The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 42

2B THE PALM PEACH POST WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1990 Residents turn down incorporation plan in straw vote WELLINGTON Wellington races go down to wire By ANGIE FRANCALANCIA Palm Beach Post Staff Writer WELLINGTON Residents said Tuesday they want to hear no more about incorporating Wellington. The question of whether the Acme Improvement District should continue to work to make Wellington a city was answered "no" 53.2 percent to 46.8 percent. Of the 5,215 votes cast, most voters said they are not interested in continuing the process toward incorporating. Regardless of the outcome, it's clear that the community remains heavily divided on the issue. The winners in three seats for this community's governing board had said they would advocate a slow approach to continuing, if the vote had favored incorporation.

If the vote had been successful, the next step would have been for state legislators to take a proposed charter to the Legislature for approval. Residents likely would have been asked to vote on the charter if the Legislature approves it. Right up to election day, the community remained sharply divided on the issue, each side accusing the other of misinformation and propaganda. Advocates for and against the issue distributed information to support their viewpoint in the weeks prior to the election. People favoring incorporation, including most of the residents who participated in writing the draft charter, said they supported incorporation for the money it would bring the community from state and county sources.

They also look forward to having a government they say will be responsive to local residents' wants. The anti-incorporation faction, led large1 ly by a civic group, Residents of Wellington distrusts community leaders pushing the issue, and believe it will lead to higher and more intense development in the By ANGIE FRANCALANCIA Palm Beach Post Staff Writer WELLINGTON In the first popu-; lar election of this community's 37-year history, the community elected the first woman to local office and a man who 'campaigned on a tax-limitation plat-: One of two incumbents captured third open seat of the Acme Improvement District board of supervisors. Kathy Foster, 43, won Seat 5 with ,38.9 percent of the vote. She unseated incumbent Larry Fountain. Michael McDonough, who wants limits on special assessment district's ability to raise taxes, took Seat 1 with 36.2 percent of the vote.

And the Rev. John a 10-year incumbent, re- As the last votes didn't get counted until nearly 1 a.m. Wednesday, candidates were hesitant about declaring victory and not yet able to focus on whether their main charge would be forging ahead with turning the community into a city. McDonough, a lawyer, got heavy support from Residents of Wellington, a civic group opposed to incorporation. McDonough said he believes the possibility exists for few board votes going his way.

Mangrum, who said he would be "doing a Harry Truman" by going to bed early and expecting to read about his victory in the morning, has called himself the stabilizing factor on the board. ACME IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT turned to Seat 3 with 60.5 percent of the vote. The vote paralleled this community's close split over whether Wellington should become a city. Foster and Man-grum, 68, support the change while McDonough, 43, opposes it without the severe tax limitations he has advocated. Acme is the special taxing district that provides such services as water and sewer, street lighting, road maintenance and mosquito control to the community and surrounding area about 18,000 acres.

Mayor sees city reborn as 'City' tag dropped I By SONJA ISGER Palm Beach Post Staff Writer GREENACRES CITY -Greenacres not Greenacres City is the place to be, say voters in this community. Sixty percent of them voted Tuesday to drop the word "city" from the name. "It's a whole new, bright future," said Mayor Sam Ferreri, who has championed the name change for two years. "The voters have seen the need to simplify the name, end some of the confusion." Ferreri and his supporters had argued that the name Greenacres would be less cumbersome, especially in legal documents that must GREENACRES CITY include the phrase "the city of Greenacres City." But others had suggested the entire name be scrapped in favor of. something less identifiable with the famous television series.

And some contended that city officials should keep the name if not for tradition's sake then for budget's sake. Dropping "city" will force officials to change city logos and stationery. Voters also agreed to drop the filing fee City Council candidates must pay from 6 percent of the annual council salary, which is now $7,800, to 1 percent plus $25. TO fd if (j If 6 2 subdivisions, city approve annexation PALM BEACH GARDENS -Voters in Palm Beach Gardens, Westwood Gardens and Westwood Lakes Tuesday approved annexation of the two subdivisions by the city. The developments are made up of single-family homes and town-houses on 139 acres straddling Interstate 95 south of Hood Road.

