Last Updated: 9:10 p.m.
Error of errors: our earlier report that Holsey Moorman had won the election may have been premature. An additional tally by the Supervisor of Elections, this one including absentee ballots, shows McGuire beating Moorman by 54 votes, and Jason DeLorenzo beating Dennis Cross just under 40 votes.
The election, being this close, isn’t over: provisional ballots will be counted Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at Supervisor of Elections Kimberle Weeks’s office. (An earlier time of Monday morning, 9 a.m., was incorrect.)
“Yes, reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” an elated McGuire, quoting Twain, said just before 9 p.m. He, too, had tallied figures from polling stations and early reports from the supervisor, suggesting he’d lost by about 150 votes. “I’ll be there tomorrow morning with a witness when Kimberle Weeks goes through them,” he said of the provisional ballots.
In the earlier tally, with six polling stations counted as well as early voting, Moorman had been ahead with 2,349 votes, or 52 percent, to McGuire’s 2,199 votes, or 48 percent.
DeLorenzo had been ahead with 2,256 votes, or 51 percent, to Cross’s 49 percent.
Either way, the Palm Coast electorate again managed to outdo itself in shame, if turnout is any indication of civic responsibility and community involvement: September’s mayoral election drew just 5,248 voters, or 10.6 percent of registered voters. It was the worst turnout in the city’s history. Today’s election drew just 565 more, for a turnout of 11.6 percent of registered voters, now second-worst.
Layla says
Two Tea Party candidates ahead. That’s great!
Layla says
Fat Lady has not sung yet. Why are both Flagler Live and News Journal forecasting wins? We got ourselves a horse race! Go to Flagler County Elections results.
This is wild.
Mario says
Layla, ummmmm, no…….DeLorenzo is certainly not a Tea-Partier. His opponent, Cross was.
FlaglerLive says
You’re right Layla, and the headline has been rewritten accordingly, with a couple of counting rounds ahead. Apologies for jumping the gun. We’re holding off on reactions and analysis of the results until those results are more settled.
Layla says
Mario, ummmmmm, yes….. Check those DeLorenzo campaign donations. He was at the Tea Party meetings. My neighbor saw him there. Tom Lawrence was a big supporter as well as others on the board.
Kendall says
Please save us from the lobbyist.
Justice for All says
Layla is correct. The Tea Party wanted DeLorenzo on the City Council because they are of the misguided opinion that if more businesses operate here, our taxes will be lowered. IF they were real Taxed Enough Already Party members, they would’ve sunk their teeth into the $100 million dollar City budget and not just focus on the $25 million generated by ad valorem taxes. Wouldn’t YOU want to know what’s in the real budget?!
palmcoaster says
This election is very very close and every ballot recounted including those provisional ballots still to be counted are vital now.
Rob says
@Layla,
We spoke at the library during the primaries. I feel your pain.
Let’s try to find something good about this preliminary outcome.
DeLorenzo is a lobbyist and that speaks for itself, special interests have him in their pocket.
On the other hand he changes the demographics of the council. It is way past time that the council has a younger member. Whoever has scheduled the town council meetings during the day may have done so to negate any traditional working class (younger) person from being on the council. I don’t think that was an accident or oversight.
McGuirre over Moorman is probably a tossup. The Tea Party with their coded and racially divisive messages does not represent me. However, ask yourself what has Holsey Moorman championed.
His votes were rubber stamps of the statusquo. The statusquo has got to change.
Left to continue on its current course, the city will continue raising taxes because it is a dysfunctional organization. Or it will nickel and dime the citizen with fees at every opportunity, as you can see it is or was beginning to happen with the parks and recreations ball fields.
The city has a grossly overpaid city manager and the mayor who appears to be his godfather swears he is the best thing since bread began being sliced. Will the newly elected re visit the city manager’s status when his contract is up? Hopefully they can recruit another councilor to see the light and to hire someone in the 100K range and then add the 30% benefit package.
This past council had the big hat no cattle persona. Their focus was more wrong than right. I didn’t see any cohesiveness, direction or any type of futureing perspectives with their administration.
Calling Palm Coast a green city but rejecting purchasing hybrid vehicles.
Asking Google to install a high speed network but refusing to put in a city wi fi network.. (Now that was really short sighted)
Engaging a consultant to assist the council with mapping goals and priorities. Then letting the town manager gas up the citizens with that pie in the sky town hall project, even though it wasn’t on anyone’s priority list.
Accepting a verbal from Walmart to build on Old Kings Rd then embarking on road construction and now being on the hook for costly road maintenance.
There is the Palm Harbor golf course that has reportedly not turned a profit as well as the tennis center which hasn’t either. (Golf course owners were trying to get out of the business and Palm Coast was getting into it)
Median landscaping taking priority over lights and other amenities in the Southern part of the city.
The state is poised to allow gambling in the state, and it probably will happen. But here is the Palm Coast town council trying their best to squash internet gambling halls. Am the only one that sees the contradiction. The Attorney General says no crime, the Sheriff says he has got more important things to do than go after blue haired old ladies and men in Velcro shoes and Sansabelt pants. But here is the town staff using resources that could be better directed stifling business and the town council following like little lambs.
And I hope they don’t keep urinating money away on that desalination project.
Last but not least how could I forget Bull Dog Drive.
ENOUGH.
Jack says
@Layla: He’s a registered Democrat and is supported by the Democratic Social Club and the Flagler County DEC, he’s attended their meetings as well and he’s even mentioned in their email blasts in support of his candidacy. He’s hardly a Tea party member. MY neighbor saw the Chupacabra at a tea party meeting too, it means squat!
Layla says
Jack, would you like a picture? Did you look at his contributions? Tea Party here is bipartisan. He was there.
Joe A. says
The choices in this election were not the greatest by far. It is a surprise that McGuire won, I will be real surprised to see what he does on the council. Moorman defeat puts a heavy damper on a possible Mayoral Campaign in 4 years. Looks like Moorman’s defeat will pave way to a Meeker for Mayor Candidacy next time around. I am not real happy with the results, but the people have spoken. God help us all.
Jack says
You can show me a picture of the Lochness monster, again it means squat! I have asked him personally if he his or was a member of the Tea Party or any way affiliated with them and he said no. As an independent voter like me, we can vet our candidates too you know, he was very visible during early voting and greeted all voters during that time.
Layla says
Rob, I was not at the Library during the elections.
Jack says
@Layla: Jason has the support of Republicans, Democrats and even the Tea Party, but his presence at any one of those party’s meetings doesn’t make him an affiliate or member of any one of those political parties his campaign contributions have come from ALL THREE political parties in some fashion whether individual donors or businesses, but what I do know for a FACT is he has been heavily endorsed by the Flagler County DEC and Democratic Club.
Layla says
I was not referring to any opinions on how these candidates ran their elections. I was referring to the fact that McGuire and DeLorenzo were both Tea Party favorites, no matter what their political persuasion.
Congratulations to the Tea Party! You won one! (two…) Is that ok?
jc says
Dewey Wins!
Layla says
Hopefully, everybody wins. That’s the goal, isn’t it?