The Palm Beach County Commission, upcoming General Election, and vote for mayor.

But first, before we proceed, there is news from the PBC Commission. . .

Commissioner Dave Kerner
is now Chair of the VAB.

County Commissioner Steven Abrams (left)
is term-limited. He hands the gavel to
Commissioner Dave Kerner.

The message:

“I [Commissioner Kerner] stepped into my first role in elected service as a Chairman. The members of the Value Adjustment Board sought fit to elect me as the Chairman of this important institution after 8 years of leadership under retiring Chairman Steven L. Abrams. At our organizational meeting today, we passed the gavel, and also had the pleasure of welcoming our new VAB member Dr. Josh Smith.”


Congratulations Commissioner Kerner. Now back to the upcoming elections. . .

Please note: If you find yourself going a bit astray whilst reading this blog post. . .

At the end of this blog post is a helpful map of Palm Beach County with a color key to match up which commissioner represents that area.


For example, the little City of Lake Worth is only about 6½ square miles but is represented by two county commissioners. Both are up for re-election in 2020. Do you know who they are? And who will become the new mayor of Palm Beach County?

The current Palm Beach County vice mayor is Commissioner Mack Bernard who represents District 7. District 6 Commissioner Melissa McKinlay is the current mayor of PBC. From last year below is an excerpt from news datelined November 21st, 2017 by Sun Sentinel reporter Skyler Swisher:


     Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday [Nov. 21st, 2017] to appoint McKinlay to the largely ceremonial post. As county mayor, she’ll run meetings and county government at functions. She also will have a big say on what appears on meeting agendas.
     The county mayor position is filled annually on a rotating basis by a vote of the seven-member commission. She assumed her duties at Tuesday’s County Commission meeting.


The first regularly scheduled County Commission meeting following the upcoming General Election is on Tuesday, November 20th and will include the swearing in of two new commissioners and the vote for mayor (which commissioner will replace the current mayor).

Which two commission seats will be on the General Election ballot in November?

First, to learn more about the County Commission click on this link. There are seven Palm Beach County Commission districts. Do you know which commissioner represents you? Find that answer below.

How will the upcoming elections change the make up of the County commission?

District 2 Commissioner Paulette Burdick and District 4 Commissioner Steven L. Abrams are term-limited (two-term limit) and cannot run for re-election.

District 6 Commissioner and current Mayor McKinlay had no opposition and was re-elected to another four-year term as a commissioner. McKinlay is now term-limited.

How will the upcoming November 6th General Election change the County Commission? Only two seats will be on a ballot this election cycle: Districts 2 and 4.

In the Democrat Primary last August 28th for the District 2 seat were:

• Gregg Weiss [winner: 49.72%]
• Emmanuel G. Morel [19.97%]
• Sylvia L. Sharps [30.31%]

Mary Kaye Bates has filed to run and qualified for the District 2 seat as a write-in candidate. Gregg Weiss will be on the November General Election ballot but Bates will not. If you wish to cast a vote for Bates you have to write her name on the ballot.

In District 6 there are two candidates on the November 6th General Election:

• William “Billy” Vale (Rep)
• Robert S. Weinroth (Dem)

Here is a partial map of Districts 1–7.

Click on map to enlarge:

Click on this link and enter an address for which commissioner represents that area in PBC on
the County Commission.

Match the color key below with the map above.

Districts 2 and 4 will have new representation in the
very near future. Here is how the County
Commission looks today.

As to the question above. Which County commissioners represent the City of Lake Worth?

They are District 3 Commissioner Dave Kerner
and District 7 Commissioner and Vice Mayor
Mack Bernard, both are up for re-election
in November 2020.