Who won Palmetto mayoral race between Charles Smith and Dan West? See election results
Dan West bested Charles Smith in the race to become Palmetto’s first new mayor in over a decade.
West received 3,436 votes, or 63% while Smith won about 1,986 votes, or around 36.5%. Scott Whitaker also defeated incumbent Sheldon Jones for one of the Palmetto City Commission seats up for grabs, while longtime incumbent Tamara Cornwell held off challenger Matt Kezar for the other.
With longtime Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant choosing not to seek re-election West will become Palmetto’s first new mayor since 2008.
West, best known for his 17 years as manager of the Manatee County Fair, campaigned on serving with honor and integrity, fostering an open-door policy and continuing outreach within the community. He is a lifelong Palmetto resident and graduate of Palmetto High School and the University of Florida. West is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Florida Federation of Fairs, a role he said he would step down from if elected so he could serve as a full-time mayor.
Smith, a former city and county commissioner, campaigned on expanding Palmetto’s police force, improving housing conditions and encouraging “smart growth.”
Smith is the co-founder of Manatee Harvesting Co., a business he has run with his family for over 40 years. In 1990, he became the first African American elected to the Palmetto City Commission and was re-elected four times, also serving stints as vice mayor of Palmetto and as a Manatee County Commissioner. He most recently ran for Palmetto mayor in 2020, earning around 24% of the vote in a failed bid for the office.
Dan West wins Palmetto mayoral race
West has raised about $35,000 in his campaign to become Palmetto’s mayor, while Smith raised about $17,800.
Tuesday’s election also saw voters decide two Palmetto City Commission seats.
Whitaker received 3,213 votes, or 59.5% for the at-large seat 1, while Jones won 2,171 votes, or 40%. For the at-large seat 2, Cornwell received 2,703 votes, or nearly 51% compared to 2,619 votes, or 49% for Kezar.
Whitaker, a graduate of Palmetto High School, is a veteran who has been president of air conditioning and plumbing company Arctic Air since 2008. Whitaker challenged incumbent Jones by running on a campaign that promised to bring strong conservative leadership to Palmetto. He said if elected, he would work “hand-in-hand with Manatee County’s law enforcement to make Palmetto stronger and safer.”
“As a lifelong Palmetto resident, I know this city has a special charm that surrounding communities don’t have and I will work extremely hard to keep that alive. I’ve built my business here, raised my family here, and now I’m ready to serve Palmetto as your City Commissioner,” Whitaker said in a post to social media.
Jones, a fourth-generation Manatee County resident who served in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant before working as a postal worker for 19 years, campaigned on issues like parking, housing and sewage.
“Experience matters in these elections. I’ve been very upfront and have integrity within this community and with voters every day and on every level. I’m not bought and sold. I listen to their voice. I’m a people person and that’s what drives me day in and day out, to listen to the voters on what we need in this city. We’ve got to have someone who can continue to do that and not special interest,” Jones previously told the Bradenton Herald.
Cornwell, meanwhile, is a local educator and fifth-generation Manatee County resident. First elected in the 1990s, the veteran commissioner has held the at-large seat for 27 years.
Her challenger, Kezar, is a Florida native and veteran, graduating from West Point with a degree in engineering and management before pursuing a career in real estate development and finance following his military service. He previously ran for a Palmetto City Commission seat in 2020 on a campaign to attract businesses to increase the city’s tax base, attracting new residents with the creation of jobs and affordable housing.
Whitaker raised $35,000 to challenge Jones, compared to his roughly $16,000 raised for re-election. Cornwell raised nearly $8,700 for her re-election campaign, while Kezar raised over $28,000 to challenge her.
