Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
In Lake Worth Beach runoff, stick with Resch
Unlike most other area cities that held elections on March 19, the fun is not yet over in Lake Worth Beach.
That’s because unlike most other cities, Lake Worth Beach still holds a runoff election, or a second primary, if no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in the initial round.
That’s the case in the race for mayor, in which incumbent Betty Resch garnered just under 48% of the vote.
Of the three people who ran against her, former City Commissioner Andy Amoroso came in second with 32%, so he will be on the ballot as well. The winner will serve as the mayor for the next three years as the only city official elected citywide in this coastal community of 37,000 residents.
In this low-budget, grassroots mayoral race, Resch has raised $38,725, and Amoroso has raised $26,214.
There is no early voting for this election, which will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2. All registered voters in Lake Worth Beach are eligible. Voters will cast ballots at the same polling locations as in the first election on March 19.
The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board endorsed Resch in the March 19 election, and as with most of our endorsements, she finished on top and is the clear favorite heading into Tuesday’s runoff.
We see no reason to change our recommendation now.
Resch, 70, a family law attorney, is experienced and is seeking a second term. She led an effort to make Lake Worth Beach the first city in Florida to declare itself an LGBTQ+ sanctuary city, according to the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. She also has been a supporter of term limits for elected officials, the use of body cameras by police officers and greater transparency in city government.
Resch was on the right side of controversial commission votes in the past year, including the sudden firing of the city manager, which she opposed, and a new contract with Benny’s on the Beach, an iconic restaurant that sits on city-owned property.
City Manager Carmen Davis was fired on a 3 to 2 vote at a special commission meeting in December that had been noticed as a performance review for Davis. Resch and Commissioner Sarah Malega voted against the firing. Malega was reelected on March 19.
Aside from whether Davis’ performance merited the dismissal, it was carried out in a haphazard and heartless way that reflected poorly on the city.
One of the three commissioners who voted to fire the manager, Kim Stokes, was defeated by Mimi May on March 19 (the other two commissioners were not up for re-election).
We endorsed Stokes because she was well-informed and competent. Disagreements between Stokes and other commissioners were handled with greater decorum compared to the chaos and turmoil that had previously been commonplace at City Hall.
We also called May “the strongest challenger” in any of the city’s three contested races. With their similar views on the ouster of the city manager, we hope that May, Resch and Malega can work together to continue this city’s forward momentum.
You can read Resch’s and Amoroso’s questionnaires on our website.
Do your homework, Lake Worth Beach, and we think you’ll come to the same conclusion we did: Betty Resch deserves another term at City Hall.