Jane MusgraveMatt Ferrer cites Orlando job for decision to withdraw from race to replace term-limited Christina Lambert on West Palm Beach City Commission.
Steve Sylvester was automatically elected to the West Palm Beach City Commission two days before Christmas when his lone challenger unexpectedly dropped out of the March race for the seat now held by mayoral candidate Christina Lambert.
“I was quite surprised to say the least,” the 65-year-old physical therapist and Palm Beach Atlantic University associate professor said of the early Christmas gift he received while reading his opponent’s Facebook page.
Matt Ferrer said he had to quit. In mid-December, his bosses at the Orlando Utilities Commission announced that workers were no longer going to be allowed to work exclusively from home. Instead, beginning in mid-January, he has to report to work three days a week.
With a wife and young daughter, he said commuting to Orlando while running for office would turn his personal and professional life upside down.
So, the 36-year-old longtime city resident said he reluctantly ended his yearlong campaign to represent residents of the southern part of the city.
“It was an exceedingly difficult decision,” said Ferrer, who has worked as a sustainability manager for the Orlando utility for 2½ years and spent two years in West Palm Beach’s sustainability office under former Mayor Jeri Muoio. “The three-day workweek was kind of the nail in the coffin because I can’t be away from my family for three days a week.”
Open seat promised to be competitive
Sylvester’s automatic election means there will be no Hispanic on the commission in a city where nearly 25% of the population traces its roots to Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking countries, according to the U.S. Census.
Ferrer said his parents are Puerto Rican. Lambert, who was first elected to the commission in March 2018, is of Mexican and Portuguese heritage.
Ferrer’s decision to quit also ended what was shaping up to be the most watched commission campaign. The other two races that will be decided March 10 pit popular incumbents against political unknowns.
Two-term Commissioner Cathleen Ward is being challenged by Martina Tate-Walker, who pulled out two years ago after receiving a job offer from a purported nonprofit. Christy Fox, who was first elected in 2020, will face off against Roger Jackson III, who reported no source of income when he qualified to run.
In a statement, Sylvester said he will bring a “fresh perspective” to the commission. But, he said, although he will be new to the commission, the issues will be familiar.
Sylvester, who grew up in the city, served on the board of the South End Neighborhood Association where he worked to improve traffic and pedestrian safety on South Flagler Drive. He was appointed by Mayor Keith James to serve on the city’s Watershed Advisory Committee.
Like James, Lambert and all the other commissioners, he is represented by the powerhouse campaign management firm headed by Rick Asnani, Cornerstone Solutions.
Ferrer welcomes job offer from next mayor
Although Sylvester is already listed as the winner, he said he will continue to meet with voters and explain his priorities, some of which Ferrer shared.
Both listed the need to create more affordable housing as a top priority. Likewise, both said they want to protect neighborhoods where houses are being razed to make way for what are derisively referred to as McMansions, starter castles and garage mahals.
Ferrer’s surprise departure should help residents, Sylvester said. “I also now can focus on a smooth transition by working closely with Commissioner Lambert over the next few months,” he wrote.
Ferrer said his future is unclear.
During the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, he said he and his wife began “decluttering” their home near Forest Hill High School and looking over real estate ads in Orlando in anticipation of a possible move.
Before he made his decision to quit, he said Lambert and he informally discussed the possibility of him working on her campaign. But, he said, he wouldn’t do so while running for office.
While friendly with Lambert, Ferrer said he is also supportive of two-term Palm Beach County Commissioner Gregg Weiss, who also is running for West Palm Beach mayor in March 2027 after his second and final County Commission term ends in 2026.
“If the Gregg Weiss campaign or the Christina Lambert campaign wants to talk to me about a position, I’d be open to it,” Ferrer said.
But, he insisted, no formal job offer was made. “It’s not why I quit,” he said.
Sylvester’s huge fundraising lead
Sylvester was handily beating Ferrer in fundraising, campaign finance reports show. In the reporting period that ended Sept. 30, Ferrer had raised $4,658. Buoyed by contributions from developers, construction companies and the political action committee of the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, Sylvester had raised $27,185, nearly six times as much.
But, Ferrer said, he expected that to change. “What I clearly understood, especially in a local race, is that people don’t really start opening their wallets until the last three months,” he said of what he described as a grassroots campaign.
Ferrer said a report that is to be filed this month will show that he raised about $10,000 in total. Sylvester said his campaign team is still combing through his contributions and that he wasn’t sure how much he raised in the three months that ended Dec. 31.
After publication, he said he expected his contributions to total about $8,500, not $10,000, including the amount he already reported.
But, Sylvester said, he didn’t think fundraising factored into Ferrer’s decision. If Ferrer was worried he would get outspent, he would have waited to jump ship until the year-end reports are filed on Jan. 10, he said in the statement.
Ferrer said he has no regrets about running for office. He described knocking on doors and talking to voters as “an amazing, positive experience.”
He said he hopes some of the issues he raised, such as allowing homeowners to guide development in their neighborhoods, gain traction.
Countless residents told him they don’t want to stop growth or progress. “They don’t mind that a house is going to be demolished and a new one built, but they do resent how big it is,” he said. “The city has allowed these houses to have very big footprints.”
Residents deserve to have a say in how their neighborhoods evolve.
“My goal was to bring everyone together — developers, city officials, business leaders and neighborhood residents so they can figure out how we can grow together,” he said.
As to his future in politics?
“I leave that door open,” Ferrer said. “Right now, it’s just not the right time.”
Editor’s note:This story was corrected to reflect that Ferrer initially estimated he would raise a total of $10,000, not $10,000 during the fourth-quarter reporting period. After publication, he lowered the estimate for his total contributions to $8,500. Additionally, the story was amended when we learned that Roger Jackson has a campaign website.
