KINDNESS PROJECT AT BINKS FOREST SEE STORY, PAGE 3
APPLY FOR A WESTLAKE COUNCIL SEAT SEE STORY, PAGE 4
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TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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ITID Will Use Staff To Pave Carol Street Near Santa Rosa Groves
Volume 43, Number 4 February 25 - March 10, 2022
Serving Palms West Since 1980
DADDY DAUGHTER DANCE IN RPB
The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors held a public meeting Wednesday, Feb. 16 to consider whether it is in the public’s best interest for ITID staff to construct a one-mile segment of Carol Street adjacent to the Santa Rosa Groves neighborhood, or rely on a private contractor selected through a competitive bid. Page 3
Royal Palm’s Youth Baseball League Opens Season At Willows Park
The Youth Baseball Association of Royal Palm Beach held opening ceremonies for its new season on Friday, Feb. 18 at Willows Park. The league this year is fielding 25 baseball teams and seven softball teams. A special guest at the event was Triston McKenzie, a former star baseball player on the Royal Palm Beach High School baseball team who is currently playing in the Major Leagues. Page 8
South Florida Garlic Fest Held In Wellington
On Saturday, Feb. 12 and Sunday, Feb. 13, the 23rd annual South Florida Garlic Fest was held at Wellington’s Village Park. The event included music, a kid zone with bounce houses, plenty of vendors, and, of course, rows of stands selling garlic-themed foods. Page 15
Regional Title Caps Historic Season For PBCHS Boys Soccer
Big-time players make big-time shots to win big-time games. That’s what happened to Palm Beach Central High School’s Luis Dominguez when he stepped up to take a penalty kick in his team’s Class 7A regional boys soccer final when Palm Beach Central hosted Lake Nona High School on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Page 25 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 20 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 SPORTS......................... 25 - 28 PEOPLE......................... 28 - 29 SCHOOLS.............................. 30 BUSINESS............................. 35 CLASSIFIEDS........................ 36 COLUMNS............................. 37 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The Village of Royal Palm Beach held its annual Daddy Daughter Dance on Friday, Feb. 11 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. It was a fun-filled night featuring dinner, desserts and dancing with a Valentine’s Day theme. Shown above are James and Schaffer Hornsby with Riley, Macy and James Sherman. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Council Seat 3: Incumbent John McGovern Vs. Challenger Johnny Meier
By Callie Sharkey Town-Crier Staff Report After serving seven years on the Wellington Village Council, incumbent Vice Mayor John McGovern is seeking re-election to the council’s Seat 3. He faces a challenge from local businessman Johnny Meier. Seat 3 is one of two seats up for election on Tuesday, March 8. The other is the Seat 2 race between incumbent Councilwoman Tanya Siskind and challengers Tony Nelson and Karen Morris-Clarke. The winners will serve four-year terms on the council. JOHN MCGOVERN McGovern was appointed to the council in February 2015 to fill the vacancy created by former Councilman Howard Coates’ appointment to the circuit court bench. He was elected without opposition in 2016 and won re-election to a full, four-year term in 2018. An attorney, McGovern said he loves living in and being active in the Wellington community, where he grew up. “I love Wellington and our sense of community. There is no better place to raise a family than our village. Wellington is my hometown. After college and early married life, my wife Michelle and I returned to Wellington to raise our two girls and give them the same opportunities I had to attend Wellington public schools and participate in our second-to-none parks and recreation programming,” McGovern said. “I am running for
John McGovern
Johnny Meier
re-election to continue my service to our community so we can keep Wellington moving forward. I know our village, understand our issues and have the experience to get the job done for our families, businesses and all residents.” McGovern has been on the council through some challenging years, including hurricanes Matthew and Irma, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though the village continues working through large-scale capital projects, such as the completion of the state-of-the-art water utilities system, McGovern knows the work is far from over. “My top focus has been maintaining our village’s fiscal stewardship, keeping all our public schools A-rated and continuing to keep our community a safe place to raise a
family and for seniors to thrive. In keeping with these priorities, in the last four years, I have consistently voted to keep our property taxes low, pushed for increased annual funding of the Keely Spinelli [school] grants to $400,000, and voted to invest in new technology and infrastructure for our first responders, resulting in total crime being reduced significantly, and Wellington being considered one of Palm Beach County’s and Florida’s safest places to live, work and play,” he said. Since his appointment, McGovern said he has found himself driven to keep first-class amenities available to residents while keeping the millage rate as low as possible. He explained that the breakdown of property taxes See SEAT 3 RACE, page 7
Five Wellington Candidates Face Off At Chamber
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Chamber of Commerce held a luncheon Wednesday, Feb. 23 featuring a question-and-answer session with the five candidates seeking two seats on the Wellington Village Council in the Tuesday, March 8 election. Attending the event at the Wellington National Golf Club were Seat 2 candidates incumbent Councilwoman Tanya Siskind and challengers Tony Nelson and Karen Morris-Clarke, as well as Seat 3 incumbent Vice Mayor John McGovern and challenger Johnny Meier. The candidates began by introducing themselves. Morris-Clarke, a 22-year resident, is married to Patrick Clarke and has worked extensively in both the fields of real estate and travel. “My vision for Wellington is to work on improving our already beautiful community,” she said. “I’m Jamaican by birth and a proud American by choice.” After losing her son in a traffic accident in 2016, she said she took stock of her life and received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University, becoming a Realtor and investor. Morris-Clarke said she is ready to be a voice and liaison for families, individuals and small businesses that are often not represented in council matters. She wants to expand the safety of local and neighboring roadways and advocate for small businesses. She also wants to protect the equestrian and aeronautical communities, green space, safety and family friendliness of the village. Nelson, a 36-year resident, came to Wellington from Boca Raton when he was asked to open an Allstate regional office. He was eventually asked to join the American Bankers Insurance Group. “At the time, it was 499 in the Fortune 500,” he said. After American Bankers, he joined The Breakers where he worked for 12 years. He is currently president of Premier Family Health, which set up the first COVID-19 testing site in the western communities. Nelson said that the Village of Wellington consid-
