Boynton elections: A closer look at the 7 candidates vying for 2 commission seats
Boynton Beach residents will soon decide the fate of two seats on the city commission.
Seven people, including two incumbents, are vying for the District 2 and District 4 seats on Tuesday, during the city's March 14 municipal election.
Danny Ferrell, a military veteran and massage therapist, has joined Tom Ramiccio, the former mayor of Lake Worth, in challenging incumbent Aimee Kelley for the District 4 seat.
And in District 2, incumbent Woodrow Hay is facing challenges from Joe Josemond, the chief parking administrator for Delray Beach; Bernard Wright, a local pastor; and Mack McCray, who has held the seat several times in the past.
If a candidate fails to secure at least 50% of the vote in either district, that race will move to a run-off. Polling locations can be found at www.pbcelections.org/voters/precinct-finder.
Here is a look at the candidates appearing on Tuesday's ballot:
District 4: Danny Ferrell
Danny Ferrell, 54, is a U.S. Air Force veteran who has lived in Boynton Beach for about one and a half years. Ferrell has promised to be responsive to residents, and to make the commission his only full-time job.
Background: Ferrell holds an Associate of Applied Science degree in Aviation Maintenance. Over the past decade, he worked as a massage therapist at Massage Envy, as a warranty manager at Embraer Executive Jets, and as an aircraft mechanic at Bombardier Aircraft.
Public service: He volunteers on the city’s Senior Advisory Board and on the Boynton Beach Police Department’s citizen patrol unit. Ferrell also said he served in the military during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
Priorities: Improving traffic safety, revitalizing the Boynton Beach Mall and offering more affordable housing.
Campaign finances: Ferrell has raised about $1,760 as of March 9.
Website: Ferrell4Boynton.com.
“I genuinely care about the welfare of the citizens of Boynton Beach,” Ferrell said. “I am a very active member in the community, and I am not a career politician. I am just your average, hard-working, middle-income guy who wants to do good.”
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District 4 Aimee Kelley
Aimee Kelley, 46, is the sitting commission member for District 4 and a resident of Boynton Beach for nearly two decades. As a mother, wife and longtime resident, Kelley said she wants to see her family’s home succeed.
Background: Kelley holds an associate degree in paralegal studies. She has worked in the legal field for more than 22 years, including her work as a litigation paralegal for Steinger, Green & Feiner, a personal injury firm, over the last five years.
Public service: She serves as a board member on the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, the Palm Beach County Advisory Commission on Women, the South-Central Regional Wastewater Treatment and Disposal Board and the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee.
Priorities: Investing in public safety equipment, reducing taxes and lowering housing costs.
Campaign finances: Kelley has raised about $16,300 as of Feb. 23.
Website: VoteAimeeKelley.com.
“As a paralegal, my professional career has been focused on looking out for injured persons,” Kelley said. “The same mentality that I bring to my job representing people at the law firm is the one I bring to the Boynton Beach City Commission: listening to and responding to the concerns of my constituents.
District 4: Tom Ramiccio
Tom Ramiccio, 61, is the former mayor of Lake Worth, where he also served as a vice mayor and commissioner in the ‘90s. He has lived in Boynton Beach for about five years.
Background: Ramiccio said he owned Dixie Carpet & Vinyl — the company he founded with his wife, Carol — from 1982 to 2001. He also served as president and CEO of the Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce for nearly a decade, starting in 2001.
Public service: He has spent nearly four decades working with the Salvation Army and Kiwanis International. Ramiccio also sits on Boynton Beach’s Planning and Development Board, along with its Historic Resources Preservation Board.
Priorities: Ensuring the Town Square project is completed, revitalizing the Boynton Beach Mall, addressing the issue of speeding drivers, preserving environmental resources, creating neighborhood green spaces and launching a “Green Market” where people can buy fresh food.
Campaign finances: Ramiccio has raised about $12,000 as of Feb. 23.
Website: Time4Tom.com.
"There’s some real compelling reasons of why you would vote for me versus my opponent,” he said in a campaign video. “First and foremost is experience. I bring 40 years of business, government and nonprofit management experience to the City of Boynton.”
Ramiccio's career also includes a handful of public controversies between the late 1990s and 2000s.
On Feb. 21, 1999, when he was campaigning for re-election as Lake Worth’s mayor, he used his position to intimidate a local shop owner, according to a report from the Florida Commission on Ethics.
He was reportedly attending the city’s annual Street Painting Festival when he noticed a sign for his political opponent in the window of a florist shop. After a “spirited” exchange, Ramiccio informed the shop owner that Lake Worth would no longer do business with her, according to a separate report from the Division of Administrative Hearings.
The state ethics commission found that Ramiccio "violated Section 112.313(6), Florida Statutes, by using his position to imply that he could prevent the Complainant, Ms. Carol Dippel, from securing business from the City in order to intimidate her into either supporting him or at least withdrawing her visible support for Ms. Wynn, Respondent’s opponent."
