Three candidates are seeking the open Group 3 seat on the Royal Palm Beach Village Council in the municipal election set for Tuesday, March 11.
The candidates are Steve Avila, who ran unsuccessfully against late Mayor Fred Pinto last year, Pinto’s widow Donielle Pinto, and Sylvia Sharps. The winner will serve a two-year council term.
Also on the ballot is a three-way race for mayor, featuring Mayor Jeff Hmara, Justin Plaza and Vice Mayor Selena Samios (see related story here).
Steve Avila — Making his second attempt at village office, Avila grew up in the community and graduated at the top of his class at Royal Palm Beach High School in 2007 before attending Dartmouth College.
“I am from Royal Palm Beach. I grew up here. This is my hometown. The whole point of me running is to give back to the hometown that raised me. I am proud to be from Royal Palm Beach,” he said.
While he did not win his campaign for mayor last year, Avila said he learned a great deal from the experience.
“Last year, I was very thankful that I had about 40 percent of the people vote for me,” he said. “It instilled in me the confidence that there is a need for change and an appetite for change.”
Avila believes that he is the best person to fill the open seat on the council.
“I have relationships with elected officials at different levels of government,” he said. “I can leverage those relationships when needed. I have been endorsed by many officials at all levels of government and have relationships on both sides of the aisle.”
His top priority once elected is to enact term limits.
“This council has the belief that every election is a referendum on term limits. I don’t believe that is true. It just entrenches the people who are already on the council. I would fight for term limits on the council,” Avila said.
He also supports more responsible development with a focus on lower density.
“I am weary of turning Royal Palm Beach into West Palm Beach. Density is very important to me. If we are going to accept new projects, density is something we should be looking at,” Avila said. “I am also concerned about the brain drain at middle schools and high schools. I want to enact programs that encourage Royal Palm Beach students to go to Crestwood and Crestwood students to go to Royal Palm Beach High School.”
On the council, Avila wants to protect Royal Palm Beach’s “Mayberry-esque” nature.
“Every census, we are continuing to grow,” he said. “That growth must continue to fall in line with our special and unique character.”
Regarding traffic concerns in the community, Avila said that is more of a county and state issue.
“A lot of our roads are county and state roads. Something like the State Road 7 extension is mostly out of our control,” he said, stressing that Royal Palm Beach should not make things worse by “only approving projects that don’t do more damage to the traffic issue, while also working with different levels of government.”
He is very supportive of the village’s parks and recreation programs. “The 23 parks we have are like a jewel for our community,” Avila said. “We have done a very good job with parks and recreation.”
He gives the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office an A grade for keeping the village safe.
“There have been some issues in the past, but they have dramatically improved,” Avila said. “Capt. [Ulrich] Naujoks is in the Rotary Club. He periodically gives us updates on the village. The top crime we see is people being a little too trusting and leaving their doors unlocked, be it their home or their cars. For a village its size, the PBSO does a great job keeping us safe.”
He is most proud that Royal Palm Beach is a great place to raise a family with great parks and great schools.
“If elected, I would be the first homegrown member of the council. I am from Royal Palm Beach. I have seen it change since my family moved here in 1997. It is my hometown, so I feel I have a personal stake in it,” Avila said. “This is more of a personal thing to me than anything. I want to give back to the community that has raised me.”
He sees a generational and cultural divide between the village’s current population and the council.
“In its 65 years, there has never been a Hispanic person on the council. And so, when I knock on doors, they are shocked that someone of my age and my background is even running,” Avila said. “We have reached a new milestone where there are people like me who are running. You can be from Royal Palm Beach and eventually join the council.”
Learn more about Avila at www.avilaforrpb.com.
Donielle Pinto — Pinto is running to protect and continue her late husband’s 21-year legacy of service to Royal Palm Beach.
“I have community and political experience, especially as it relates to public service,” she said. “I partnered with my husband in accomplishing what he did through his tenure, along with the council as a team.”
The late mayor “wanted the village to remain debt-free and for the surplus to grow,” and he also “wanted the status of Royal Palm Beach as one of the safest communities to continue,” Pinto explained.
“Strong passion and intelligent good governance are what my husband exemplified. He was continually preparing me for a position on the council,” she said. “We talked about a lot regarding the village and the best interests of the citizens.”
Deciding to run was not a difficult choice for Pinto.
“Why not? My husband’s passing fueled resilience in me — and knowing what he wanted to continue in the village, with the council and other partners, led me to get more involved,” she said. “I am his successor. I love the community. I have a passion for it. I serve people daily. I want the village to continue to be vibrant, and I want families to continue to thrive.”
In office, Pinto wants to follow through with the many projects on the table, like the expansion of the Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center. She also does not support the idea of term limits.
“It has taken time for the village to accomplish what it has, especially under my husband’s leadership,” she explained. “It takes time to identify, assess, plan and execute the changes for the better.”
She is a supporter of environmental issues and wants to see continual improvement in the village.
“I also would like to see a community garden. It would truly benefit our youth and assist them with taking more ownership in the village, which will, in turn, assist in keeping their mental health strong,” Pinto said. “And it would be fabulous to have a Citizen Appreciation Day.”
