Thank You & Election Recount Update

THANK YOU. Tuesday was a historic day for our city. I am honored by the trust the voters put in me as the next Mayor of West Palm Beach.

I would like to thank all the voters for participating in the process. Thank you, also, to my volunteers, supporters and team.  A special thank you to my wife, Lorna, my mom and my loving family for their help during this campaign.

I commend my two opponents for their willingness to run for Mayor and their service to our community.  We all shared a common goal to make West Palm Beach a great place.

On Tuesday’s Election Day, we secured 50.38% of the vote.  The city charter says that if a candidate wins with a majority of votes cast, or 50% plus 1 vote, there is no need for a run-off election.  The Supervisor of Elections office and the City are in discussions about whether there is a requirement to do a machine recount of the ballots since we were close to the 50% total.  Our campaign attorneys do not believe a recount is required, nor would it change the outcome of the race since we had a 21.5% lead over our next closest opponent.  I want every vote to count and a fair election process.  I am optimistic this will be resolved quickly, so that we can end the election and unite together as one city that can start to look towards the future.

I have already gotten to work on the transition process to take full advantage of the few weeks we have before the swearing-in process on April 4th.  I want to make sure the projects and programs serving our residents operate without any slowdowns.  I have started to assemble a transition team of neighborhood and policy leaders to listen to new ideas,  create implementation plans for key issues, like homelessness,  and seek innovative ways to prioritize our neighborhoods and services.  In the coming weeks we will keep you posted on our progress.

My door remains open. This is not the end of the conversation, but only the beginning of a new era.   Send me your ideas, concerns or drop me a line anytime at Keith@KeithJamesForMayor.com. I promise to listen.

Thank you again for your confidence and your support.

Yours in service,

Keith James
Mayor-Elect
West Palm Beach