Judy Mollica Wins Delray Beach Commission Seat 2

Judy Mollica secured a seat on the Delray Beach City Commission Tuesday, winning the open Seat 2 contest with 40.4% of the vote in a three-way race that exposed deep divisions over development, city finances and political dysfunction at City Hall.

Mollica outpaced Republican land-use attorney Andrea Keiser, who took 34%, and Delores Rangel, who finished with 25.6%. Because Delray Beach holds no runoff elections and commissioners are chosen at-large, Mollica’s plurality was enough to lock up a three-year term outright.

“I am incredibly grateful to the voters of Delray Beach for placing their trust in me,” Mollica said in a statement following the results. “This campaign was about making sure our city works for everyone, practicing fiscal responsibility, demanding transparency at City Hall, and ensuring residents have a real voice in the decisions that shape our community. I’m honored by the opportunity to serve and ready to get to work for the people of Delray Beach.”

Mollica fills the seat vacated by Rob Long, who left the commission late last year after winning a spot in the Legislature representing House District 90. Long was known as the body’s frequent swing vote on a five-seat panel where close decisions were common. That role now belongs to Mollica.

The election arrived against a backdrop of unusual turbulence for this coastal city of roughly 72,000 residents, situated between Boca Raton and West Palm Beach in southern Palm Beach County. Commission meetings under Mayor Tom Carney drew public attention for the wrong reasons, with observers characterizing sessions as chaotic shouting matches where commissioners clashed openly in front of residents.

Much of that conflict centered on the city’s Downtown Development Authority. Carney pushed for greater scrutiny of the DDA’s finances and backed a state audit after an internal review identified weaknesses in controls and documentation. Commissioners Juli Casale and Thomas Markert pushed back, defending the agency as a critical engine for downtown business activity. The standoff captured broader anxieties about rapid construction growth downtown, where questions about density, traffic and developer influence have grown louder in recent years.

Fiscal stress added another layer of tension heading into Tuesday’s vote. In 2025, the commission approved a 3-2 vote to raise the city’s millage rate from 5.94 to 6.19 mills, the first increase in more than a decade. City officials justified the move by pointing to a $25 million budget shortfall linked to a previously lowered tax rate. Deputy Vice Mayor Angela Burns, who voted against the increase, argued the hike would not solve the underlying problem.

Keiser, 42, brought a résumé heavy on appointed experience. The small-business owner and education administrator had served in multiple capacities under Gov. Ron DeSantis before entering elected politics. Her background in land-use and zoning law made her a recognizable figure in local policy circles, and her 34% finish suggests a competitive base even in defeat.

Rangel’s 25.6% showing indicates she drew enough support to complicate Keiser’s path to a runoff that never existed under city rules. In a system without a runoff threshold, vote-splitting among three candidates always creates the possibility that a plurality winner captures the seat with less than half the electorate behind her. That is exactly what happened Tuesday.

For Mollica, the immediate challenge is walking into a commission where factions are already drawn. The DDA fight is not resolved. The millage increase remains a fresh grievance. And the broader question of how much weight developers carry at City Hall is not going anywhere as construction cranes continue to define the downtown skyline.

Mollica’s campaign language about fiscal responsibility and transparency tracked closely with the concerns residents raised at those contentious commission meetings. Whether she sides with Carney’s reform push or seeks a different path will become clear quickly. The swing-vote seat is never truly neutral, and Delray Beach does not have the luxury of waiting.