Run-off election today: News by WPTV reporter Andrew Lofholm and today’s daily spin in The Palm Beach Post.

The never-‘Beach’ers in Lake Worth Beach got some good news in the Post today.

Before we get to the news from WPTV let’s get to the “Beach” spun out of The Palm Beach Post today.

Apparently those ‘Lake Worth’ residents who will never accept Lake Worth Beach have an ally in West Palm.

Tony Doris is the beat reporter for the Post in West Palm Beach which is a municipality without a beach. And in today’s print edition, news on p. B2 ‘LOCAL’ about the run-off election Doris takes special care not to mention “Beach” even one single time referring to the run-off in Lake Worth Beach.

Why not accurately cite Lake Worth Beach in
the LOCAL news today?

Some reporters in the press and news media have fully embraced the “Beach” and others are trying to ignore it or spin it out.

The owner and publisher of The Palm Beach Post is Gatehouse Media and makes one wonder what the editors at Gatehouse think about the ‘Beach’ being spun out of the paper today.

On May 1st will be the one-year anniversary of Gatehouse Media running the Post. Maybe by then the editor(s) will fully embrace the “Beach”. Their beat reporter has ever since March 13th. So what is the holdup?

However, Andrew Lofholm at WPTV has no such qualms reporting about the run-off election today in Lake Worth Beach and even smooths over the feelings of those who disagree with renaming this City as well referring to the close margin of the vote on March 12th. But if the margin was ten times as wide they would still complain anyhow just with a different argument. And who remembers the score a few weeks after Election Day anyhow?

The fact that Mr. Omari Hardy avoided a run-off election in March 2017 by just eighteen (18) votes was big news two years ago. Some people were upset. But if it was by just one vote it wouldn’t have made a difference. And who remembers Commissioner Hardy’s ‘close vote’ any more? What the public remembers is the result. Not the score.


Moving on.


Here is the headline in today’s online edition of the Post and note the two beaches and the missing “Beach”:

Tuesday is voting day for Riviera Beach, Lake Worth and West Palm Beach runoff elections

And two short excerpts starting with the opening paragraph with emphasis added:


Runoff elections Tuesday in West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and Lake Worth will decide the makeup of those cities’ ruling boards.

and. . .

In Lake Worth city council’s District 4 race, Tom Copeland, though he already conceded the election, is on the ballot against incumbent Herman Robinson.


Why no beach?

Now to reporter Andrew Lofholm at WPTV (NBC5) who embraces the “Beach”.

The news by Lofholm is very good and thorough and the fact the contentious and politically divisive condemned pool at the beach was cited by both Commissioner Herman Robinson and challenger Tom Copeland was unfortunate but really does show how Copeland will remain a force in this City for a very long time.

Very early on Copeland took a very strong position against constructing a new pool at the beach and Robinson supports a new pool at the beach. And sadly, this issue will continue to be a highly divisive one for quite some time.

Here is the WPTV headline today:

Runoff Tuesday in Lake Worth Beach
despite concession

Here is the opening paragraph from Lofholm’s story and another very informative excerpt for the public:


LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — If you live in Lake Worth Beach, don’t forget: there is a run-off election Tuesday [TODAY]. Nobody in one of the commissioner races earned more than 50 percent of the vote on Election Day.

and. . .

Needing 50 percent plus one vote, Robinson earned 49 percent. Copeland was next with 27 percent.

The next day Copeland at conceded, or so he thought.

“It was a smart political decision on his part. It was a litigious decision on the city’s part,” Robinson said.

“The reason I did so was because I thought it could bring our city together and I thought we could save the city $25,000. Turns out the runoff has to happen anyway,” Copeland said.

The city’s charter doesn’t recognize concessions, and had they not done a runoff, the city was fearful of potentially costly lawsuits.

It’s the incumbent versus the newcomer: Robinson versus Copeland.

Robinson is pressing forward actively campaigning. Copeland said he is running Facebook ads telling people to get out to vote Tuesday.

“What I’m really getting excited about is the opportunity to use what we got up to this point to continue to build influence and continue to capture the imagination and input and the interest of the rest of our citizens, especially some of our newer citizens,” Copeland said.

“I am Lake Worth (Beach) as much as anyone and I felt good about it but I felt good about the campaign of my opponents. It’s Lake Worth (Beach),” Robinson said.

Voting is open to all residents in Lake Worth Beach, not just District 4. Polls run 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

City leaders are looking to adjust the charter to allow concessions, but in order to do that, it would require voters to approve it at the next election in 2020, which would then change for the election after that.

Once again, a very good news report
from Andrew Lofholm.

And very important to remember that Lofholm was ahead of everyone in the press and news media reporting the news about Lake Worth Beach going to ballot in late November last year:


LAKE WORTH, Fla. — After more than 100 years, the city of Lake Worth is considering changing its name to the city of Lake Worth Beach. Ultimately, voters will have the final say.

and. . .

The city commission will vote on this twice in December [2018]. If it passes, it has no opposition on the commission currently, it’ll be up to Lake Worth voters if they want to become Lake Worth Beach once and for all on March 12.


Following that news from WPTV four months ago the Post had to quickly scramble and catch up.

And apparently for some reporters at the Post they are still scrambling to catch up just like the never-‘Beach’ers still left in Lake Worth Beach.