'No time to get off the ride': Palm Beach Mayor Danielle Moore announces bid for reelection

Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News
·3 min read
Mayor Danielle Moore shares her Town Report during the Citizens' Association of Palm Beach’s annual meeting in March. She has announced that she will seek re-election.
Mayor Danielle Moore shares her Town Report during the Citizens' Association of Palm Beach’s annual meeting in March. She has announced that she will seek re-election.

Palm Beach Mayor Danielle Moore announced her bid for re-election Thursday, citing her work in creating and guiding the town's Strategic Planning Board as motivating her decision.

Moore, 59, is completing her first two-year term as mayor and previously served six years on the Town Council. The nine-member Strategic Planning Board, which she chairs, is tasked with writing a new long-range plan for the town.

“When I look back at my first run for Town Council, I really had no idea what an exhilarating roller coaster ride it would be," Moore said Thursday. "Now, as mayor, I know that this job is full-speed-ahead, and I love it.

"I learn something every day from the ups-and-downs of obvious answers to seemingly intractable challenges, and I work with an incredibly diligent and collaborative Town Council. So this is no time to get off the ride.”

The new strategic plan will be based on the model from 2003, which was developed under the guidance of Moore's mother, then-Mayor Lesly Smith. It will provide basic policy direction to all functions and operations of government regarding the town's social, economic and physical development.

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The plan is expected to be presented to the council in April.

A lifelong resident of Palm Beach, Moore earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University.

She began her service with the town as a member of the Recreation Advisory Commission from 1994 to 1996. She served two more terms on the commission between 2007 and 2011, and was appointed chairman in 2010.

Moore also served as an alternate member on the Planning and Zoning Commission in 2014, and was re-appointed as a full member that same year.

She was first elected to the council in 2015, and was re-elected unopposed in 2017 and 2019.

Moore succeeded Gail Coniglio as mayor in 2021.

“One of the mayor’s responsibilities is to work with the council to chart our direction and help navigate rough waters when we encounter them,” Moore told the Daily News after announcing her intention to run for mayor that year. “In these challenging times, we need to keep a steady hand on the rudder. We have a history of strong leaders in the mayor’s position, and I intend to continue that tradition."

Mayor Danielle Moore, left, chats with Congressman Lois Frankel at the Palm Beach Civic Association's Oct. 18 candidates' forum.
Mayor Danielle Moore, left, chats with Congressman Lois Frankel at the Palm Beach Civic Association's Oct. 18 candidates' forum.

During her first term as mayor, Moore has championed community causes. She helped steer the redevelopment of the Town Marina, which celebrated its first anniversary this week, and she has supported projects such as the redesign of Lake Drive Park and Phipps Ocean Park.

Moore has opposed projects that she determined would be detrimental to the town, including the City of Riviera Beach’s application to create a mooring field in the Lake Worth Lagoon off Palm Beach’s North End, and the planned expansion of the Port of Palm Beach.

Riviera Beach withdrew its application for the mooring field earlier this year, and the Port of Palm Beach has halted development of its 20-year master plan.

“Part of my job as mayor is to support the causes and projects that make us healthier and happier,” Moore said. “But it’s also my job to say a resounding no to threats to the safety and beauty of our beloved little town.”

Moore lives with her two teenage daughters, Lesly and Alexandra, and is the president of the Mary Alice Foundation and the Barker Welfare Foundation.

She is one of three town officials who are up for re-election in March. The others are Julie Araskog, who holds the Group 1 council seat, and Ted Cooney, who holds the Group 2 seat.

The 2023 Town Election will be held March 14. If necessary, a runoff election will be held March 28.

The town's annual caucus is scheduled for 5 p.m. Dec. 6 at Town Hall.

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach Mayor Danielle Moore announces reelection bid