Gardens breaks streak: Two council seats contested

For four years, no one filed to oppose a candidate for Palm Beach Gardens City Council but that’s changing this year; Stet catches you up as qualifying closes in most cities.

Third of three in a series of weekly election updates.

For the first time in four years, Palm Beach Gardens will have a contest for City Council.

Challenger Scott Gilow filed Monday on the last day of qualifying to run against incumbent Marcie Tinsley for the Group 2 seat. 

Tinsley, who is running for her final three-year term, is the last council member to face voters. She defeated Rob Nanfro in March 2021 to fill the final year of Maria Marino’s term. 

Since then, Tinsley has been reelected once without opposition, as have all four of her colleagues. She has raised $15,570 for the March 11 election.

Land planner Chuck Millar qualified to run for the seat of term-limited Carl Woods. He opened a campaign account earlier this year and has raised $9,250. 

Challenging Millar is Palm Beach County Fire Rescue firefighter John Kemp, the city clerk confirmed on Tuesday. Qualifying closed at 4:30 pm Monday.

Gilow has been a critic of the city’s decision to lease a park for an ice-hockey complex. He is a Palm Beach County employee and owner of Draco Bikes in Abacoa.

Tinsley is a land planner with Karl Corp., a land management company. She previously served on the council from 2010 to 2017. She and Gilow both live in the Evergrene community.

Millar is chairperson of the city’s Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board making his first run for elected office. He’s a planner with Atwell, an engineering and construction management company. 

Palm Beach

Updated: The town of Palm Beach held its election caucus Dec. 3. Mayor Danielle Moore and Council Members Julie Araskog in Group 1 and Ted Cooney in Group 2 were nominated. No one filed to run against them, meaning they were elected without any votes cast.

Early winners

At least eight Palm Beach County cities have anointed council members without voters casting a ballot. The winners are:

• West Palm Beach: Shalonda Warren and Joe Peduzzi.
• Juno Beach: Diana Davis.
• Tequesta: Molly Young and Patrick Painter.
• Palm Beach Shores: Roby DeReuil and Tracy Larcher.
• Jupiter Inlet Colony: David Shula, Mark Ciarfella and Bill Muir.
• North Palm Beach: Kristin Garrison and Susan Bickel.
• Palm Springs: Bev Smith, Gary Ready and Kimberly Schmitz.
• Lake Clarke Shores: Gregory Freebold, Jon Maples, Taylor Materio and Christy Maasbach.

Of note: All but one, David Shula, are incumbents.

Other contested races

Lake Worth Beach

• District 2 incumbent Christopher McVoy will face Carla Blockson. 
• District 4 incumbent Reinaldo Diaz will face Greg Richter and Anthony Segrich.

Royal Palm Beach

• Mayor: Incumbent Jeff Hmara against Council Member Selena Samios and Justin Plaza.
• Group 3: Steve Avila, Donielle Pinto and Sylvia Sharps.
• No opponent filed to challenge incumbents Richard Valuntas in Group 2 and Jan Rodusky in Group 4. Plus newcomer Adam Miller wins the Group 1 seat.

Lantana

• Group 2 incumbent Kem Mason won without a vote. 
• Group 1 incumbent Lynn Moorhouse will face Jesse Rivero.

Jupiter

• Mayor: Incumbent Jim Kuretski vs. Council Member Cameron May.
• District 1: Phyllis Choy, Teri Grooms and Andy Weston
• District 2: Incumbent Malise Sundstrom, Linda McDermott and Willie Puz.

Lake Park

• Six candidates seek four seats. Incumbents Michael Hensley, Mary BethTaylor, Judith Thomas and Kim Glas-Castro and challengers Michael O’Rourke and John Linden. 

Riviera Beach (pending a lawsuit, click here)

• Mayor: Incumbent Ronnie Felder faces Kendra Wester and Kendrick Wyly.
• District 1: Incumbent Tradrick McCoy has drawn challenges from Joseph Bedford Sr. and Bruce Guyton, who last served on the council in 2015.
• District 3: Incumbent Shirley Lanier has one challenger Cedrick Thomas, who served on the council in 2007.
• District 5: Douglas Lawson, who presides over the council, faces challenges from Madelene Irving-Mills and Fercella Davis-Panier, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2011 and initially filed to seek the District 3 seat.

Boynton Beach

• Mayor: Rebecca Shelton, David Merker, Courtlandt McQuire and Golene Gordon.
• District 1: Incumbent Angela Cruz (winner).
• District 3: Thomas Turkin, Dominick Vargas and Pam Baglio.

Some of the county’s biggest cities — Greenacres, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Wellington and Belle Glade — have no expiring seats to be decided next year.

Editor’s note: This story was updated Tuesday to reflect the names of Palm Beach Gardens candidates confirmed by the city clerk.