Photo: Zen Rial / Moment / Getty Images
The Palm Beach County Commission is back in our Election Spotlight.
Democrat Bobby Powell on why he's heading back to the county when he was eligible to spend another two years as a State Senator.
"It's an opportunity to come back home, work locally. And in addition to that, with Mack Bernard terming out there were a lot of phone calls from a lot of community leaders that requested that I do run."
Bernard has already been elected in a special election to Powell's Senate seat in what's referred to as a "seat swap." That's the reason that Republican candidate Leonard Serratore gives us for running.
"I didn't like where people say in the papers 'we're swapping places.' I don't think there should be any swapping. What I do think there should be is an election. And I guess this area is gerrymandered for a certain party to win and I said I think people might be fed up enough with what's going on in the world that maybe I should jump in here and give everybody a choice."
Powell, who had to defeat former West Palm Beach City Commissioner Richard Ryles in the primary, is a former urban planner for the city. He says his time in Tallahassee as both a Senator and State Representative was spent helping his hometown.
"I passed over 25 bills. 25 new laws have been created with my name on them since I've been in the Legislature. And I've received or helped to get more than $130 million in projects back here in Palm Beach County."
Serratore is a U.S. Army veteran who spent 32 years in airport management and worked as a firefighter. He's run for Congress in Florida twice and says he already has plans for what he wants to get done, if elected to the County Commission.
"I'd likely go in there and reorganize the HR department. I think some of the things that were done in there for the people there like promotions, job announcements and salaries all combined...certain people were getting jobs just by somebody appointing them. If you read the merit rules, that's not allowed."
There are also two write-in candidates running in this race.