By law, voters in both of the communities as well as in the city had to approve the annexation. Westwood Gardens and PALM BEACH GARDENS Westwood Lakes are the focus of a lawsuit filed last month by Palm Beach County, which objected to the city's annexing 706 acres surrounding the two subdivisions. With the annexation approval by the two Westwood neighbor-' hoods, the suit becomes meaningless, Assistant County Attorney K.C. Collette said. CAROLINE E.

COUIGStaff Photographer 57 Turn Out To Vote In County LANTANA Marie Ceccorulli (left) of Lantana finds her name Town Hall, polling place for Precinct 136. Across the county, on the roll Tuesday as Marie Cox checks her registration card in 57.3 percent of registered voters cast ballots. Voters reject annexation to double village's size PALM SPRINGS Referendum Results Passed Palm Beach County Impose a one-half cent sales tax? Yes 88,653 No 141,112 By BELINDA BROCKMAN Palm Beach Post Staff Writer PALM SPRINGS Voters rejected efforts to annex an area between the village and Lake Clarke Shores Tuesday that would have nearly doubled the village's size. A majority of voters in both the village and the unincorporated area had to approve the annexation for it to occur. While village residents approved, 54 percent to 46 percent, voters within charter issues Tuesday.

A change allowing for redisricting the village's districts every four years, rather than every two, was approved by 70 percent of the voters. The candidate filing fee was raised to $100 plus 1 percent of the office's annual salary from $25, with voters approving the measure 62 percent to 38 percent. The proposal also will allow candidates alternate ways of qualifying for office. By a tally of 56 percent to 44 percent, voters rejected a proposal that would have prohibited council members from taking an appointed, paid job with the village for one year after leaving office. The charter also was changed to prevent city officials from representing clients before the village government for two years after leaving office, with 77 percent of the voters approving the change.

38.6 61.4 the unincorporated area turned annexation down resoundingly. Nearly 80 percent of the inhabitants of the unincorporated area said no to joining Palm Springs. The annexation would have increased the size of the village by nearly 75 percent. Village residents did approve four Change the charter so amendments must be limited to a single subject? Yes 152,488 76.2 No 47,588 23.8 Acme Improvement District In Brief Hurchalla easily tops Luce; Pruitt, Schack also winners Incorporate Wellington? Yes No 46.8 53.2 2,433 2,782 Delray Beach TREASURE COAST Require hearing and four votes to fire city manager? Yes 10,298 73.9 No 3,642 26.1 Greenacres City Require a $25 filing fee? Yes 3,301 69.9 No 1,419 30.1 Change the city's name to Greenacres? Yes 2,900 59.7 No 1,961 40.3 Palm Beach Gardens Annex Westwood Gardens and Westwood Lakes? Yes 4,736 70.3 No 2.006 29.7 Be annexed by Palm Beach Gardens? Yes 220 77.5 No 64 22.5 By SALLY D. SWARTZ Palm Beach Post Staff Writer A Martin County commissioner known statewide as a staunch environmentalist Tuesday defeated the same challenger she beat four years ago.

Maggy Hurchalla, Martin County's only Democratic officeholder, easily defeated Republican challenger Mike Luce to win her fifth term in office. "I like to think, in a larger sense, that it was a referendum on the new comprehensive plan," Hurchalla said from a party at her house. Hurchalla won 53.6 percent of the vote to Luce's 46.4 percent. Luce, a flower farm owner, lost the District 4 race to Hurchalla in 1986. In a Florida House race for the seat once held by longtime Rep.

Chuck Nergard, Republican Ken Pruitt, in his first bid for public office, won easily. Pruitt, who beat Nergard in the Republi- can primary, defeated Democrat David "Doc" Fromang for the District 79 seat by 64.4 percent to 35.6 percent. The district includes parts of St. Lucie County and Martin County. In the hotly contested race for a new circuit court judgeship on the Treasure Coast, prosecutor Larry Schack outpolled former State Attorney Robert Stone.

Schack won the new judgeship created this year for the district that includes Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties. Schack won 60.6 percent of the vote to Stone's 39.4 percent in the non-partisan race. Schack waged an aggressive campaign, challenging the Florida legal establishment's gag rule for judicial candidates and winning the right to criticize Stone for a 1985 hit-and-run accident and for FBI investigations started while Stone was a state attorney. Annexation passes Farmer, 3 others win conservation races A West Palm Beach farmer edged out a water manager late Tuesday for the Palm Beach County Soil and Water Conservation District, and three other candidates won the remaining open seats.

