John David Corey files to run for Palm Beach Town Council seat held by Zeidman

An advocate for open, walkable spaces in Palm Beach who has lived in the town for a little more than a decade is running for Town Council.

John David Corey, 50, who has been on the town’s powerful Architectural Commission for about six years, announced his run for Group 3 in a news release Thursday.

“I’m very excited,” Corey told the Palm Beach Daily News on Thursday morning. “A lot of my friends and supporters have really wanted me to run.”

The Group 3 seat is currently held by incumbent Maggie Zeidman, who was chosen by her peers in April to be council president. The town clerk’s office said Corey is the only person who has filed paperwork to run for the Group 3 seat. This is his first run for Town Council.

Corey moved to Palm Beach in 2012. He lives in Midtown with his husband, Miguel Rosales, an architect and bridge designer.

More: Lew Crampton to seek fourth term on Palm Beach Town Council

Since moving to the island, Corey said he has made it a point to be active in civic life. A decade ago, growth in the town was slower as the country came out of the Great Recession, he said.

But now, with construction booming across Palm Beach, some residents feel that their quality of life is being threatened, he said.

“I feel like I have a good voice to represent the residents,” Corey said. “I feel like now is the time, with all the intensification of construction. I think my voice is needed.”

As a certified master gardener, Corey sits in the landscape seat on the Architectural Commission. He said in that position, he has advocated for sustainability and the use of native plants in landscaping.

In addition to his time on the Architectural Commission, Corey is a board member of the Palm Beach Civic Association. He served on committees, including Beautification for five years.

His first involvement with the town was to advocate for a bike rack to be installed at Town Hall. The bicycle is Corey’s preferred mode of travel around the island. “I think it’s a fun way to get around,” he said, adding that he takes long walks every night throughout Midtown, walks that give him “a real sense of what’s going on in the town.”

In 2019, Corey worked with other residents to create the group the Friends of Lake Drive Park, advocating for the preservation of open space next to the Palm Beach Marina when it was under construction. Original plans for that space had included a parking lot, he said.

“We led a coalition and brought that thing back from the brink,” Corey said. “Which was pretty special.”

In his news release, Corey said his platform is “Palm Beach Residents First.”

“Commercial overdevelopment, traffic congestion and intensification are critical town issues that I care about deeply,” he said.

Three sitting council members — Zeidman, Lew Crampton in the Group 1 seat and Bobbie Lindsay in the Group 2 seat — are up for re-election this year. Only Crampton has filed candidacy paperwork.

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: John David Corey files to run for Palm Beach Town Council seat