Sarah Compton is the new District IV Key West city commissioner, having defeated Wayne Garcia in the final city runoff 52% to 48%. She will be sworn in on Monday, Nov. 9 at noon at city hall.
Compton received 965 votes, compared to Garcia’s 879 — a tripling in voter turnout in that district, compared to the August primary, which narrowed the District IV field from three candidates to two.
The initial race included Compton, Garcia and Juan Llera. When none of the three secured more than 50% of the vote in the Aug. 18 primary, the top two vote-getters, Compton and Garcia, headed to a runoff that culminated in Compton’s Election Day victory.
The win also ended about a year and a half of campaigning for Compton, who told the Keys Weekly on election night that she had knocked on every door in the New Town district while campaigning in a race that many felt was an admirable display of respect among all of the candidates.
While celebrating with supporters at the Misfit bar on Angela Street, Compton, who has attended and participated in every city commission meeting for the past 18 months, told the Keys Weekly that her top priority for her district is and remains, now more than ever, flooding.
“Flooding for District IV is absolutely the top priority,” she said, adding that government transparency and e-bike regulation also top the list.
“Transparency is so crucial, so people feel like they’re being heard and seen and that they actually have a relationship with their elected representative,” she said, having maintained an active online and social media presence, previewing upcoming agenda items and explaining her positions on important and controversial matters.
In other news from election night in Key West, a gracious Wayne Garcia announced to the Keys Weekly while at the Harvey Government Center that he will run for mayor in two years.
“I’m being serious,” Garcia said. “You can quote me on it. I’m running for mayor in 2 years. I’m not finished. I’m running for mayor.”
Voters say ‘no’ to charter changes
While District IV voters said a resounding “yes” to Sarah Compton, they may as well have shouted “no” to two changes proposed for the city’s charter.
Former mayor Dee Dee Henriquez, who was defeated by current Mayor Sam Kaufman in the Aug. 18 primary election, had proposed changing the city’s charter to extend the mayor’s term from its current two years to four, which would align it with city commissioners’ four-year terms.
Sixty-six percent, or 5,674 of the 8,661 Key West voters who cast ballots, voted no on extending the mayor’s term to four years.
The second proposed charter change elicited even stronger opposition. The question of whether Key West mayors should be term-limited after serving 12 years rather than the current eight was roundly opposed, with 88% of Key West voters saying no.
Visit votemonroeflkeys.gov for full election results.
