Boynton Beach runoff: Four votes separates the candidates... now what?

Giuseppe Sabella, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read

Commissioner Woodrow Hay outpaced former commissioner Mack McCray by just four votes during Boynton Beach's District 2 runoff on Tuesday evening, setting the stage for a recount.

With all precincts and vote-by-mail ballots counted, Hay earned 426 votes (50.24% of the ballots cast), while McCray secured 422 votes (49.76% of the ballots).

Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link said the slim margin triggered an automatic machine recount that will take place Friday.

If the results are even closer after the machine recount, a manual recount might be necessary. Otherwise, the supervisor's office can move forward with the certification process, Link said.

Here is a breakdown of the votes as of 8 p.m. Tuesday:

  • Hay secured 201 votes by mail and 225 votes on Election Day.

  • McCray received 127 votes by mail and 295 votes on Election Day.

  • Of the 11,681 registered voters, 848 cast a ballot by mail or in person — a turnout of about 7%.

Hay originally faced three opponents in the municipal elections held two weeks ago. Neither Hay nor his challengers could secure at least 50% of the votes, so he and McCray — the top two vote-getters — moved on to Tuesday’s runoff.

The winner will work alongside Mayor Ty Penserga, Vice Mayor Angela Cruz, Commissioner Thomas Turkin and Commissioner Aimee Kelley, a former appointee who won her first election and three-year term this month.

More about the candidates in Boynton Beach's tight runoff election

Hay, an ordained minister, previously worked for the Palm Beach County School District as a software specialist. His resume also includes Pratt & Whitney Aircraft/United Technologies, where he worked as a computer programming analyst, among other jobs.

He has lived in Boynton Beach for more than five decades, and his service on the city commission dates back more than 15 years:

  • First elected in 2007.

  • Won re-election in 2011.

  • Served as interim mayor from February 2012 to March 2013.

  • Returned to the District 2 seat after another successful election in 2020.

Hay has also served on the city’s Planning and Development Board and the original Boynton Beach Housing Authority.

His ongoing priorities include improving public safety, addressing housing costs, focusing on neighborhood revitalization, reducing youth violence and continuing to reduce the millage rate.

McCray, a funeral director at Roy Mizell & Kurtz Funeral Home in Fort Lauderdale, said his goal is to support youth programs and expand affordable housing, among other priorities.

His service on the commission dates back more than two decades:

  • First appointed to the commission in 2001.

  • Elected in 2002.

  • Re-elected in 2005.

  • Appointed in 2012, when Hay vacated the seat to serve as mayor.

  • Elected again in 2014.

  • Re-elected once more in 2017.

McCray also sat on the city’s Cemetery Board from 1999 to 2001. And he served as vice mayor several times during his time on the commission.

Giuseppe Sabella is a reporter covering Boynton Beach and Lake Worth Beach at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at gsabella@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach runoff between Woodrow Hay and Mack McCray: who won?