Editorial: John "Skip" Randolph served Palm Beach well in his 44 years as town attorney

Last month, Town Attorney John "Skip" Randolph stepped away from Palm Beach after more than four decades of offering legal counsel to officials.

In announcing his retirement, Mr. Randolph thanked family, colleagues, residents and town leaders for their support. They, in turn, praised Mr. Randolph for his commitment to the town and his family.

"Not only are you excellent at your trade, but you're also a wonderful human being, and that is really important to this town," Council Member Bobbie Lindsay said.

The town honored him by declaring Jan. 9 "John C. Randolph Day."

Mr. Randolph, 79, a land-use and governmental attorney with West Palm Beach-based law firm Jones Foster, started his tenure with Palm Beach in September 1979.

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During his 44 years as Town Hall's attorney, he worked closely with seven mayors, four town managers, 41 elected officials and dozens of department heads and staff members on a wide range of matters that affected residents and shaped the town.

After so many years, there are myriad stories to tell and cases to recount. Mr. Randolph shared just a few memorable cases with the Daily News.

• Defending the challenges brought against the Landmarks Preservation ordinance after its 1979 adoption: Three lawsuits challenged the right of the town to designate private properties as town landmarks, which protects their exteriors from significant alteration unless approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. "We were successful in upholding the Landmark ordinance, which survives to this day, resulting in the preservation of hundreds of landmarked properties," Randolph said.

• The infamous "shirtless jogger" case: The town's 1979 ordinance requiring joggers to wear shirts, except when on the beach, was challenged in court in 1980 and initially ruled unconstitutional. That decision was later reversed on appeal — and then overturned again. In 1985, a federal court ruled the law was acceptable. The matter was put to rest after a federal appeals court in 1987 said "prohibiting male joggers from running shirtless was unconstitutional. The litigation ended and the ordinance was repealed.

• Representing the town's interests in 2006 and 2007 in a legal scuffle over a flagpole and an American flag at Mar-a-Lago: Erected by future President Donald Trump on the lawn of his private club, the height of the pole — and the size of the flag itself — exceeded that allowed by town code. "A lawsuit resulted which, ultimately, led to a settlement where Mr. Trump agreed to lower the height of the flag or, at least, the appearance of the height as it appeared from the street, but the size of the flag remained the same," Randolph said.

• A suit related to a town ordinance requiring businesses be "town-serving," meaning the majority of their customers must live in town: The suit challenged the ordinance in regard to the proposed opening of a national chain store, The Limited, on Worth Avenue, and Town Hall prevailed. "The town-serving ordinance has served the town well over the years," Randolph said.

Randolph also pointed to legal cases that involved "the application and approval of The Breakers planned unit development" and "the prevention of the subdivision of Mr. Trump's property and its ultimate conversion to The Mar-a-Lago Club."

Mr. Randolph told the Daily News that although he's retired, he has assured town officials that he is a phone call away if needed.

"I treasure the friendships and the acquaintances I have enjoyed over the years as well as the enjoyable work and the many challenges this position has offered," Mr. Randolph said. "I will miss them all but am hopeful the friendships and acquaintances will remain, even after retirement."

The new Town Attorney Joanne O'Connor, one of Randolph's colleagues at Jones Foster, is already familiar with the town and its legal history, and the transition appears to have gone smoothly.

Palm Beach has been fortunate to have benefited for so many years from Mr. Randolph's voice of calm and reason— and, of course, his legal brilliance. No wonder there is such a loud chorus wishing him the best in his retirement.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Editorial: Retired town attorney served Palm Beach well for 44 years