ers its response to the COVID-19 pandemic as an accomplishment and that he has played a significant part in that work. Siskind said she and her husband Jeffrey have lived in Wellington for 21 years. They have three children. She was appointed to the council in 2016 and was elected in 2018. She served as vice mayor in 2020. Siskind also serves on the board of the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County and is on the Government Affairs Committee of the Realtors Association for Broward, Palm Beach and St. Lucie Counties. She is a Realtor with Keller Williams Wellington. Before her council service, she was active with the Binks Forest Elementary School PTA, serving six years as president. “I want to run for re-election to keep Wellington going in the right direction,” she said. “I think we have a lot of great things going here, and I think you agree this community is lovely. We have low crime, low taxes and excellent schools. I’ve been a part of that, being on the council the last six years.” McGovern, who is married to Michelle McGovern, a candidate for Palm Beach County Commission, said he has been asked recently why he is running for re-election. “I’m running for reelection because Wellington is personal to me,” he said. “I grew up here; it shaped who I am as a person. I’ve come back here to raise my children, and I’m running for re-election because I will do whatever it takes to keep Wellington our great hometown. My experience, judgment and leadership make me the most prepared and qualified choice to ensure that our village stays great and continues to improve.” McGovern said he has seen Wellington evolve over the last 40 years into one of the safest, happiest, most fiscally responsible communities in the state. “We need to work together, we need to make strong decisions, make the right choices this election and keep our community moving forward,” he said. Meier, the owner of My ComSee CHAMBER, page 18
FEEDING THE HUNGRY HOSTS CASINO NIGHT
Wellington Drops Palm Beach Point Multimodal Bridge Plan
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Heeding concerns raised by residents in the Palm Beach Point neighborhood about safety in the gated community, the Wellington Village Council removed a planned bridge connecting a multimodal pathway loop from the village’s comprehensive plan on Tuesday, Feb. 22. At issue was a proposed bridge across the C-24 Canal through
Palm Beach Point that would complete a multimodal loop and connect Rustic Ranches to the Winter Equestrian Festival show grounds. Eileen Yarbrough of Palm Beach Point said she lives at the front of the neighborhood not far from a multimodal pathway in the area near the Wellington Dog Park but avoids that trail to ride her horses. “I’m very close to that park,”
Yarbrough said. “We very rarely hack there. One of the reasons we very rarely go there is because of that pathway and the shared use. We ride that block daily, people from my barn. We encounter many more motorbikes than we do other horses that are coming from Rustic Ranches.” When coming from Palm Beach Point, she said she often encounters street legal motorcycles on See BRIDGE, page 18
Feeding the Hungry Inc. held its Viva Las Vegas Casino Extravaganza at the Wellington National Golf Club on Saturday, Feb. 19. The evening included great food, an open bar, a silent auction, a live auction, raffles and casino games. The evening raised money for the nonprofit’s mission of distributing food to more than 2,500 families each month. Shown above are Steve Lavine, Chris and Sabrina Zeller, and Jasmine Velez with Kayla Strelec and Kyle D’Andrea of Wellington National. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 20 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
RPB Candidates Highsmith And Hmara Spar At Forum
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The two candidates vying for the Group 1 seat on the Royal Palm Beach Village Council sparred at a candidate forum held Tuesday, Feb. 22 at the Village Meeting Hall. The forum, hosted by the TownCrier newspaper, featured incumbent Councilman Jeff Hmara and challenger Julie Highsmith. The Group 1 election is the only item on the Tuesday, March 8 Royal Palm Beach municipal ballot. The two candidates gave their opinions on a wide variety of local issues. They started by introducing themselves during opening statements.
Highsmith, 41, has lived in Royal Palm Beach since she was five years old and has been married to her husband Bill for 14 years. They have three daughters. “I love living here,” she said. “That’s why I decided to raise my family here with my husband.” She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Florida Atlantic University, where she double majored in marketing and management. “I ran a home healthcare business for 16 years in Wellington,” Highsmith said. “I decided to change careers recently and became a teacher. I am a teacher at H.L. Johnson Elementary School here in Royal Palm Beach.”
She said, if elected, she will strive to always make decisions in the best interest of residents. Hmara, 77, said he and his wife Carolyn have lived in the village for about 20 years. “We love this piece of paradise, as we refer to it,” he said. Hmara was elected to the council in 2012 and is wrapping up his fifth two-year term. He said he prides himself in being readily accessible and takes calls from residents on traffic, canal and water, as well as school issues or if a trash pickup was missed. For the past year, he has been actively involved in the Feeding South Florida program at Royal See RPB FORUM, page 4
Challenger Julie Highsmith and incumbent Councilman Jeff Hmara before Tuesday’s forum. PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER