Pahokee held an election on March 11, 2025. The ballot consisted of one race that normally would have seen 3 of the 5 Commission seats up for voting. Two of the seats were uncontested with only their incumbents running. Yesterday’s Pahokee ballot saw incumbent Clara “Tasha” Murvin vying for reelection against newcomer James H. Scott. Out of the 17 races that occurred in Palm Beach County yesterday, Pahokee’s vote total of 444 was the second to the lowest voter turnout (only behind Loxahatchee’s 354.) The unofficial results for Pahokee’s race which was a 48-vote difference was Murvin with 198 votes (44.59%) and Scott at 246 votes (55.41%).

Upon reviewing the past 15 years of elections in Pahokee from 2010 to 2015, the March 11, 2025, vote total of 444 is the lowest turnout in over a decade-and-a-half. The next lowest voter turnout was the April 2, 2024, Runoff elections between Gordon and McPherson where 505 votes were cast while the Cowan-Williams versus Perez race got 522 ballots. Turnout for the March 19, 2024, elections where two seats were on the ballot which saw a three-person race in both also had the next lowest voter showing with 533 (Gonzalez, Gordon, McPherson race) and 531 (Cowan-Williams, Mitchell, Perez) ballots cast. Prior to these last 3 elections of 2025 and 2024, you must go back to the March 13, 2012, race between Crawford, Jr versus Hill to see among the lowest voter turnouts. That contest saw 539 total ballots. I point to this to say that this trend of low voter turnout is not good for the municipality. Cities and governments need active citizenry and voters. The Pahokee election with the highest turnout was 9 years ago on March 15, 2016, where the mayor’s seat along with two Commission seats were on the ballot. Those races garnered 972, 963, and 968 votes, respectively.

The 246 votes for Scott have now turned the dais over to a neophyte majority that has been in office a year or less. The city commission cannot afford to have a majority made up of first time on-the-job-learners. At this precarious time when Pahokee was building itself back up from the chaos, drama, uncertainty, and stagnation seen since the March 9, 2021, election of Perez and Gonzalez, now was not the time to vote for a novice. In my opinion, Pahokee will once again be put on an unstable footing with an uncertain future. Other levels of government will see this election shakeup as another reason to put the pause on Pahokee and its needs. I strongly believe many voters on March 11 were very shortsighted with their choice. Based on the city commission meetings I have watched along with the social media interview between Scott and Mike Steele prior to the election, I urge the public to attend the meetings. Keep an eye on the soon-to-be new commission make up and their interactions with City Manager Jackson. I fear a return to the 2021 upheaval that was so damaging to Pahokee. Will city meetings become (in some respects) a Bohlen, Perez, Gonzalez 2.0? Will Manager Jackson lose his position within 6 months or a year? Will there be further turnover of city staff? Will other levels of governance continue to question Pahokee’s stability and decision-making? Will the city get out of its own way? Will the public, community, and especially the March 11 voters now show up for the city the other 364 days of the year? Will people put their actions behind their votes and get truly engaged? Will voters look back in six months to a year and say, we made a mistake?

As I stated before, Murvin had the “strongest ability to keep Pahokee moving forward with continuity of leadership based on gained experience as a municipal legislator.” Furthermore, “Since her first election in March 2016, Murvin has gained the needed experience, knowledge, and relationships necessary with all levels of government to be an effective champion for Pahokee.” I would like to thank Commissioner/Vice Mayor Murvin for her years of service and dedication to representing Pahokee as an elected official.

Wednesday, March 12, 2025