The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board is endorsing candidates in a number of races in the Nov. 3 elections. The Board has reached out to all candidates who qualified and will publish endorsements on Congressional, state, Palm Beach County Commission, school board and Port of Palm Beach races.
The following is the Post's endorsements for the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Courts, Palm Beach County school board District 4 and the Port of Palm Beach.
Whatever your choice, it's important to make your voice heard by early voting, voting by mail or by going to the polls on Nov. 3. For more details on different ways to vote, to confirm if you're registered, to know your voting precinct and/or to follow your vote, go to votepalmbeach.gov
➤ What is Amendment
3?Impact to Palm Beach County and Florida explained
Marci Woodward for County Commission District 4
Palm Beach County Commissioner Marci Woodward, a Republican serving her first term on the commission, is seeking re-election in hopes of representing the county's populous southeast district. The Palm Beach Post recommends voters re-elect her. She has proven to be a pleasant suprise as a conscientious worker who shows no signs of slowing down
Woodward, 49, takes the job seriously, working full time to represent the 13 municipalities and communities in District 4's unincorporated areas. In her first term, she has worked on several boards, including chairing the Solid Waste Authority and the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority boards. She takes pride in preparing for meetings, communicating with her constituents and asking questions to understand the issues and for the benefit of the public.
Her prioriities include growth and development, traffic congestion and housing affordability. She promises to continue working to implement the county-wide transportation master plan recommendations and to make a county's Home-buyer Match program pilot program permanent to help ease the high price of housing in Palm Beach County.
Faced with the possibility of a major shift in property tax revenue, Woodward would keep public safety, engineering and maintaining roads, bridges and storm water drainage as whole as possible. The county would have to look fees, naming rights and cell phone tower leases to generate revenue. Some current county services, she said, might have to be off-loaded to nonprofits or public-private partnerships.
The other candidate in the race is Democrat Curtis Calabrese, 36, who lives in Boca Raton and making his first bid for elective office. A Palm Beach County native, Calabrese is a former Naval pilot who is currently an airline pilot and captain at United Airlines. He has the bonafides as a candidate. However his inexperience in elective office is a big disadvantage, especially in running against an incumbent like Woodward who's shown she's good at her job.
Katherine Waldron for County Commission District 6
The commission's District 6 encompasses the western part of Palm Beach County, a mixture of growing suburban communities stretching west into the rural communities of The Glades. If there is any part of the county facing the threat of overdevelopment, it's the county's largely unincorporated western communities.
The incumbent in that seat, County Mayor Sara Baxter ― again ― declined to particpate in the paper's endorsement process. No matter. Given her tenure, the Post recommends voters pick her Democratic opponent, Katherine Waldron.
Waldron, 62, is a corporate executive and community volunteer who went on to win elections to Palm Beach Port commission and a state legislature representing the Wellington area. She has the public service background and experience to serve on the county commission and address the issues facing a growing part of the county.
It is that experience that puts Waldron in a strong position to either work with county commissioners and staff to preserve key services if Amendment 3, which will reduce property tax revenue, is approved by voters next month, or help the county find other ways to curb government spending if the measure fails.
Her priorities, if elected, would center on affordable housing, overdevelopment and traffic congestion. Waldron would work to enact a more methodical and thoughtful process for approving future developments, seeking to mitigate a development's impact on nearby communities. She'd also push to expand housing funds and land-use tools to bring down home costs and lower the property-insurance premiums. She backs the county's recent ban on AI data centers.
Waldron offers the best hope of being a commissioner who will represent a greater number of her constituents and be more willing to share her views on important issues facing the county and the district than the current officeholder. Based on Waldon's public sector experience and accountability, the Post urges voters to elect her to the commission.
Up next: Clerk of Court, School Board and Port of Palm Beach Endorsements
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Post endorses candidates for county seats | Endorsement
