In the three-way race for Seat 4 on the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council, candidate Paul T. Coleman II was the clear choice of the voters, winning a three-year term at the election held on Tuesday, March 11.
Coleman took 227 votes (64.12 percent), while Brian William Zdunowski was second with 70 votes (19.77 percent), and Steven Hoffman was third with 57 votes (16.19 percent).
A resident of Loxahatchee Groves for 48 years, Coleman moved to the community as a child with his family. He currently works as a senior structural building inspector for Palm Beach County.
This was his second attempt at local office. He narrowly lost to incumbent Robert Shorr three years ago. On Tuesday, March 18, he replaced Shorr on the dais.
Coleman believes that voters chose him because of his “history in the town and my years of dedication to preserve our way of life.”
His top goal now that he has secured a seat on the council will be to work together to move the community forward.
“We are a team and have a large task ahead to make sure we are fixing our infrastructure and protecting our way of life while being fiscally minded and focused on our town’s vision and charter,” Coleman said.
He also congratulated Lisa El-Ramey, who also joined the council this week after being unopposed in the race for Seat 2.
“I have known her to be very practical, straightforward and fair minded, which I believe will be key in moving the town forward in a positive direction,” Coleman said.
He also thanked all the people who supported him in the election.
“I am truly humbled by your faith and confidence in me to fulfill my mission of defending our charter and our way of life,” Coleman said. “We are a unique little town full of a lot of passionate citizens. Although we might not always agree on one issue or another, one thing rings true tonight: We believe in this town! I am excited for the future. Let’s make this town the town we incorporated to be!”
Coleman noted that for a small community, Loxahatchee Groves has strong voter turnout for municipal elections.
“It makes me proud to be live amongst people who are as passionate about their small town as I am,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Loxahatchee Groves ballot question allowing the town to use the Palm Beach County Canvassing Board to serve as the town’s canvassing board for local elections was approved, with 227 YES votes (73.70 percent), and 81 NO votes (26.30 percent).
