David Brooker said Monday he has changed his mind and will not run for a Town Council seat in the March 11 town election.
Brooker, a Midtown resident and retired business executive, filed candidacy papers with the Town Clerk’s office on November 26 to challenge Councilwoman Julie Araskog for the Group 1 seat she has held since 2017.
Brooker confirmed his candidacy during an interview with the Palm Beach Civic Association on Saturday, when he was critical of Araskog’s performance on the council.
But he said Monday that, after speaking with several people over the weekend, he decided to withdraw his candidacy. He left the door open to a future run for the council.
“I received a number of calls from supporters as well as those who felt it was too much of an uphill climb to unseat an incumbent,” Brooker said. “When I thought about those considerations, knowing obviously there are other election cycles, it just seemed the best idea was for me to pull my candidacy from this election.”
Brooker retired as a managing director at Prudential Financial this year after a 33-year career with global financial and insurance institutions. He was appointed by the council to the Code Enforcement Board in August.
On Saturday, Brooker cited traffic gridlock and public safety as major concerns, and said that, as a council member, he would be more open to managed change than Araskog has been.
Araskog, whose two-year term expires in April, filed candidacy papers with the clerk’s office on November 6 to seek a fifth term in the March 11 town election.
During an interview Sunday, said she would continue to fight to protect town residents, and that she was disappointed by Brooker’s “negative attacks.”
Brooker said that he and his wife, Cathy Brooker, has owned property in Palm Beach since the 1990s and have considered Palm Beach their full-time home since 2018.
The couple lived for many years in Washington, D.C. and continue to have a home there.
A North End resident and an attorney, Araskog joined the council in 2017 after defeating Martin Klein in their race for the Group 1 council seat. She was re-elected over challenger Rene Silvin in 2019 and unopposed in her bid for third and fourth terms in 2021 and 2023.
In addition to Araskog’s, the two-year terms of Mayor Danielle Moore and Councilman Ted Cooney also expire in April. Moore and Cooney are both seeking re-election; so far, no challengers have emerged.
The deadline to seek elective office is at the close of the Town Caucus, an annual New England-style town meeting where candidates are nominated for mayor or for a specific council seat.
This year’s caucus will be on Tuesday, December 3, at 3:30 p.m. in the council chambers at Town Hall.
A town election is scheduled for Tuesday, March 11, if any seats are contested.
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