Meeting just over a month after the sudden, unexpected passing of Mayor Fred Pinto, the Royal Palm Beach Village Council appointed Vice Mayor Jeff Hmara to the mayor’s seat on Thursday, Oct. 17.
Hmara will hold the gavel until a special election for the mayor’s seat in March.
“Everyone I have spoken with have said that the most reasonable course of action is to appoint the vice mayor as the mayor, and let the people decide on the vacant seat,” said Councilman Richard Valuntas, who made the motion to appoint Hmara.
Hmara’s appointment, approved 3-1 with Councilwoman Selena Samios dissenting, came at the start of an election season that could see all five council seats on the ballot, should there be challengers for all the seats.
Samios made it clear at the meeting that she intends to run for mayor, likely against Hmara, and anyone else who might file.
“I do understand from the residents as far as having someone appointed to that position, so it frees up the current seat,” she said. “The curveball in there is that I plan on running for mayor.”
The council spent some time discussing the ins and outs of election law, trying to figure out the best way to let the voters decide on who should sit on the dais, and not leave one or more seats up for council appointment after the election.
“We have the opportunity to have all five seats available,” Samios said. “What can we do to ensure that, rather than having to make an appointment later on?”
She also noted that residents are more likely to run for an open seat, than against an incumbent.
Once Hmara was appointed mayor, his Group 1 seat became vacant. Samios opted to resign from her Group 3 seat and accept an appointment to the Group 1 seat. This meant that the mayor’s seat, as well as those two council seats, would require a special election on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, to fill the one year remaining on their terms.
Meanwhile, the Group 2 seat, currently held by Valuntas, and the Group 4 seat, currently held by Councilwoman Jan Rodusky, are both up in March for their regular two-year terms.
The candidate qualifying period for the March municipal election opens at 8 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 1 and closes at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
For more information, contact Village Clerk Diane DiSanto at (561) 790-5102 or ddisanto@royalpalmbeachfl.gov.
