LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS FOR CONGRESS, STATE HOUSE AND BALLOT QUESTIONS SEE STORIES, PAGE 7 THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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INSIDE ITID Officials: Lower Speed On Sem Pratt
Volume 31, Number 45 November 5 - November 11, 2010
Santamaria Rolls Past Rivals To Claim Second Term
A recent bus accident on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road in front of Seminole Ridge High School has renewed concerns about general student safety in that area, with Indian Trail Improvement District officials calling for a lower speed limit in the area. Page 3
Rockin’ The Night Away With St. Rita Church
St. Rita Catholic Church in Wellington held “St. Rita Rockin’ the Nite Away” on Saturday, Oct. 30 at the parish center. Sponsored by the St. Rita Council of Catholic Women and the Knights of Columbus, the event featured ’50s music, food, raffles, karaoke and plenty of dancing, 1950s-style. (Above) Kit Weiss and Sharon Vowles as pink ladies. Page 9
RPB Hosts Halloween Festival At Vets Park
The Village of Royal Palm Beach held its annual Fall Festival on Friday, Oct. 29 at Veterans Park. Kids were dressed in Halloween costumes and there were plenty of goodies as well as entertainment throughout the evening. Page 10
Xtreme Tae Kwon Do Hosts Kick-Athon
For the eighth year, Ultima Fitness/Xtreme Tae Kwon Do held its fundraising kick-athon to benefit the 13th annual Wellington Community Fitness Run & Walk. Students solicited pledges and set goals for how many kicks they could muster in three timed rounds. Page 13
Victory Party — County Commissioner Jess Santamaria celebrated with hundreds of supporters Tuesday night at the original Wellington Mall. (Above) Bill Riley, Santamaria, Pastor Michael Rose and Robert Gibson. PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Democratic incumbent Jess Santamaria soundly defeated two challengers Tuesday, winning a second term representing District 6 on the Palm Beach County Commission. Santamaria widely outpaced Republican hopeful John Carroll and independent candidate Andy Schaller. The incumbent garnered 57.9 percent (29,195 votes) to Carroll’s 35.8 percent (18,030 votes) and Schaller’s 6.3 percent (3,182 votes), according to unofficial returns. Santamaria said his goals for the next four years will be similar to those for his first four, with some tweaking. “The goal I had the first time around was the ‘corruption county’ issue,” he told the Town-
ROTARY CLUB’S ‘BOO AT THE ZOO’
Crier on Wednesday. “I guess I have to modify the concept somewhat.” When he initiated his effort to reduce corruption, Santamaria said it was aimed against people such as his District 6 predecessor Tony Masilotti, who was convicted of actually making money by improperly using his position. “Right now, it’s not quite in the same fashion, to the same extent that it was before I got elected,” Santamaria said. “Before I was elected, people were getting paid off in some fashion illegally. Now, the issue is more the legal abuse of power by helping someone at the expense of the public.” Some of Santamaria’s examples include the county selling transfer of development rights (TDRs) worth $50,000 for $1, which he
said benefits special interests at the expense of the public. “By giving away these TDRs for free, basically, it’s going to cost you and me and the average taxpayer on the street $6 million a year because this money is used for maintenance of the 31,000 acres of conservation land that we have,” he explained. Another example he cites is the county’s penchant for paying many times the assessed value for land it purchases. Mecca Farms was worth $20 million, but the county paid $60 million and then spent another $40 million on wasted infrastructure improvements, he said. “It’s legal; there was no law that was violated — but you overpaid, and now the land is sitting idle,” he said, adding that taxSee SANTAMARIA, page 18
Hager, Bair Win Indian Trail Seats By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report School teacher Jennifer Hager claimed a seat Tuesday on the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors, defeating water quality consultant Mike Nicols in the race for Seat 1. Hager took 4,416 votes (52.3 percent), besting Nichols, who got 4,031 votes (47.7 percent), according to unofficial results. Hager will replace Supervisor Mike Erickson, who chose not to seek re-election. Also Tuesday, incumbent Su-
pervisor Ralph Bair was returned to Seat 3 by a wide margin over challenger Greg Sitnek. Bair garnered 5,067 votes (61.9 percent) against Sitnek’s 3,122 votes (38.1 percent). Hager told the Town-Crier she wanted to be on the board because she feels that there are still many issues to be addressed, especially whether municipal water should be run into The Acreage, as well as the concerns over a possible “cancer cluster” in the area. “On the water, they want to See ITID, page 5
The Rotary Club of Wellington held its fundraiser “Boo at the Zoo” on Friday, Oct. 29 at the Palm Beach Zoo. The event featured auctions, music, dancing, dinner and a Halloween costume contest with prizes. Shown above are Henrik Nordstrom, Dr. Juan Ortega, Karen Hardin and Judy Tannehill in costume. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 2 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Benacquisto Tops Rader In Race For State Senate Seat By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Former Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto defeated State Rep. Kevin Rader (DDelray Beach) on Tuesday to win the State Senate District 27 seat being vacated by State Sen. Dave Aronberg. Republican Benacquisto had 78,513 votes (54.3 percent) to Democrat Rader’s 66,144 votes (45.7 percent), according to unofficial tallies. Although Rader out-performed Benacquisto 60 percent to 40 percent in Palm Beach County, Ben-
acquisto carried the election with a strong 67-33 percent showing in heavily Republican Lee County. The gerrymandered district runs across the state in a thin strip from West Palm Beach to Fort Myers. Benacquisto, along with friends, supporters and family, awaited the results at the Binks Forest Golf Club in Wellington. Despite a delay in tallying the votes in Palm Beach County, Benacquisto was optimistic about the outcome. “A year and a half ago, people said, ‘You will not win a Democratic seat,’” she said. “We did.
