GOP chair Barnett to run for County Commission

After Haynie bows out, spotlight still on District 4 race.

Michael Barnett, chairman of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County, said he will file to run for the District 4 seat on the County Commission.

Barnett will be the third Republican to file for the south county seat.

Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie, suspended from that position after her arrest on public corruption charges, withdrew her candidacy for the District 4 seat.

The Palm Beach Post has reported extensively on the allegations against Haynie. Her attorney said the mayor, who faces up to 23 years in prison, plans to plead not guilty to the charges against her.

Republican William Vale, a pharmaceutical sales representative, and Democrat Robert Weinroth, a Boca Raton council member, have filed to run in District 4. It is currently represented by term-limited Steven Abrams, a Republican and former mayor of Boca Raton.

Haynie, elected to office seven times in the past 17 years, was expected to be a formidable contender in the District 4 race.

Democrat Weinroth has already raised more than $84,000 in his quest for the seat, and Barnett would face a primary opponent given that Vale is already in the race. But Barnett said he believes he can keep it in GOP hands.

“This is a seat that was held by a Republican for eight years,” Barnett said. “I believe it can be held by a Republican, and I believe I can be that Republican.”

Barnett said he expects to formally file the paperwork for his candidacy later this week.

The District 4 race is one of three County Commission elections this year.

Five candidates, all Democrats, have filed to run in the District 2 race to succeed term-limited Paulette Burdick.

The District 2 candidates are: Alex Garcia, Emmanuel Morel, John Sansbury, Sylvia Sharps and Gregg Weiss, who has raised far more money than all of his opponents combined.

Weiss has raised $149,264, a total that includes a $50,000 loan to his campaign.

While the incumbents in District 4 and District 2 can’t run again because of term limits, that’s not the case in District 6, where County Mayor Melissa McKinlay faces a fellow Democrat, Tyron Hanna, in her quest to win re-election.

On the money front, the race is no contest. McKinlay has raised $193,404, while Hanna’s campaign has brought in $3,107.