News

By Henry Fitzgerald

    Municipal elections will take place March 13. Here are the cities and towns in The Coastal Star’s coverage area with seats up for grabs and their respective qualifying periods.  

Boca Raton
    The city’s qualifying period, when candidates can officially be put on the ballot after they meet certain requirements, will take place Jan. 2-10.
    City voters will get the chance to fill two City Council seats. Council member Robert Weinroth is running for re-election to Seat D, while Deputy Mayor Jeremy Rodgers plans to seek re-election to Seat C.
    Meanwhile, Mayor Susan Haynie announced last month that she would run for County Commissioner Steven Abrams’ District 4 seat. The primary election for that post will take place Aug. 28, while the general election will be held Nov. 6, 2018.
    Haynie, whose mayoral term would expire in 2020, will have to submit a resignation letter 10 days prior to the qualifying period for the county seat, which runs June 18-22. Her resignation from the mayor’s seat must be effective on or before Nov. 20, 2018, whether or not she wins the County Commission seat, according to the city’s website.
“I have heard from many community leaders and residents encouraging me to run for County Commission District 4,” Haynie said in a news release. “As mayor, I have been an effective leader with a proven record of accomplishments. I understand our community, have a firm grasp of the issues and the experience needed to help move Palm Beach County forward.”
    Following Haynie’s departure, the deputy mayor will serve as mayor temporarily until a special election is held in March 2019 to fill the rest of Haynie’s term. Council members will choose their next deputy mayor in March 2018 during their annual reorganization.
    Council member Scott Singer, who also chairs the Community Redevelopment Agency, announced Oct. 23 that he would run in 2019 for the remaining year of Haynie’s mayoral term.

Briny Breezes
    Qualifying for the March municipal election will run Dec. 5-19. Three aldermen — Christina Adams, Jim McCormick and Bobby Jurovaty — are up for election.
Briny Mayor Jack Lee resigned in October. The council plans to fill his non-voting seat by appointment before the end of the year.

Delray Beach
    The qualifying period will take place Dec. 1-20. Three commission seats are open in March. They are: Seat 1, now held by Shelly Petrolia, who plans to run for mayor/Seat 5; Seat 3, now held by Mitch Katz, who is running for re-election; and Seat 2, now held by Vice Mayor Jim Chard, who also plans to run for mayor/Seat 5.
    Seat 5, now held by Mayor Cary Glickstein, will be open because Glickstein announced he would not run for re-election.
    Glickstein could have run again because the city charter changed the length of the terms during his first term in office. He’s held the position for five years — a two-year term and a three-year term.
    At the Oct. 17 commission meeting, Glickstein listed his accomplishments as stronger neighborhoods and historic districts, more control over sober homes, elimination of the SWA no-bid contract, transparency over how the CRA spends tax dollars and development focused on West Atlantic Avenue.
    “I have been struggling with the decision for a few months now and needed to make a decision to allow other candidates a fair shot,” he wrote in an email. “While I would have liked to have had another year with the new city manager, I was uncomfortable asking voters for a third term that I could have sought due to a city charter change effective after my first election that now limits mayors to two terms. You know the old adage — ‘Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.’”

Highland Beach
    The qualifying period runs Nov. 28-Dec. 12. Open seats for the 2018 election are Vice Mayor Bill Weitz and Commissioner George Kelvin.

Lantana
    The qualifying period runs Jan. 2-16. The only open seat is Group 5, occupied by Mayor Dave Stewart, who will seek re-election.

Manalapan
    Qualifying in Manalapan for the municipal election will run from Dec. 5-19, Town Clerk Lisa Petersen said. Up for election are Mayor Pro Tem Simone Bonutti, Commissioner Clark Appleby and Commissioner Monica Oberting. Commissioners serve two-year terms.

Ocean Ridge
    The qualifying period is Dec. 5-18. Mayor Geoff Pugh and Commissioner Gail Aaskov are up for re-election, while Vice Mayor James Bonfiglio plans to give up his seat for a run at state House District 89, now held by Bill Hager, who is term-limited.
    However, Bonfiglio won’t have to leave his seat until well into next year. He must submit a resignation letter 10 days prior to the qualifying period for the state seat, which runs June 18-22, and his resignation from the vice mayor’s seat must be effective on or before Nov. 20, 2018, whether or not he wins the state House seat.
    “I decided to run for Florida House of Representatives, District 89, because I want to continue my service to the community,” Bonfiglio wrote in an email. “I think I have fresh ideas and a bold vision to solve some of the town’s problems, which also present themselves in [the rest of] District 89. For example, Ocean Ridge shares flooding and beach problems with most of the district’s residents. I love the town of Ocean Ridge and want to serve more people, including the Ocean Ridge residents as the next Florida representative for District 89.”

South Palm Beach
    The qualifying period is Dec. 4-8. Council seats up for election are held by Stella Gaddy Jordan and Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb.

    Sallie James, Dan Moffett, Steve Plunkett, Rich Pollack, Jane Smith and Mary Thurwachter contributed to this report.