She would also like to implement additional programs to support small businesses and young people.
“My vision is to assist with more revenue with our local business, some of which are suffering, perhaps through a business directory,” Pinto said. “We need more village activities for our youth to welcome them to get more involved, as well as more volunteer activities for our youth. I would like to implement a survey for our youth and residents.”
Since the village is surrounded by fast-growing areas, “we should embrace it and channel it to where it can benefit us. It would be nice for that traffic to patronize our businesses,” Pinto said.
She believes that the village needs more mass transit options.
“I do not want to knock BusLink, but having buses come into the village more regularly would eliminate vehicles,” Pinto said. “There is a lot of aggression on the road and having our buses was very helpful. We need more PSAs to show people the benefits. One bus will eliminate 10 vehicles.”
She also wants to see the village do more outreach to senior citizens.
“I want to provide more well checks for our seniors who live alone and are physically challenged. We can help register them with our 211 service,” Pinto said. “It is important to connect our seniors, youth, families and businesses to resources that are already available.”
Regarding parks, Pinto believes that there needs to be more maintenance and upkeep, as well as more youth volunteer opportunities. “We can implement a local campaign similar to ‘Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful’ to help with regular upkeep of our parks,” she suggested.
She fully supports the work of the PBSO in the village.
“On a scale of 1 to 10, it’s a 10. It would be great to see PSAs or little safety tips available to help to keep our sheriff’s deputies safe,” Pinto said. “We need to help keep them safe by following the rules of the road and being good neighbors.”
She is very proud of Royal Palm Beach as a vibrant, friendly community.
“I love and care for our citizens and our village,” Pinto said. “When you have that combination, you are open to doing what is needed for the best care and well-being of the community.”
To learn more, visit “Donielle Pinto” on Facebook.
Sylvia Sharps — With experience in county and federal government, Sharps has previously run for the Palm Beach County Commission.
She is proud of her work background as a 30-year grant writer, as well as her “problem solving, communication skills and the relationships that I have developed over the years with representatives on the county, state and federal level.”
She takes a hands-on approach to her volunteer work.
“It is easy to say you went to an event to feed the homeless,” Sharps said. “It is another thing to actually be the person to cook the food and bring it to the event.”
She is a domestic violence survivor who now works to help others.
“He beat me while I was pregnant with my only child, who died several hours after he was born,” Sharps said. “It took a lot of counseling, but you can’t do for other people unless you love yourself. Going through that gave me the fortitude to never give up.”
Aside from her volunteer and ministry work, Sharps said that she brings many years of government service to the table.
“I have been effective in Palm Beach County. The Lake Region Water Treatment Plant was my project that I worked on,” she said.
Her unsuccessful runs for the county commission changed her outlook on service as an elected official.
“I didn’t win, but I didn’t give up. I realized that I am more effective when I work in my own circle and my own neighborhood,” Sharps said. “Working one-on-one with residents is much easier. I want to be a part of what is happening now and the strategic plan for the future.”
On the council, Sharps aims to be a team player.
“I love being able to work as a unit,” she said. “My background in grant management gives me the skills I need to be effective and a problem solver.”
Her focus on the council will be on traffic, schools and balanced growth.
“Traffic has to become manageable. If you are miserable in your commute, you are going to do something about it,” Sharps said, adding that she is glad to see the willingness of the county and municipalities to work together. “I know the majority of the school board members. We can assist our schools to be A schools.”
She wants to work on a strategic plan for the village with a focus on “balanced growth” with a priority on infrastructure. “Having a clear vision of what the residents want is key to the decisions that need to be made,” Sharps said.
She also wants to maintain the village’s debt-free status, emphasize quality of life and enhance civic engagement.
“You have to have a strategic plan to make a vision become a reality. You also be honest with the growth and know what you can sustain,” Sharps said.
She loves the village’s park system and supports the current plan to expand the rec center. She also wants to add another pavilion at Commons Park that gives direct access to the stage.
“We also need to engage senior citizens more,” Sharps said. “A lot of them are independent. They want to be in charge of committees and help promote business. Give them more opportunities to do that.”
She said that part of responsible growth is having more affordable housing.
“We need to work with the county and developers and landlords to get more affordable housing options,” Sharps said. “I would like them to be more realistic about what residents can afford.”
She loves the partnership she sees between the PBSO, the village and residents.
“I see their responsiveness to our needs,” Sharps said. “There is no way I could be a cop. I’d be scared, but they put their life on the line all the time. I think they do an excellent job.”
She is very proud of the village’s beautiful parks and neighborhoods.
“I am proud of our council and the projects that they do. I am proud that we have a lot to offer our taxpaying residents. The many free events matter so much to me,” Sharps said.
Sharps noted that she has been endorsed by the firefighters/paramedics union, as well as the local AFL-CIO, among others.
“Those organizations, their members believe in me. They know me, and they know what I have done in the county throughout my life,” she said.
Sharps said that residents should vote for her because she is dedicated to a life of service and will always listen to them.
“I don’t have a big head. I am not unapproachable. They should vote for me because of those things,” Sharps said. “I will make sure that I communicate with the residents. You have to put them first or you will not be effective.”
Learn more about Sharps at www.sylviasharps.com.
