Challengers Take Aim At Royal Palm Council Incumbents

While the March 15 election in Royal Palm Beach will definitely bring a new mayor, challengers taking on council incumbents hope village voters are in the mood for even more change.

Greenway Village resident Lenore White is challenging Councilman Jeff Hmara for the Group 1 seat, while businesswoman Selena Smith is challenging Vice Mayor Richard Valuntas for the Group 3 seat.

Meanwhile, Councilman Fred Pinto and former Councilwoman Martha Webster are vying for the mayor’s chair now that current Mayor Matty Mattioli is retiring after six years as mayor and more than 20 years on the council.

Smith, who ran unsuccessfully for a council seat in 2012, feels that change is needed on the council.

“Primarily for transparency and to give a different point of view on the dais than what is already up there,” she said.

Her thorough understanding of the village, with a different perspective, along with her involvement and dedication to the community, are why Smith feels qualified for the position.

“The great part about being on the village council is it’s an understanding of the village and what the residents want,” Smith said. “What makes me qualified for that is being involved in the community as long as I have and being a resident as long as I have. Professionally, I’ve worked in the area.”

Many residents care about the direction of the village, Smith said, and she happens to be at a point in her life where she has the time to run for the council.

Smith chose the Group 3 seat because it was available, not because of Valuntas in particular.

“He is a very nice man. I think he’s done a nice job,” she said. “You tend to look at how people’s campaigns are funded, and where it’s coming from. He has been unopposed for several elections. It’s nice to get a variety of people out there. I find it good to change up the council just to give it a different perspective. Most of those people have been on there for decades.”

Smith, who works in the marketing industry, has served in leadership roles in a number of local organizations, such as the Royal Palm Beach Rotary Club, Wellington Cares, the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce and the Western Business Alliance. To learn more about Smith, e-mail selenaforcouncil@yahoo.com.

Valuntas, an attorney, is seeking his fourth term on the council.

“I bring a lot to the position,” Valuntas said. “I’m motivated toward serving the best interests of the community… I think I have really helped better the community as a whole, and I’d like to continue to do that.”

He was on the Recreation Advisory Board for eight years before joining the council and has also been involved with local schools. “Education is going to be the foundation of our community,” he said.

Valuntas is proud of his work on behalf of village taxpayers.

“The biggest thing is keeping the tax rate, the millage rate, even, which is good,” he said. “There was an issue years ago with the Indian Trail Improvement District assessing a good amount of people here in Royal Palm Beach, including myself, and basically, they had been doing it for years and had no basis to do it. I was the one who looked into it and got them to stop doing it, saving village residents over $50,000 a year in taxes that we never should have been paying.”

The battle to connect State Road 7 to Northlake Blvd. is important to Valuntas, who is Royal Palm Beach’s representative on the Metropolitan Planning Organization. That is a project that he has worked to bring to fruition and would like to continue fighting for. “It’s good that I’m there and able to help it keep going in the right direction,” he said.

Valuntas lives off Southern Blvd. and wants to remain a council voice to represent his community and to bring a lawyer’s perspective.

“Bottom line is, I think I’ll do a better job than my opponent,” he said, pointing to his education, experience and community involvement. “I think those are important for people who are on the council to have.”

White is challenging Hmara in an effort to become more involved in the community that she calls home.

“My belief has always been, when you tend to observe injustices that have been done, or things are not running correctly, you cannot just be a bystander. You have to do something,” White said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think the mayor or the council have listened to the residents. That was part of my decision to run. I’ve owned a condo down here since 1981. My parents lived here. Certainly, there has been much progress in the town, which is certainly terrific.”

There are, however, other issues that White thinks need to be addressed.

“It appears, somewhat, that there’s a strong lack of independent thinking with the elected in office,” she said. “And, unfortunately, it’s throughout the country, also.”

She is particularly unhappy with the council’s handling of the RaceTrac gas station issue.

“Even though I’m a senior citizen, I’m the new kid on the block. I have a lot to read about and to learn,” White said. “It’s quite interesting, actually. Maybe it’s time to clean house and get somebody in there who wants to listen to what homeowners have to say.”

Some neighborhoods receive more attention than others, she said, which doesn’t seem fair, and having RaceTrac as an entrance to the village would be a disadvantage, White said.

White and her husband owned a school and sports photography business on Long Island, and were involved with many community organizations up north.

After spending many years as a seasonal resident in Royal Palm Beach, White made the village her permanent home in 2009. She is now retired and living in Greenway Village South, where she has served as HOA president for the past five years.

“I’m honest, I’m reliable, and I listen to people,” she said. “I certainly am responsible, and I have integrity. My husband was in the military for 42 years, and I learned about taking care of your country and your community.”

Hmara was first elected to the council in 2012 and is now seeking his third term. He feels that he has made progress on all the issues that he campaigned on four years ago.

“I’ve actually been able to identify things that I’ve done in each one of the areas that I said were important to me,” he said.

With more than 40 years in government experience, Hmara said that he has learned that trust is essential, and one of the ways to gain and maintain trust is through good communication. Each month, Hmara sends out an update to keep the community informed. “One of the things that I set out to accomplish was outreach, confidence and trust,” he said.

Working with the Education Advisory Board, Hmara is proud of the impacts made in village schools, especially at Royal Palm Beach High School. Even something like power-washing the high school was important, as well as updating the landscaping and establishing an International Baccalaureate program at the school.

Ensuring that the old wastewater treatment plant property was developed in a compatible way, he said, was what first got him involved in local politics.

“When I got on board, one of the very first things I did, with the help of others, was to make sure that the use of that land was residential and compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods,” Hmara said.

Currently he is working to raise awareness of regional developments, such as Minto West, Avenir and GL Homes, and the new potential residents that will affect the traffic patterns in Royal Palm Beach. Being prepared, Hmara explained, is important.

“I’m working really, really hard to push back against the extreme development of all those areas out west, and will continue to push out against them,” he said.

The Town-Crier will host a televised candidates forum on Monday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. in the Royal Palm Beach Village Council chambers.

ABOVE: Selena Smith and Lenore White.