Bridget Moran files to run for Palm Beach Town Council seat being vacated by Zeidman
A 25-year Palm Beach resident has announced she is running for the Town Council seat being vacated by council President Maggie Zeidman.
Bridget Moran, 57, serves on the town's Landmarks Preservation Commission and announced her run for the Group 3 seat in a news release on Monday.
She joins Architectural Commission member John David Corey in seeking the seat. The municipal election is March 19.
More: 'It's time': Maggie Zeidman will not seek a fifth term on Palm Beach Town Council
"It's something I've wanted to do for a long time," Moran told the Palm Beach Daily News on Tuesday. "If you believe in the town you live in, it's important to not just take from it. You have to give back. This is a good opportunity for me to do that."
In addition to her time on the landmarks board, Moran has served as a volunteer with several local organizations. She is a director with Safeguard Palm Beach, formerly known as Palm Beach Crime Watch, and a member of St. Edward Guild and the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach.
Moran received the Ireland Funds' Community Leadership Award last year. She has been a volunteer for years with organizations including the Palm Beach Civic Association, Rosarian Academy, Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation and the Town of Palm Beach United Way.
"I'm not one to do nothing," Moran said. "I'm always involved in something. So I feel like this would be a good spot for me."
She spoke of working to make sure Palm Beach continues to meet the changing demands of its residents, facing the challenges posed by congestion and development, along with updates to infrastructure.
"It's important how you address these increased demands on the town, and I'd like to be part of managing that," Moran said.
Public safety is a key issue for her: "If you don't have safety, it doesn't really matter much what the ocean looks like, the architecture or anything," she said. "Nobody's going to live here if it's not safe."
Moran and her husband, Tim, bought their home on Dunbar Road in 1998 after two years of renting in the town. They moved from New York's Long Island, charmed by Palm Beach's many amenities, she said.
"If you're not from around here and you're from another small town that's not quite so organized, you come here and they have a rec center, great parks, great weather, the ocean, everything. It's just beautiful," Moran said. "It was hard not to come back. So we did."
The seats of Zeidman and two other sitting council members, Lew Crampton in Group 1 and Bobbie Lindsay in Group 2, are up for re-election this year.
Zeidman announced last week that she would not seek re-election, after serving four terms, with two of those as council president.
According to the town's election website, Crampton and Lindsay have filed for re-election. As of Tuesday morning, no one has filed to oppose them. Corey and Moran are the only two who have filed to run for Group 3.
Candidates must qualify to run in the election by being nominated by registered town voters at the town caucus on Dec. 5. The qualifying deadline is Dec. 6.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Bridget Moran files to run for Palm Beach Town Council Group 3 seat
