Newly elected Jordana Jarjura and reelected Al Jacquet.
Kurtis Boggs/The Coastal Star
By Tim Pallesen
Newcomer Jordana Jarjura upset incumbent Angeleta Gray in the March 11 city election, possibly shifting the balance of power on the Delray Beach City Commission.
Jarjura became the fourth attorney on the commission by capturing 51 percent of the vote compared to 41 percent for Gray, who had been a city commissioner since 2009.
Another incumbent, Al Jacquet, fought off a challenge from Chris Davey in the second commission race on the ballot. Jacquet got 50 percent of the vote compared to 46 percent for Davey.
Jarjura could become the swing vote with Mayor Cary Glickstein and Commissioner Shelly Petrolia on issues such as ending developer incentives to build downtown, police and fire pension reform and seeking bids for the city garbage contract.
Petrolia financially supported Jarjura and Davey for election. Glickstein asked residents by mass email on election day to vote for Davey.
Support for Jarjura and Davey was strong in east Delray, partly because Jacquet and Gray didn’t join Glickstein and Petrolia to fight the Atlantic Crossing mixed-use project in January.
Gray, a beauty shop owner, suffered a blow when several west Delray citizen groups and the Sun-Sentinel endorsed Jarjura.
News that the state attorney was examining Gray’s role in awarding a $50,000 city contract to a firm tied to her campaign manager was reported less than two weeks before the election.
The election turnout was 15.8 percent, with 6,584 of the city’s 41,584 registered voters going to the polls.
Voters also approved a charter revision to clarify the voting procedure by commissioners at meetings, with 56 percent in favor of the revision.
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