Traffic congestion and development fueled much of the dialogue at a candidates’ forum Monday hosted by the Palm Beach Civic Association.
Lew Crampton and John David Corey, who are vying for the Group 1 Town Council seat in the March 10 municipal election, squared off before an audience of more than 150 people at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda by the Sea.
Corey, a Midtown resident and former member of the Palm Beach Architectural Commission, is attempting to unseat Crampton, a South End resident seeking his fifth two-year term on the council.
The 90-minute program was moderated by Michael Williams, former news anchor of WPTV Channel 5 and a professor at Lynn University. Questions were supplied by the Civic Association communications staff, written submissions from the audience, and by Williams. Each candidate was also permitted to ask one question of his opponent.
During his opening remarks, Crampton said this election is about managing change. He said accomplishments during his eight-year tenure on the council include redevelopment of the Town Marina, which pumps $15 million of surplus revenue into town coffers; the new Mandel Recreation Center that he said has elevated the quality of life in the town; holding regular office hours for resident visits; the development of a six-point parking plan that includes a popular parking sticker program for town residents; and a 20 percent reduction in the town’s property tax rate.
Crampton said his priorities if elected to a fifth term will be completing the council’s review of the zoning code, which dates to the 1970s; protecting the town’s beauty and architectural heritage; promoting historic preservation by expanding the number of town landmarks; implementing a new townwide master plan for planting trees; paving streets; and controlling growth and development.
“I will continue to focus on approving only town-serving projects and won’t authorize any project that results in traffic or parking impacts that exceed the vested rights of the owner under our code,” he said.
During his opening remarks, Corey spoke of his background and accomplishments, noting his education at Boston College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In Palm Beach, he founded the Palm Beach Walks pedestrian advocacy group, which resulted in the first bicycle rack being installed at Town Hall and in the establishment of crosswalks near Palm Beach Day Academy.
Corey joined with neighbors to found Friends of Lake Drive Park which advocated for improvements to Lake Drive Park and to the Town Marina, including development of a master plan that incorporated crosswalks, native plants and walking paths in the park.
“These two initiatives demonstrate my ability to identify problems, brainstorm solutions and take decisive action to advance our quality of life …,” Corey said.
Corey noted that he is a director of the Civic Association and a member of the Society of the Four Arts.
He said he is positioning his campaign on a “Residents First” platform intended “to prioritize the well-being of our residents.”
Corey is an investor who has had a career in real estate development and historic preservation in Boston. He served on Palm Beach’s Architectural Commission for seven years.
In his first attempt at elective office, he ran unsuccessfully two years ago against Bridget Moran for the council seat vacated by Margaret Zeidman, who retired.
Crampton joined the council after defeating Harris S. Fried in the March 2018 town election. He was re-elected without opposition in 2020, 2022 and 2024.
He is a former president of the Citizens’ Association of Palm Beach who was a member and vice chairman of the Palm Beach Planning and Zoning Commission before joining the council.
Crampton is a former president and CEO and an emeritus trustee of the Cox Science Center and Aquarium.
Traffic
Williams asked the candidates what needs to be done to address traffic congestion in the town.
Corey said the biggest traffic bottleneck on the island comes out of the North End during the afternoons. He proposed that Palm Beach set up a task force with West Palm Beach and the Florida Department of Transportation and designate an emergency during the peak rush hour period when traffic signals would be sequenced to facilitate the flow into West Palm Beach.
“That would be a great first step,” he said.
Crampton said regional growth is the big driver behind the traffic problem.
“The cause of bad traffic here is post-Covid growth,” he said. “We have had tens of thousands of people come to our county. We are one of fastest growing counties in the nation. West Palm Beach is the next big city. ‘Wall Street South’ is sitting across the inlet and coming for us.”
But Crampton said the problem isn’t getting worse. To the contrary: “The number of complaints this year is decidedly lower,” he said. “Traffic is getting better.”
Development
Williams asked the candidates if the town is properly balancing property owners’ rights with growth impacts on the community.
Crampton said, “I think everyone feels the comprehensive plan is an excellent blueprint for our future. What we’re missing is [an updated] zoning code. It’s a 50-year-old code. It does not fit the reality of our situation. When that [code reform] process is done, we’ll have the kind of regulatory structure that we need.”
Corey suggested focusing on the review and approval process for zoning decisions.
“There is almost nothing that can be built in this town that does not require a [zoning] variance or a special exception,” he said. “We have folks that are adjudicating cases on the zoning code. And they are making decisions that are affecting the quality of life for us.”
Corey suggested creating a zoning board of adjustment chaired by a council member. The remaining members would be residents appointed by the council. The town could tighten the process by requiring a supermajority vote for certain approvals, he said.
William asked if there should be more, or less, commercial development and residential density in the town.
“Less,” Corey responded. “The residents want less. The zoning code allows for that. But many times, the elected officials [approve] more.”