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State Senator-Elect Lizbeth Benacquisto with family members at her victory party Tuesday night at the Binks Forest Golf Club. BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER
People said, ‘You’re just a city councilwoman; how are you going to make the leap?’ We did.” Benacquisto attributed her success to the grassroots efforts of her campaign and to her staff, who knocked on doors and made phone calls on her behalf. “We’re exhausted but thrilled,” she said. “The work starts tomorrow. I’m going to do everything that I can to get our government back in line, spend less money, do what we can to create jobs in the community and make our community stronger.” Benacquisto said that she is eager to begin working for the constituents of District 27 and stressed her commitment to bettering the community. “I can’t wait to make a difference in the community,” she said. “To bring jobs, to bring better education, and to bring a renewed sense of pride in living in our community and living in Florida. It was about doing the right thing for the community. Whether it’s on a local level, or on a state level there is so much to do. I believe in my ability to do some good things.” In the District 25 contest to replace departing Senate President Jeff Atwater, State Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff (R-Fort Lauderdale) easily defeated State Rep. Kelly See SENATE, page 18
Jennifer Hager campaigns on horseback Tuesday outside the Indian Trail Improvement District office. PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER
Grossman Ahead In Close School Board Race; Recount Likely By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report New faces will represent the western communities on the Palm Beach County School Board after the results of Tuesday’s elections are finalized. In District 6, businessman Dean Grossman of Delray Beach appears to have edged out retired educator Marcia Andrews of Royal Palm Beach by just 110 votes out of 47,948 votes cast. Grossman and Andrews vied for the seat vacated by longtime School Board Member Dr. Sandra Richmond. According to unofficial tallies, Grossman took 24,029 votes (50.1 percent) to Andrews’ 23,919 votes (49.9 percent). Both sides agree that a recount is likely.
In District 3, challenger Karen Brill of Boynton Beach soundly defeated incumbent Bill Graham, taking 30,942 votes (65.4 percent) to Graham’s 16,400 votes (34.6 percent). DISTRICT 6 District 6 covers most of the western communities, as well as the Glades and western suburbs down into the south county area. The Grossman-Andrews race was hard-fought, in which both sides complained of attack ads. However, both candidates pledged to be advocates for students and teachers, no matter the outcome. “I remain optimistic, but there’s still votes to be counted,” Grossman said Wednesday. “I knew it would be a close race, but I didn’t See SCHOOLS, page 5
Renovated Playground Open At Wellington’s Village Park By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report After almost a month of construction, a bigger and better Village Park Playground has reopened to Wellington residents with many improvements to maximize childhood fun and safety. The playground, located at Village Park on Pierson Road, closed last month for a complete overhaul — from footing to playground equipment. The renovation is part of the village’s routine upkeep of its parks that occurs every 10 to 12 years, said Lonnie Brevik, trades crew chief for environmental and neighborhood services. The upgrade cost the village approximately $240,000, Director
of Operations Jim Barnes said. Additionally, Brevik noted that the project came in before deadline and under budget. The village replaced all of the equipment and footing and shifted the play areas around slightly, Brevik said. “We removed the old [playground equipment] and added the new and up-to-date,” he said. “We added the pirate ship and moved the 2 to 5 [year old] swings.” A large pirate-ship play structure is the highlight of the playground, something Brevik said he chose because it is a big draw. “It’s attractive to young kids,” he said. “It’s not something you see in the regular neighborhood
parks. It’s a big ship, and it’s neatlooking.” The playground features three major play structures for all ages, from 2 to 5 on a smaller structure, up to the 8- to 10-year-olds on the larger structures. Each structure features a variety of activities, from slides to sliding poles, climbing apparatuses and other features. Brevik noted that, like on most playgrounds, the structures are handicapped-accessible, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. “Most of the playground structures are built where they have interaction,” he said. “There’s a lot of hands-on activities — almost See PLAYGROUND, page 18
Wellington’s newly renovated Village Park Playground features this pirate ship play structure. PHOTO BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER