Vice Mayor and District 1 Commissioner Marlon D. Bolton easily held his District 1 Commission seat, defeating challenger Michelle “Chef” Jones by a three to one margin. Vice Mayor Bolton garnered nearly 75% of the vote.
Bolton was all smiles on Wednesday, and thanked supporters on his Facebook page: “Thank you Tamarac! 75% of the votes is a big deal! Now we have to get to work, there is a lot of work to do! Special thanks to my opponent, Michelle “Chef” Jones on a great race. #LetsGoTamarac.”
Newly elected District 3 Commissioner Elvin Villalobos garnered nearly 45% of the votes cast, narrowly defeating sitting Commissioner Julie Fishman by 104 votes. Commissioner Fishman thanked her supporters for “a wonderful 4 years.”
Candidate Jodie-Ann Wright came in third, winning just over 11% of the district.
District 3 Commissioner-Elect Villalobos Looks Forward to Serving
Quoting Philippians 4:13 (“ I can do all this through him who gives me strength”), Commissioner-Elect Villalobos thanked his supporters on his Facebook page, posting “Thank you Tamarac!!!! Hold me accountable and [I] look forward to serving you!!!”
Congratulations to Vice Mayor Bolton and District 3 Commissioner-Elect Villalobos.
Several Broward Races Set for Recounts
This Election Day saw some remarkably thin margins between candidates in various Broward races; the Broward Supervisor of Elections results show just how thin these margins were:
Circuit Judge – 17th Judicial Circuit – Group 16*
- Incumbent Judge Dennis Daniel Bailey: 393,008 votes; 49.92%
- Challenger George Odom Jr: 394,224 votes; 50.08%
*Manual recount required
Hallandale Beach, City Commission Seat 3
- Incumbent Anabelle Lima-Taub: 4,527 votes; 31.29%
- Challenger Cynthia Cabrera: 4,515 votes; 31.20%
City of Davie Ballot Question
Just nine votes separated one of the ballot questions put to Davie voters, who were virtually evenly split on the Davie Question 5 ballot question, which read, in part, “The Town Council will adopt an ordinance regarding the sale of personal property, real property and purchase of real property to coincide with Florida Statutes.”
- Yes: 19,655 votes; 49.99%
- No: 19,664 votes; 50.01%
Dania Beach City Commission Race: Third and Fourth Place Candidates
As noted by WLRN, Dania Beach voters were able to cast votes for three people on a list of six candidates, in order to fill the three available City Commission seats. This led to a recount requirement due to the slim margin between the candidates in third and fourth place, namely:
- Joyce L. Davis: 3,336 votes; 15.60%
- Bill Harris: 3,246 votes; 15.18%
Florida Recount Rules
According to WLRN, “Florida law triggers an automatic recount in a race if the margin is less than half a percent. If the margin between two candidates falls below a quarter of a percent, then manual recounts are required.”
