PALM BEACH GARDENS – The city’s “lack of transparency” in dealing with issues like a proposed ice skating rink has led a resident to challenge a sitting council member in the March 11 election.
Scott Gilow is challenging Marcie Tinsley in her bid for re-election to a three-year term on the Palm Beach Gardens City Council. He said the city’s interest in building the ice rink at Plant Drive Park, one of the city’s oldest facilities, prompted him to run.
“It’s time for a change,” said Gilow, 50, who works for Palm Beach County Information Systems Services and owns a bicycle shop in Jupiter’s Abacoa neighborhood. “Our municipality does not seem to want to do this job. . . . If they don’t want to do the work, I will do it.”
Tinsley has not yet commented on the rink and recused himself from an earlier vote due to a conflict of interest with the developer. She says the conflict is no longer an issue and that she will vote on it the next time it comes before the council.
The other council seat on the March ballot will also be contested, pitting John Kemp, a firefighter-paramedic from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, against Chuck Millar, the council’s planning and zoning chairman. Councilman Carl Woods is leaving office due to term limits.
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Jupiter and Lake Park also hold local elections on March 11
Only two other cities in the Northern Province will hold elections this spring.
In Lake Park, six people will vie for a three-year term on the city commission. Two of them previously held city offices: former Mayor Michael O’Rourke and former commission member John Linden.
In Jupiter, Mayor Jim Kuretski faces a challenge in his bid to be re-elected by Councilman Cameron May. Incumbent councilor Malise Sundstrom faces challenges for her seat from Linda McDermott and Willie Puz, and Phyllis Choy, Teri Grooms and Andy Weston will vie for the others.
With the window to run for office closed, several candidates in other communities are unopposed for re-election:
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North Beach Beach Mayor Susan Bickel and Councilmember Kristin Garrison.
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Tequesta Mayor Molly Young and Councilman Patrick Painter.
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Juno Beach Councilwoman Diana Davis.
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Jupiter Inlet Colony councilors Mark Ciarfella and William Muir. Jupiter Inlet Colony Mayor Ed Hocevar is not running for re-election, so his seat goes to David Shula, who is running unopposed.
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Palm Beach Gardens’ ice rink plan upset some area residents, leading to protests at the City Council
In April, Palm Beach Gardens decided to allow a nonprofit to build the skating rink complex in Plant Drive Park, near Palm Beach Gardens High School and in one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. It features a softball diamond, basketball courts and the city’s only skateboard park.
The move has prompted many area residents to wear matching teal T-shirts to council meetings to express their opposition to the plan.
Gilow opposes the rink project because he wants to maintain free park facilities and believes it will cause traffic problems in the area.
He said he does not plan to focus much of his campaign on the issue because he may not be able to stop the project after taking office. He said it’s an example of how the city needs to listen better to its residents.
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Tinsley, 55, said she is running again to finish what she started. She said she values fiscal responsibility, putting communities first and “a thoughtful approach to development.”
She abstained from the first vote on the ice rink project because her husband worked for an engineering firm that did the surveying work. He is now retired, so she will vote on the site plan if it comes up. She said she is unsure how she will vote at this point and wants to do more research beforehand.
In the other race, Kemp said he generally supports the rink plan, though he doesn’t consider it a priority for the city. Millar said he is choosing to take a side on the project because it is still the responsibility of city officials and he may have to vote on it.
Juno Beach leaves one seat vacant until March 2026
A seat on the Juno Beach City Council that became vacant when Jacob Rosengarten resigned last month will remain so until the 2026 elections. The council deadlocked 2-2 on Friday over whether to hold an election to replace the council. fill.
Councilmembers DD Halpern and Diana Davis voted to hold an election, while Mayor Peggy Wheeler and Councilmember Marianne Hosta voted to appoint someone.
Wheeler cited the high costs of running a special election, which she said was between $20,000 and $30,000.
Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. Reach her out mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Election 2025: Skating rink could be a major issue in Gardens council race