At the time, Ramiccio said the allegation was fabricated to bolster his opponent's chances just two weeks before the election. He maintained that stance in a recent interview.
"It was a totally bogus political complaint and I won my re-election that year," he said, adding that he paid a $2,000 fine because "it was easier for me to settle" than to keep fighting the accusation.
And in 2009, when he served as president of the Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce, the board fired Ramiccio after then-Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill was critical of his leadership. She questioned, among other things, a 17% commission he received from special events.
Around that time, Ramiccio said he had opposed Mulvehill and other city leaders on different political issues — making himself a target.
"Some of this is old political baggage," he said in 2010. "Part of this is jealousy. Ms. Mulvehill wanted me off with my head. She needs to be held accountable for these words."
Ramiccio shared similar sentiments in a recent interview: "She was jealous that I was successful with the Chamber and doing these events, and I was compensated accordingly by the board."
District 2: Woodrow L. Hay
Woodrow Hay, 78, is the sitting commission member for District 2 and the city’s former mayor. He has lived in Boynton Beach since 1969.
Background: Hay holds a bachelor’s degree in human resource management. He was first elected to the commission in 2007 before serving two consecutive terms and then running again in 2020. Hay is also an ordained minister. Before retiring, he worked for the School District of Palm Beach County as an “application systems specialist,” and for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft/United Technologies as a computer programming analyst, among other roles.
Public service: He served on the city’s Planning and Development Board and was a member of the original Boynton Beach Housing Authority. He has also served as a board member for United Way of Palm Beach County, and as a member of Committed Citizens Concerned About Our Children, a mentoring program for kids.
Priorities: Improving public safety, expanding affordable housing, revitalizing neighborhoods, resolving youth violence and reducing the millage rate.
Campaign finances: Hay raised $5,500 as of early February.
Website: No campaign website.
“I know what works for our city and citizens,” he said, referencing his decades of living in Boynton Beach and his time serving in city leadership roles.
District 2: Joe Josemond
Joe Josemond, 32, is the chief parking administrator for Delray Beach, and he was born and raised in Boynton Beach.
Background: Josemond holds a bachelor’s degree in health care management with a minor in business management, along with a Master of Public Administration degree.
Public Service: He serves on the Boynton Beach CRA Advisory Board and the Building Board of Adjustments & Appeals. He also worked for five years in Boynton Beach’s Public Works Department.
Priorities: Restoring dialogue between commissioners and residents, lowering housing costs, addressing food insecurity, creating more local jobs and improving infrastructure such as roads and drainage.
Campaign finances: Josemond raised about $2,815 as of Feb. 23.
Website: joejosemond.com.
“I will work to restore civility, reasonableness, and a Commission that fully respects residents’ opinions,” Josemond said. “I will also ensure prudent budget oversight, work with the Commission to plan for infrastructure and current drainage needs, as well as support our Police Department."
District 2: Mack McCray
Mack McCray is a former commissioner who has held the District 2 seat on and off since 2001, alternating with Hay, this year’s incumbent.
Background: McCray, who works as a funeral director in Broward County, holds a mortuary science degree and a bachelor’s in health care administration. He has served as vice mayor several times.
Public service: He served on the city’s Cemetery Board from 1999 to 2001.
Priorities: While he could not be reached for comment, McCray said during his previous term that he wanted to fix the city's drainage issues, beautify the roads, support local businesses and market Boynton Beach Community High School.
Campaign finances: McCray raised about $16,300 as of Feb. 23.
Website: bringmackback.com.
“Bringing a wealth of experience in community, non-profit and multicultural settings to the City, Commissioner McCray is known for his ability to build effective teams and inspire individuals to meet goals and objectives,” the city’s website said during McCray’s previous term.
District 2: Bernard Wright
Bernard Wright, 70, is a Boynton Beach pastor. He was one of four candidates to run for mayor in the March 2022 municipal election, a race that Ty Penserga ultimately won.
Wright made headlines for the comments he made on a Facebook Live video during last year’s election, accusing Penserga — one of the few openly gay elected officials in Palm Beach County — of wanting to “make this city a gay city.”
“I'm telling you his gay butt better sit down because we are not going to let him make this city gay,” Wright said at the time.
Wright, who leads RealTalk Radio, a nonprofit 24/7 gospel radio station, was a hit-and-run victim in late December after a car plowed into him on North Federal Highway. He was leading a vigil to honor Stanley Davis III, the 13-year-old boy who died in a dirt bike crash one year prior, as a Boynton Beach police officer chased him.
Guests at the vigil said Wright tried to cross the road when a Chevrolet Camaro struck him before driving away. He was expected to make a full recovery after going through multiple surgeries for broken bones in his legs and right arm.
“I’m a social-justice activist and a community activist, but primarily, I’m a minister of the Gospel,” Wright said during an interview at the hospital last month. “I just thank God for how he has led and guided my life. God gave me back my life, so now I give him back my life.”
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 local elections 2023: Two commission seats up for grabs
