Port of Palm Beach Commission races: Two of five seats up for grabs in November election
Two of five seats on the Port of Palm Beach District Commission are being contested in the Nov. 8 election.
Port commissioners oversee an independent special taxing district that generates $17.5 million annually in state and local tax revenue. More than $14 million worth of commodities pass through the 165-acre port in Riviera Beach annually – 80% of it in exports, primarily to the Caribbean. The Margaritaville at Sea Paradise cruise ship also berths there.
The port and its tenants employ more than 3,500 people. It has not levied any taxes on Palm Beach County residents since fiscal year 1974-1975.
Commissioners are elected to four-year terms and meet monthly. Longtime Democratic incumbent Blair Ciklin is being challenged in Group 4 by Republican Doreen Loretta Benson. Democrat Deandre Poole and Republican Roderick Oliver Clarke are vying for the Group 5 seat being vacated by the Joseph Anderson, who isn’t seeking reelection.
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The Palm Beach Post performed a criminal background check on every candidate for the Port Commission, including the incumbent. The Post is reporting any criminal charges filed and the outcome of the cases since January 2012, even when they did not result in a conviction.
The candidates below are listed in alphabetical order, using the names as they will appear on the ballot. Doreen Loretta Benson agreed to an interview, but did not participate.
Group 4 candidate: Doreen Loretta Benson
Age and residence: 66, West Palm Beach.
Platform: Benson’s issues are expanding port capabilities and revenue to create new jobs, and upgrading the appearance of the port, her campaign website states while offering no specifics.
Professional history: Benson has worked as a broker at Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers in New York City, and in marketing at The Xerox Corp., according to her campaign website.
Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of Tampa.
Criminal history: None.
Finances: As of Oct. 12, Benson’s sole campaign income was a $4,250 check from the Republican Party of Palm Beach County. She reported no expenses.
Group 4 candidate: Blair J. Ciklin
Age and residence: 73, Palm Beach Gardens.
Platform: A priority for Ciklin is helping assess how future port expansion and improvements will fit into a draft 20-year strategic master plan. He’s asked the consultant working on the plan to appraise available land near the port and how it is zoned so that a determination can be made “whether it’s economically feasible to purchase or not.”
Ciklin also is fielding inquiries from potential candidates to replace the port’s executive director, who is retiring next July. “That’s one of the reasons I’m running again.”
Professional history: Ciklin joined the commission in 1977. He’s a financial advisor and first vice president of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in West Palm Beach.
Education: He has a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Muskingum University in Ohio.
Criminal history: None.
Endorsements: Palm Beach-Treasure Coast AFL-CIO, Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, BizPac of Palm Beach County.
Finances: As of Oct. 12, Ciklin had raised $53,750, mostly from a $40,000 loan to his campaign. Contributors include engineering and construction companies. He also received $500 from Lori Baer, executive director of the Port Everglades Association in Fort Lauderdale, and $500 from former county commissioner Karen Marcus. He has spent $11,115, including $9,665 to Patriot Games, a Wellington political consultant.
Group 5 candidate: Roderick Oliver Clarke
Age and residence: 49, West Palm Beach.
Platform: “I’d like to see more schools, more jobs come to the Glades and I believe the port can … stimulate the Glades more than what it’s doing right now. The money’s not trickling down to where it needs to.” He also wants the port to attract more tenants, and with them, additional jobs and revenues. Clarke favors more transparency in port finances and term limits of two or three terms for commissioners. “We need to get fresh, new blood in there.”
Professional history: Clarke is a manager at a Walmart store, and a pastor. He retired as a gunnery sergeant from the U.S. Marine Corps after 20 years, including eight years in Okinawa, Japan training service members in the logistics of offloading petroleum from ship to shore.
Education: He has bachelor’s degrees in finance and communications from the University of Maryland.
Criminal history: None.
Notable media coverage: Clarke ran for a Port Commission seat in 2020 and lost to Jean Enright. In 2021, Poole questioned his residence when both men ran for a West Palm Beach City Commission seat, and a judge disqualified Clarke for not meeting the residency requirement. (Poole then lost to Shalonda Warren).
Endorsements: Clarke says he is supported by the mayors of Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay.
Finances: As of Oct. 12, Clarke had raised $27,900 and spent $3,500. He hopes to put up more campaign signs in the closing weeks.
Group 5 candidate: Deandre Poole
Age and residence: 41, West Palm Beach.
Platform: Generating more local jobs and revenue at the port is Poole’s top priority. “We can identify land that the port currently owns and could purchase additional commercial property within the general vicinity where the port is located.” With additional space, the port can attract more tenants, he said. He also wants the port to work with local schools to develop training programs or internships for maritime jobs. And he wants to ensure there is funding for dredging when needed to make the channel easily accessible to ships and prevent obstacles to supply chains.
Professional history: Senior instructor in communication studies in the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). He is president of the FAU chapter of the United Faculty of Florida and board secretary for the Scholastic Achievement Foundation of Palm Beach County.
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication from FAU, and a Ph.D. in communication and culture from Howard University.
Criminal history: None.
Notable media coverage: Poole drew media attention in 2013 when one of his FAU students complained about an assignment in which students were to write “Jesus” on a piece of paper and then step on it. Poole said the assignment had been used by other professors nationwide, and was to be a lesson on the impact of words and symbolism. FAU cleared him of impropriety after an investigation.
Endorsements: State Sen. Bobby Powell; county commissioners Mack Bernard and Gregg Weiss; Port Commissioner Jean Enright; Riviera Beach City Council members Tradrick McCoy and Julia Botel; and school board members Marcia Andrews and Debra Robinson.
Finances: As of Oct. 12, Poole had raised $30,850 from construction, engineering and agricultural interests, and individuals that include retired county commissioners Jess Santamaria, Addie Greene and Priscilla Taylor, retired Port Commissioner Peyton McArthur and former Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher. He had spent $20,277 on items such as printing, marketing, signs and campaign events and staff.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Elections: Two spots up for grabs in Port of Palm Beach commission races
