Residents want empty commission seat filled

Dozens of exasperated residents urged Delray Beach commissioners to fill a vacancy on the commission with a member of the black community on Tuesday following weeks of gridlock as commissioners failed to make an appointment.

Residents sat nearly elbow-toelbow as Delray’s four commissioners began Tuesday’s meeting at City Hall. Nearly two dozen residents wore yellow to show their support for interim candidate Yvonne Odom and many more sat in on the meeting to listen and vent their frustration.

Former city commissioner and resident Angie Gray told the commission the vacant seat, previously filled by Al Jacquet — who is African-American — leaves the black community without a voice on issues of jobs, affordable housing and gentrification, among others.

“We should not be without black representation on this board, and every one of you know that,” Gray said.

During two previous meetings, the four-person commission failed to agree on an interim candidate. The mayor and Commissioner Jordana Jarjura threw their support behind Odom, while Commissioners Shelly Petrolia and Mitch Katz voted for Josh Smith.

The disagreement has left the city in violation of its charter, the document that defines the city's procedures. The charter says Delray has two months to hold a special election and fill the vacancy if commissioners can't agree after two meetings.

Adding to the pressure, a Delray Beach resident filed a lawsuit to try to force the city to follow its own rules and hold a special election for the seat.

With officials saying a special election would be impossible, Commissioner Jarjura recommended a third vote Tuesday, when commissioners would write down three names in search of common ground.

“We should do the right thing and we should find commonality. This doesn’t have to be a line in the sand,” Jarjura said.

Commissioners Petrolia and Katz disagreed, saying the best way to move forward was to leave the seat vacant until elections in March.

“Ninety days from today, the people, all the people, especially your community, the people that are here, will have a chance to voice in the way this democracy was created, by going to the polls,” Katz said.

With no third vote and City Attorney R. Max Lohman saying the charter doesn’t mention the option to reconsider, the seat will remain vacant.

The frustration was palpable as

Angie Gray,