbent mayor Jim Kuretski faces a challenge from council member Cameron May. Three candidates will compete in each of the two races for council seats. In District 1, Phyllis Choy, Terri Grooms and Andy Weston are running to replace council member Andy Fore, who did not seek reelection. In District 2, incumbent Malise Sundstrom faces challenges from Linda McDermott and Willie Puz. JUPITER ELECTION: Voters to chose mayor, two council members as town grapples with change Six people are competing for three-year terms on the Town Commission. Four are incumbents: Kimberly Glas-Castro, Michael Hensley, Mary Beth Taylor and Judith Thomas. The other two candidates are former Mayor Michael O'Rourke and commission member John Linden. District 2 incumbent commissioner Christopher McVoy is being challenged by Carla Blockson in a rematch of the 2021 race between the two. McVoy defeated Blockson, who had been appointed to the commission in December 2020, in a 2021 runoff. McVoy also defeated Blockson in November 2010 so it will mark the third time the two have squared off for the District 2 seat on the commission, which consists of five seats. McVoy represented District 2 from 2011-17 before losing the seat to Omari Hardy. In District 4, incumbent Reinaldo Diaz is being challenged by Greg Richter and Anthony Segrich. Only registered voters living in Districts 2 and 4 can vote in this election. How Lake Worth Beach candidates plan to tackle housing, utilities and more The Group 1 Town Council seat will be contested between incumbent Lynn 'Doc' Moorhouse, 81, and challenger Jesse Rivero, a 50-year-old firefighter. The seat comes with a three-year term and there are no term limits. Kem Mason, who holds the Group 2 spot on the council, was elected automatically when no one else filed to run for the position during the election qualifying period. Mason, 66, is a retired firefighter and is completing his first term. Paul T. Coleman II, Steven Hoffman and Brian Wiliam Zdunowski are competing for a seat on the Town Council. Clara "Tasha" Murvin and James H. Scott are competing for a term on the City Commission. Voters will elect two members of the City Council. In Group 2, incumbent Marcie Tinsley faces a challenge from Scott Gilow. In Group 4, John D. Kemp and Charles Millar are running to succeed Carl Woods, who is leaving office because of term limits. PALM BEACH GARDENS ELECTION: Mailers, websites call both candidates for council seat unfit There are two seats open on the Riviera Beach commission. In District 1, Bruce Guyton will run against Tradrick McCoy and in District 3, Shirley Lanier will run against Cedrick Thomas. The upcoming election has been filled with controversy after five candidates were disqualified from races after they used debit cards instead of checks to pay their qualifying fees. Mayoral candidates Kendra Wester and Kendrick Wyly, along with city council candidates Madelene Irving-Mills (District 5 candidate), Joseph Bedford, Sr. (District 1 candidate) and Douglas Lawson (District 5 incumbent), were disqualified from the municipal races. RIVIERA BEACH ELECTION: Want to be mayor? With no eligible candidates, Riviera Beach is taking applications The village will elect a new mayor after the death of longtime leader Fred Pinto last year. Competing for the seat are three candidates: acting Mayor Jeff Hmara, Village Council member Selena Samios and Justin K. Plaza. Competing for a seat on the council are Steve Avila, Donielle Pinto and Sylvia L. Sharps. Pinto is the widow of Fred Pinto. ROYAL PALM BEACH ELECTION: Voters to choose mayor, council member; three candidates run unopposed Staff Writer Tom Elia contributed to this report. James Coleman is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@ and follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @JimColeman11. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Election: City-by-city look at Tuesday's municipal elections
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How Lake Worth Beach candidates plan to tackle housing, utilities and more
Once one of Palm Beach County's most affordable places, even Lake Worth Beach has become a nightmare for renters and prospective homebuyers. Five City Commission candidates aim in Tuesday's election to tackle the city's cost of living, but with very different ideas on how. Commissioner Chris McVoy faces challenger Carla Blockson, chairwoman of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. Commissioner Reinaldo Diaz faces two opponents: Realtor Greg Richter and businessman Anthony Segrich. They offer voters a variety of ideas for tackling expenses, including easing regulations on home construction, embracing solar energy and selling water from the city. McVoy faces Blockson to represent northwest Lake Worth Beach, District 2. Diaz, Richter and Segrich vie to represent the city's southeast, District 4. McVoy and Diaz are seeking reelection to their second and final consecutive