These 3 Palm Beach County Commission seats are up for grabs in November’s election

At least one new face will be sitting on the Palm Beach County Commission next year — and possibly two more.

In November’s election, three of the seven County Commission seats are up for grabs with two newcomers facing off and a pair of incumbents seeking re-election.

Commissioners on the seven-person board are elected to staggered four-year terms, with officials limited to two consecutive terms. Six of the seven seats are held by Democrats, and all three races are currently filled by Democrats.

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The issue of affordable housing is top of mind in the upcoming election as voters will decide on a $200 million bond item, which would be used to help fund projects and create more housing throughout the county. Details have been scarce on how exactly the housing bond will work.

In District 6, Democrat Michelle Oyola McGovern and Republican Sara Baxter are competing for the lone vacant seat, which was previously held by Democrat Melissa McKinlay, who is term limited. District 6 covers western Palm Beach County, including Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Belle Glade and Pahokee.

McGovern won a contentious primary battle, defeating State Rep. Matt Wilhite and Sylvia Sharps. A longtime staffer for former Sen. Bill Nelson, McGovern tallied 57% of the vote in the August primary. Baxter, a real estate agent, ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

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McGovern has compiled a significant war chest, raising more than $600,000 between direct contributions and her political action committee, Team McGovern. Baxter has raised more than $94,000 during her campaign.

This will be the first time since 2014 that the Republicans fielded a challenger in the District 6 general election. After winning in 2014, McKinlay ran unopposed in 2018.

In District 2, which covers West Palm Beach and Lake Worth, Weiss is facing Republican challenger Jeffrey Francis Skene. Weiss, who is seeking a second term after only facing a write-in candidate in 2018, has significantly outpaced Skene in fundraising, amassing $211,000 to Skene’s $13,000.

Weinroth, who is currently serving his one-year rotating term as county mayor, is facing Marcia Smoak Woodward for the District 4 seat, which includes Boca Raton. In campaign fundraising, Weinroth has amassed $363,000 to Woodward’s $48,000. Woodward most recently worked alongside her husband in industrial construction, she said in her campaign questionnaire.

Weinroth won his 2018 County Commission race with 54% of the vote, beating William Vale.

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In addition the three County Commission races, Palm Beach County voters will decide on the $200 million housing bond for affordable housing. The bond would need more than 50% voter support to be approved.

The county hasn’t given a specific number on the number of homes that would be built, but commissioners discussed the idea of creating 20,000 new units during an April meeting. If the bond item is approved, the county will formulate more concrete plans on the number of homes they would like to see built.

The county has specified it would be a mix of condominiums, multi-family rental units, single-family homes and townhomes.