BREAKING NEWS: Mayor Scott Singer won re-election to a second full three-year term. The late-night vote was expected. With 38 out of 38 precincts reporting Singer won 13,037 votes to 1,680 for his challenger Bernie Korn or 88.58%. That’s according to Palm Beach Supervisor of Elections’ unofficial tally. “I’m honored and grateful to have the opportunity to keep serving the residents,” Singer said via email after cancelling his victory party Tuesday night. He said he was “humbled” by the mandate.
The city’s nonpartisan race was one of 20 that piggybacked on Florida’s presidential preference primary today March 17. Joe Biden won the Democratic vote statewide and in Palm Beach County with 69.62% with 808 precincts reporting out of 872. Palm Beach resident President Donald Trump easily won the GOP race.
Polls closed at 7 p.m. But the coronavirus edict to stand down translated to a low turnout. Early voting and mail-in or drop-off mail-in ballots did better in Boca. Some polls opened later after hundreds of poll workers opted out. Other sites were moved out of nursing homes, mostly to closed public schools like Eagles Landing Middle in west Boca.
Singer took his campaign seriously and was endorsed by everyone from the press to police and fire and Boca Chamber’s BLU-PAC. But he switched from greeting voters at the early voting site at Spanish River Library, to virtual hi-fives at Election Day polls. He had a virtual victory party on his campaign Facebook page site in lieu of the traditional Election Night bash.
Korn sent regular emails about his positions that included a call for a full-time municipal government. City council jobs are part-time. The only candidates’ forum was before the Federation of Boca Raton Homeowner Associations.
Singer was deputy mayor when then governor now U.S. Sen. Rick Scott suspended Mayor Susan Haynie. She was charged in April 2018 with using her office for personal gain. Her trial is now scheduled for July. Scott, an attorney, was sworn in as her replacement and won a full term as mayor in a special election that August.
By Marci Shatzman