three-year terms. If no candidate wins the majority of votes in the District 4 race, the top two vote-getters face off in a runoff election March 25. Commissioners can serve a maximum of two consecutive three-year terms. They are paid annual salaries of $24,500. Four commissioners are elected by voters in their districts, while the mayor is elected by voters citywide. The seats for mayor and the other two commissioners are not up for election this year. Polls will open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. To find your polling place, visit McVoy is seeking his second term as commissioner. He is an environmental scientist. Background: McVoy has worked as a consultant to the U.S. Department of the Interior and at the South Florida Water Management District as a scientist researching the Everglades. He has a doctorate in soil physics from Cornell University. Now he is an environmental scientist with South Florida Engineering and Consulting. Public service: McVoy previously served as a city commissioner from 2010-17. He is a board member of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council and Friends of the Everglades. Cost of living plans: Allow homeowners to build accessory dwelling units, also called 'mother-in-law cottagers' or 'granny flats,' on their properties. Supported citywide housing study, voted to declare 'housing crisis' in the city. Other priorities: Improve permitting, code enforcement, business inspections and street safety for pedestrians. Seek to build more electric vehicle charging stations. Lift the cap on solar power residents can use, which city officials passed in 2019. Campaign finances: McVoy had raised $11,472 as of Feb. 21. Website: Blockson, who faced McVoy in 2010 and 2021, is seeking for a third time to unseat him. She is chairwoman of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, which aims to improve blighted parts of town. Background: Blockson has lived in the city since 1996, when her husband was selected as its fire chief. She has volunteered with civic groups and helped with efforts such as giving high school seniors safe havens to celebrate their graduations. Public service: Blockson has been chairwoman of the CRA since 2023 and has been a board member since 2021. She was appointed to the City Commission in December 2020 but lost the March 2021 election to McVoy. She is a member of the Electric Utility Advisory Board. Cost of living plans: Continue supporting CRA's efforts to build more houses and apartments. Since she joined it in 2021, the CRA has built 778 housing units — with 377 more under construction — she says. Other priorities: Public trust in elected leaders, increase investment in infrastructure, expand the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Police Athletic League program, have more officers meeting with neighborhood associations. Campaign finance: Blockson had raised $12,467 as of Feb. 21. Website: Commissioner Diaz is seeking his second term on the City Commission. Background: Born and raised in Lake Worth Beach, Diaz is a board member of the Everglades Coalition and Florida Wildlife Federation. He founded the nonprofit Lake Worth Waterkeeper, advocating for the Lake Worth Lagoon. Public Service: Diaz was elected in 2022 to the City Commission. Cost of living plans: Bring in experts to review the city's land regulations to see what can be changed. Voted to create a rate stabilization fund that uses money set aside to subsidize the city-owned electric utility when fuel costs spike so that those added costs are not passed onto customers. Other priorities: Review growth management policy regularly. Find a fair agreement with the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts project (WMODA), a proposed arts museum downtown that would include 110 apartments and a parking garage. Campaign finance: Diaz had raised $2,550 as of Feb. 21. Website: Richter is a Realtor running to unseat Diaz. Background: He has lived in Lake Worth Beach for seven years. Public service: Richter is president of the South Palmway Neighborhood Association. Cost of living plans: Speed up the permitting process so housing can be built faster. Look into selling water to other municipalities or the county so the costs of running the water utility are shared by more customers than Lake Worth Beach residents. Other priorities: Keep developing downtown. Build parking garage, apartments with the museum of decorative arts project downtown. Make code enforcement less frustrating for residents and business owners. Campaign finance: Richter had raised $18,530 as of Feb. 21. Website: Segrich is a former tech businessman best known for surviving a shark attack in 2011. He and his wife have since opened a shark-themed short-term vacation rental in Lake Worth Beach. Background: Segrich, who holds a computer science degree from Boston College, says he has helped companies such as Pepsi and National Semiconductor improve their