'Don't hate the player... hate the game:' Why 3 West Palm officials won't face election competition

WEST PALM BEACH — Keith James is the first mayor in West Palm Beach's history to get a second term without having to face voters.

His successful legal challenge to businessman Rodney Mayo's residency knocked him out of the race, which the city officially canceled Monday because neither the mayor nor two city commissioners up for re-election, Shalonda Warren and Joseph Peduzzi, faced qualified opposition.

James, first elected mayor in 2019 after an eight-year stint on the city commission, will be sworn in for another four-year term April 6 along with Warren and Peduzzi, who each will get another two-year term.

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That none of them faced challengers in a re-election campaign upset many city residents, who bemoaned what they described as a lack of options.

"We have a right to have a choice and not have to be stuck with something by default," said Adam Sheetz, who described himself as a West Palm Beach business owner and resident. "Our voices need to be heard, and our city needs to keep moving forward."

Money, dethroning incumbents are big obstacles to political challengers

A review of campaign finance records and interviews with political consultants pointed to money as the main reason why some would-be office-seekers ultimately stay on the sidelines.

Mayoral and commission campaigns cost tens of thousands of dollars in West Palm Beach, and the financial hill is even higher if a candidate is trying to take out an incumbent, who, by dint of their service, often knows whom to call for contributions. Donors, eager for access or at least an audience, tend to support candidates in positions of power who already have shown they can get elected.

Political newcomers often don't have access to those donors, whose contributions pay for yard signs, fliers, radio or television advertising.

"If you're a challenger and you're running against an incumbent, that's the most challenging environment," said Richard Giorgio, a founder partner of Patriot Games, a political consulting firm in Wellington that has worked with scores of candidates in its nearly three decades of operation. "The incumbent usually has the advantage."

Campaign finance reports show that, as of Dec. 31, James had raised $279,890 for his re-election campaign. Mayo's report showed he had raised $52,250, with $50,000 of that coming from him.

Since 1991, when West Palm Beach went to a strong-mayor system that put much of the city's power in the hands of its elected leader, only one mayor, Joel Daves, failed to win a second term. Nancy Graham won in 1991 and was re-elected in 1995. Daves succeeded her, but was defeated in 2003 by Lois Frankel, who was re-elected in 2007. Jeri Muoio won in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015. James succeeded her.

Before 1991, mayors in West Palm Beach were city commission members selected by their fellow commissioners for what was largely a ceremonial role.

Consulting firms such as Patriot Games and Rick Asnani's Cornerstone Solutions act as a sort of early gatekeeper in elections, taking on some potential office-seekers but declining to work with others.

"If we feel that they don't have the capacity to raise the kind of money they'd need, we might not take that candidate on," Giorgio said.

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Right from the start, money is a factor for a would-be office-seeker. The filing fees to run for a spot on West Palm Beach's City Commission is $2,100. To run for mayor, it's $9,000. "That pretty much eliminates anyone who isn't a serious candidate," Giorgio said.

For all the but the independently wealthy, paying that filing fee needs to be followed by what candidates derisively call "dialing for dollars" — calling up people and asking them to write your campaign a check.

"That is a deterrent," Giorgio said. "A lot of candidates will say, 'If I have to raise $100,000, I'm out.' Raising money, for a lot of candidates, is the single largest challenge."

Political consultants are the big wild cards in city races

Some of that money often goes to political consultants. There is no requirement that a candidate work with a political consultant, but their insider knowledge, capacity for opposition research and messaging assistance is a staple of modern campaigns in West Palm Beach and across the country.

Cornerstone Solutions counts James, Peduzzi and fellow city commission member Christina Lambert as clients in West Palm Beach.

Mayo, who could have tapped his personal wealth to mount a formidable challenge to James, would not have needed to know which donors to call. But a consultant could have told him questions about his residency might drive him from the race.

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West Palm Beach's charter requires that mayoral candidates live in the city continuously for the six months before the election. With the municipal election set for March 14, candidates would have to have established residence in the city by Sept. 14.

Mayo claimed a Clematis Street address as his home address, but was disqualified when a judge — noting that Mayo had changed his driver's license and voter-registration card well past the Sept. 14 date by which he needed to be a resident — determined that he did not meet the residency requirement.

With a single legal challenge, James' campaign had dispatched an opponent who, with support from some downtown business owners and a reputation for community generosity, might well have been a tough foe.

On Monday, Mayo described his decision to run as an act of community beneficence. "I can't emphasize enough this has nothing to do with me," Mayo said. "If anyone knows me, they know I did not want to be a candidate. I do not want to be mayor."

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That's not a fate he'll need to suffer for at least the next four years. After the judge's ruling, Mayo has said he will mount a recall effort to oust James.

For his part, James said he was unapologetic about the challenge that knocked Mayo out of the race. He has described Mayo's claim to be a resident of the city as dishonest and his determination to run as an affront to the city's charter, which he, as mayor, is duty bound to uphold.

"If you're going to play the game, you need to know the rules of the game," the mayor said. "It's as simple as that. The young folks have a saying, 'Don't hate the player; hate the game.' "

Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter @waynewashpbpost. Help support our work; subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Why there won't be a 2023 municipal election in West Palm Beach