On Tuesday, March 12, voters in Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee Groves will head to the polls for municipal elections. There are two seats up for election in Royal Palm Beach and one in Loxahatchee Groves. In this week’s issue, we profile all six candidates running in this election cycle. The profiles are based on their individual visits with the Town-Crier’s editorial board. Here, we also issue our endorsements in the races.
Loxahatchee Groves Town Council, Seat 2 — Incumbent Jim Rockett faces a challenge from community activist Todd McLendon. At the core of this election is the battle over a planned Palm Beach State College campus in Loxahatchee Groves.
We were impressed with Mr. McLendon’s extensive knowledge of the issues in this campaign. It is clear that he cares deeply about Loxahatchee Groves, and we applaud him for speaking out about his concerns. He has been involved with the town since its inception, and he knows the history well. While we believe he would bring a different view to the council, we do not believe he is the right choice. However well intentioned, we believe he is on the wrong side of the college issue. As we have said before, we support this campus and believe it will be a great benefit to the town and the surrounding communities as well. Furthermore, we believe Mr. McLendon underestimates the legal problems that would arise should he be successful in the referendum he has championed.
Jim Rockett has been a strong advocate for the college. Not only is he on the right side of this issue, we believe his extensive expertise in finance and accounting has been dramatically beneficial to the council. He has proven that he will spend residents’ money only when needed and is a believer in returning unused funds to residents. We also appreciate his desire to maintain the rural character of the community while also improving services for residents.
The Town-Crier endorses Jim Rockett for Seat 2 on the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council.
Whether or not you agree with our opinions shared in this space, more important is that you make your way to the polls this Tuesday. Local elections tend to be low-turnout affairs, but they shouldn’t be. Show up and make your vote count!