operations and cut waste. Cost of living plans: Speed up development when the plan already conforms to what is allowed to be built on its land. Cut redundant building code regulations without sacrificing safety or efficiency. Speed up permitting of construction without sacrificing ecological protections. Limit impact fees, which make developers pay the city for the services the city must provide, such as water, police and firefighting. Other priorities: Audit the $88 million utility bond project approved in 2022. Bring down residents' utility bills by incentivizing installation and use of solar panels, and capturing and using rainwater to conserve water. Campaign finance: Segrich had raised $33,480 as of Feb. 21. Website: This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: How Lake Worth Beach candidates plan to tackle cost of living
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lake Worth Beach should elect Carla Blockson and Reinado Diaz
On March 11, the voters of Lake Worth Beach should consider making a change to spur its commission to revive its city government so that it can better address projects and proceed to make key improvements in services. Known for its thriving arts district, Lake Worth Beach could use a more collaborative city commission in dealing with ongoing challenges, whether it's finding new tax revenue from commercial development to developing more reasonably priced housing opportunities for city residents. A fulltime city manager to do that work would help, too. To help make that happen, The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board recommends voters elect Carla Blockson to the District 2 seat and re-elect District 4 Commissioner Reinaldo Diaz in hopes of taking Lake Worth Beach in a better direction. This is not Blockson's first rodeo. This contest between Blockson and incumbent Christopher McVoy marks the third time the two have faced each other for the right to represent Lake Worth Beach's District 2. This time, though, voters should make sure Blockson wins the race. After considering her position on the city's chief issues, the Post Editorial Board believes right now she's the better choice. Palm Beach Post Editorial Board endorsements for March 11 municipal elections Blockson, 68, understands the issues facing the city. Since 2021, she has served on the Lake Worth Beach's Community Redevelopment Agency and as chair, she has overseen several grants and key projects along the city's Dixie Highway corridor -- including the proposed Weiner Museum of Decorative Arts. If elected, she would bring a pro-business approach to the dais in support of attracting more commercial development to boost city tax revenue and make the city more of an attraction. She'd also work to improve traffic congestion along 10th Avenue North in her northwest district. Commissioner McVoy is the district's current commissioner. His status quo-stance on the city manager's position strikes the board as counterproductive. For that reason and more, voters should choose Blockson for the District 2 seat. Incumbent Lake Worth Beach Commissioner Diaz represents the city's southeast quadrant, which includes Lake Worth Beach's only oceanfront tract. The Post Editorial Board recommends voters re-elect him to another term, with the following caveat: Lake Worth Beach needs a full-time city manager, a task the next city commission must address sooner rather than later. In his first term, Diaz, 41, has tried to bring administrative changes to City Hall, in hopes of putting the city in a better position to address ongoing legal and development issues. He has also been thrust into the ongoing immigration controversy, threading the needle in protecting the city's growing Hispanic population, continuing to attract revenue from Tallahassee while abiding by punitive state deportation laws and federal dictates. If re-elected, Diaz would like to establish a more effective growth policy that would put the city in a better position to review and track ongoing projects. Still, the commissioner's take on leaving Jamie Brown, Lake Worth Beach's current public works director, to somehow balance that job with working as the city's "interim" manager, is well, troubling. Diaz believes Brown is doing a better job than his predecessor that the commission removed in 2024. Fine. So start the process that leads to Brown being hired to the job on a permanent basis. There are many projects that need a full-time city manager's attention, and a full-time public works director, including the city's long unused pool that sits near the beach in the commissioner's district. Greg Richter, a 69-year-old Realtor, is also running for the seat. He is running as a change candidate, but the Post Editorial Board believes that Diaz's performance to date makes him the better candidate in the race. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lake Worth Beach voters should choose Blockson and Diaz | Endorsements
