Ending months of speculation, Wellington Councilwoman Anne Gerwig filed to run for mayor last week. She will challenge incumbent Mayor Bob Margolis in the March 15, 2016 election.
The mayor’s seat is one of four seats on the ballot in March. In fact, Gerwig’s Seat 2 is the only Wellington Village Council seat not on the ballot.
Gerwig agonized for months about whether to run because it would mean giving up her council seat. However, she said that she is more at ease resigning to run due to the possible passage of a charter amendment that will call for a special election to fill her seat, rather than have the council appoint someone, as the current charter calls for.
Gerwig, who was elected to the council in 2010 and re-elected in 2014, told the Town-Crier that she is running to give the village a stronger leader holding the gavel.
“I just felt it was necessary,” she said. “We really have lacked leadership for the past three-and-a-half years.”
She believes that the council needs more direction in its decision-making process.
“I don’t think you have to have an aggressive personality to do this job, but there have just been too many situations that I feel like we could have done so much better as far as public engagement, having a vision and moving forward as a team,” Gerwig said. “It really has been lacking, and I feel like my input was really disregarded because of the majority.”
Gerwig also believes that the council can work better with its staff than it has, adding that some council members have been overbearing with staff members.
“My personality style is quite different,” she said. “I try to use levity when situations are tense. I’ll try to make a joke and lighten the mood. This has nothing to do with not liking people. It has more to do with Wellington, and the fact that I think I can do a better job. I think I have a better pulse of who we are.”
Margolis said that he stands on his record, citing the progress that the village has made during his tenure as mayor, and long before that.
Prior to his service on the council, Margolis was a longtime member of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board. He was first appointed to the council to fill a vacancy in 2003 and was elected in 2004, serving until he resigned to run for Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections in 2008. Margolis returned to the council upon his election as mayor in 2012.
Gerwig’s announcement will not change his plans, Margolis said.
“This was no surprise to us,” he said. “We’ve been gearing up for running a campaign for months, and just because there’s a challenger doesn’t mean that we’re caught behind the 8-ball. I’m, frankly, surprised that it wasn’t announced sooner. I’m happy to have the debates, I’m happy to have the conversations, and we’ll let the voters judge on whose record stands up to the test of time.”
Margolis said that a special election to fill Gerwig’s seat, if held, will cost the village an estimated $40,000 to $50,000.
“We have a charter amendment. If the voters vote for that, it will require a special election to fill Anne’s seat,” he said. “That will probably be in August. I’m not sure of the dates, but the residents will have to pay for that.”
If re-elected, Margolis said that he plans to continue in the same manner he has.
“This is my fourth campaign in Wellington,” he said. “I’m running for the right reasons, and if people take a look and see where Wellington has been and where it is today, hopefully they will say that I’ve had a pretty good deal to do with it.”
Margolis points to A-rated schools, the lowest crime rates in seven years, rising property values and a superior parks and recreation program as evidence that things are running well.
“I always say Wellington is the crown jewel of Palm Beach County, and I will challenge anybody else in Florida to come down and look at the opportunities we have in Wellington,” he said. “There are some people who want to relive the past, and I just won’t do that. We’ve worked hard to get where we are.”
He noted that the council recently approved a new contract with Village Manager Paul Schofield.
“Our staff is the best around, and the council now is fully operational, and the concerns and problems that we had in 2012 are just not there anymore,” he said.
Margolis added that he has dedicated half of his life to Wellington.
“[It has been] 32 years since I came down here, and, hopefully, I’ll leave a legacy,” he said.
Originally, Gerwig was hoping that her current seat might be able to be filled during the March election. However, that will not be the case.
“It cannot go on the ballot,” she said. “It’s quite confusing. That was my question for the attorney and the Florida Election Commission. I would actually have to vacate my seat by Dec. 15 when the ballot is set in order for it to go on the ballot. The fact that I’ve turned in an irrevocable resignation does not make the seat open legally.”
She added that Royal Palm Beach faces a similar question with Councilman Fred Pinto running for mayor, and Royal Palm Beach Village Attorney Jennifer Ashton rendered an opinion that Pinto’s seat would not go on the ballot. Royal Palm Beach can either appoint someone to fill the remainder of the term or leave the seat vacant until the next election, according to Ashton.
“I think we’ll have a new council, obviously,” Gerwig said. “I don’t know how many new members will be here or not, but we will have a new council, and I hope to be able to set a tone where we value the talents and skills of our staff and leverage that for the good of Wellington.”
The election will be held concurrently with Florida’s presidential primary, and that required an earlier start to filing. The formal qualifying period opens at noon on Tuesday, Nov. 24 and closes at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
Vice Mayor John Greene is up for re-election to Seat 1. He has been challenged by attorney Michael Drahos, who serves on Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board.
Councilman John McGovern was appointed earlier this year to fill Seat 3 after it was left vacant by the resignation of Howard Coates upon his elevation to a judgeship. McGovern is running for the remaining two years of Coates’ term. He is unchallenged as of yet. Should he win, McGovern will face the electorate again in 2018.
Councilman Matt Willhite will leave Seat 4 due to term limits. He has already announced plans to seek a State House seat. Attorney Michael Napoleone has announced his candidacy for that seat, as did community activist Bart Novack. Novack, however, later withdrew his candidacy, according to the village clerk’s office.
ABOVE: Wellington Councilwoman Anne Gerwig.
All Councilmen up for election should have challengers.
Encourage those who are interested to take a chance and dip their feet into the election process.
We need people who are interested in serving Wellington and not a political party.
Will be glad to see Willhite go.