Tuesday, Aug. 14 is primary election day in Florida. In the lead up to the election, the Town-Crier is offering our opinions on some of the candidates voters will find on this month’s ballot. This week, we make endorsements in the races for Palm Beach County Clerk, Port of Palm Beach Commission Seat 1 (Democratic Primary) and State Senate District 25 (Republican Primary).
PALM BEACH COUNTY CLERK — This race pits two-term incumbent Sharon Bock against challenger Lisa Epstein, a nurse and mortgage fraud activist. Epstein is a really nice woman with the single-minded purpose of holding those responsible for mortgage fraud accountable. She has done amazing things from a lay perspective. However, Epstein wants this job so she can make an example of the Palm Beach County court and public records system, and that is not the proper use of this office. The proper use of the office is to organize court records, organize county records and provide financial oversight for the county. Bock has successfully navigated the clerk’s office for many years, much longer than she has been an elected official. She’s an attorney who also has financial expertise and has done a good job organizing the office, despite continued budget cuts from the state. Though we disagree with Bock on certain issues, such as blocking money due the inspector general’s office, that doesn’t change the fact that she is by far the more qualified candidate for the job. Both Epstein and Bock are Democrats, but since there are no other candidates in the race, the Aug. 14 election is open to all county voters. The Town-Crier strongly endorses the re-election of Sharon Bock as Palm Beach County Clerk.