Farmer Wayne A. Boynton, 45, beat Sam L. Edwards, 58, district manager of Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District in the Group 5 race, 43.4 percent to 43 percent. Another candidate, Harry Gaboian, 38, a Pratt Whitney engineer assistant, took 13.7 percent of the vote. In Group 1, former Delray Beach City Commissioner Marie J.

Horenburger, 49, defeated retired sales clerk Marion Piliero, 68, of West Palm Beach, 65.5 percent to 34.5 percent. Group 3 incumbent Paul R. McGinnes, a Palm Beach Gardens environmental chemist who had been appointed to the board in June, took 58.4 percent of the vote to win his bid for a four-year term against Dan Liftman, 38, a Lake Worth political consultant. William Hubbard, 50, of Royal Palm Beach won his race for a two-year term in Group 4. The retired federal employee beat Arthur "Bink" Glirson, 76, of Wellington, 57.6 percent to 42.4 percent.

EnCon incumbent handily re-elected JUPITER Incumbent Joe Ellis easily won re-election Tuesday to the board of directors for the Loxahatchee River Environmental Control District, defeating two challengers, Stephen C. Hunter and Douglas R. Rasmusson. Ellis, 61, a Pratt Whitney engineer, has been on the EnCon board since 1976 and was the only one of three incumbents to run for re-election. Rasmusson, 28, is a fourth-grade teacher at Limestone Creek Elementary School in Jupiter.

Hunter, 30, is superintendent of water and wastewater treatment for Riviera Beach. Dn Matt Rostock, a Jupiter dentist, was elected as a write-in candidate from Area 3, replacing board Chairman Ed Huffman, who did not run. Because no candidate filed for the Area 5 seat, Gov. Bob Martinez will appoint a successor to "Snag" Holmes. Ciklin unseats Jupiter Inlet incumbent JUPITER Political newcomer Cory J.

Ciklin won a two-year term on the Jupiter Inlet District Commission Tuesday, defeating incumbent Louise M. Johnston. During the campaign, Ciklin said the district has the power to oppose growth that would cause environmental damage to the Jupiter Inlet or Loxahatchee River. Ciklin, 33, has been a general civil lawyer since 1983 and is an adjunct professor of political science and business law at Palm Beach Community Cpllege. Palm Springs Assistant state attorney beats lawyer Voters choose low-spender Broome over Ruffolo CIRCUIT JUDGE Redraw village districts every four years? Yes 1959 70.1 No 836 29.9 Increase filing fee to 100? Yes 1756 62.4 Nc 1059 37.6 Allow council members to hold appointive office within a year of leaving office? Yes 1524 55.5 No 1224 44.5 Prohibit officials from representing clients before the village for 2 years after leaving village government? Yes 2119 76.6 No 649 23.4 Annex area between Pajm Springs and Lake Clarke Shores? Yes 1616 53.7 No 1392 46.3 Be annexed by Palm Springs? Yes 280 19.9 No 1129 80.1 Annexation fails By CHRISTINE STAPLETON Palm Beach Post Staff Writer WEST PALM BEACH Assistant State Attorney Gay Broome defeated attorney Henry Ruffolo in Tuesday's race to fill a new circuit judgeship in Palm Beach County.

Broome, 50, maintained the lead throughout the counting. Broome, a prosecutor on leave from the State Attorney's Office, had 60 percent of the vote to Ruffolo's 40 percent. Broome, a teacher turned prosecutor, captured nearly 46 percent of the vote to Ruffolo's 32 percent in the Sept. 4 primary. A third contender, Henry Bryant Sims, won the remaining votes.

By Oct. 19, Broome had spent only $18,454 on her campaign to Ruffolo's $58,571. Broome embarked upon her career inJaw after she felt the twinges of a mid-life crisis in the mid-1970s. She had worked for 14 years as an English teacher. She earned a law degree at the University of Florida.

She has been a prosecutor in the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office for 10 years. Three judges were endorsed by voters for retention on the 4th District Court of Appeal, which covers Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee and Broward counties. Seventy-five percent of voters said they wanted to keep Judge Eugene S. Garrett on the bench.

Judge Mark E. Polen had 75 percent of the votes for retention, and Judge Martha C. Warner had 77 percent or reten tion..