Crampton said, “John’s approach would be to put a bell jar over the town and say nothing else could happen. That would be the worst thing for our community … We are making good decisions right now on the council … Most people love it here. Most people like the cultural [offerings]. Most people like the dining options that we have … We want to keep those. We don’t want to stop things in their track.”
Corey dismissed the idea that he would put a bell jar over the town as “silliness.”
Flight restrictions
Year-round 24/7 flight restrictions around Mar-a-Lago have significantly disrupted the quality of life on the island. Williams asked if the town is doing all it can to resolve the problem.
Crampton noted that he is a member of the advisory Citizens’ Committee on Airport Noise, and said he is working with the Quiet Skies Coalition, a group of Palm Bach residents opposed to the Federal Aviation Administration-mandated flight changes.
Crampton said he made the motion for the measure that the Town Council approved joining with West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County in a lawsuit challenging the FAA decision to impose no-fly zone for a mile around Mar-a-Lago 24/7 even when the president is not in town.
Corey said the town’s leadership should have taken stronger action and acted sooner than it did after the change was announced on October 20, 2025.
“We waited several months to take action,” he said.
There were 600 people who signed the petition in protest of the noise and pollution, Corey said.
He said he would like to work with residents to apply more political pressure.
“Political pressure at the right point from the residents, is, I think, very powerful,” he said.
Midtown Beach easements
Long-term federal funding for periodic beach renourishments at Midtown Beach is in jeopardy because nine property owners in the project area are refusing to grant perpetual easements required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, town officials have said.
The Corps agreed to temporary easements for this year’s renourishment. But it has said perpetual easements will be required in the future. Town officials say roughly $50 million in federal aid is at stake.
Williams asked the two candidates what they would do to ensure federal funding stays in place.
Neither candidate offered an immediate solution.
Corey said he doesn’t want to take property rights away from the owners by forcing an easement on them.
“If I were on the council and I was tasked to work on this case, then I would do everything I can to get another session and keep fighting,” he said.
Crampton said the next Midtown renourishment will begin in about two weeks and be completed this spring.
“After this project is done, we have six years to figure out some kind of solution to this problem and that will take hard work on the part of the people on the council and our staff,” Crampton said.
Property tax reform
Williams asked the candidates for their views on property tax reform being considered by the state legislature this session.
Crampton said there are three major property tax reform bills under consideration. All of them would force the town to seek replacement revenue elsewhere.
“Each of them would really take a huge bite out of our budget,” he said. “But I do not believe any of those drastic measures being considered will pass.”
He said he believes the legislature will compromise by increasing the homestead tax exemption to $100,000, instead of the current $50,000.
Corey said Palm Beach’s are efficiently managed, and the town would not be hurt as badly by property tax reform as other governments that he said have a lot of wasteful spending.
“I do think the study of the elimination of property taxes is a good study,” Corey said. “It makes people look at their budget.”
Corey said he also expects the legislature will increase in the homestead exemption to $100,000 instead of adopting a more drastic version of tax reform.
Water supply
Williams asked the candidates what they see as the best solution for a future potable water supply for Palm Beach after its supply contract with West Palm Beach expires in 2029. Palm Beach’s Town Council is considering two options: a new contract with West Palm Beach or striking a deal with Lake Worth Beach. The council has said any agreement must include state-of-the-art membrane filtration for the town’s water supply.
Corey suggested Palm Beach create a water committee, chaired by a Town Council member, which would meet monthly with residents and work closely with town staff toward identifying the best solution.
“It does seem like a partnership with West Palm Beach is where we’re headed,” Corey said. “We have resources. We have the expertise. We can help them get better water, too.”
Crampton said the best option for the town would be to “move forward with the City of West Palm Beach.”
The membrane treatment facility will be very expensive to build, costing between $700 million and nearly $1 billion, Crampton said.
The cost data is opaque, and the town needs more time to analyze its options and the cost, he said.
Signing on with Lake Worth Beach would cause a major disruption in Palm Beach because it requires construction of a distribution system to bring Lake Worth Beach water into Palm Beach, Crampton said.
The construction would be even more disruptive than the townwide utility burial project, he said. “Connecting with Lake Worth Beach is undergrounding on steroids,” he said.
Closing remarks
Crampton said this election is about managing change and which candidate has the experience and temperament to best navigate future challenges.
“Palm Beach is a constantly evolving community,” he said. “We can’t charge tolls or pass a tourism tax. Those are unrealistic ideas. These days, leadership on your council requires and demands good judgment, evenhandedness, fiscal responsibility and restraint, community involvement and a listening heart.”
Corey said his “residents first” approach would be his guiding principle as a council member.
“Over the last five months, I’ve heard so clearly that the residents want change,” he said. “Concerns about overdevelopment, traffic congestion, and the potential loss of the town’s soul has dominated our conversations. I’m listening. We will say ‘no’ together if that’s the answer … I will stand with the residents, 100 percent.”
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