In our Election Spotlight, we're focusing on the District 2 seat on the Lake Worth Beach City Commission. It's the one vacated in September by Omari Hardy, after he was elected to the State House.
The remaining members of the commission voted to appoint Carla Blockson to the seat up until next week's election. Now it's up to the voters.
"I think they chose me because of the many years that I volunteered in the city and I've served on several boards already...the Community Relations Board and the Electrical Utilities Advisory Board."
She faces three challengers, including former Commissioner Christopher McVoy.
"I was typically the minority vote, so that limited a little bit what I could do but it did give me the opportunity to raise issues that otherwise were not getting represented during that period."
He's an environmental scientist who says he wants to restore professionalism to City Hall.
Fellow candidate Ryan Oblander says back in 2019, he was approached by Commissioner Herman Robinson and then-Commissioner Hardy, who asked if he would run in District 2.
Like Blockson, Oblander has served on several boards and believes he's the best choice.
"I might care the most. I mean, I do this out of the goodness of my heart. I don't need the money. I don't need a job, but I do care about my neighborhood. I do care about my city."
Oblander says the city was in discussions to restore the Lake Worth Municipal Institute program before COVID hit, and he'd like to see it happen.
We were unable to connect with candidate Paola Branda. Hear from Blockson, McVoy and Oblander on the issues in the audio players above.
The winner of the election will serve until March 2022.
Like the three other races in Lake Worth Beach, the one for District 2 is open to all registered voters who live within the city limits.
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