Only one race is on the city ballot in Delray Beach in March, but it is very important.
When Rob Long resigned his city commission seat to join the Legislature, he left behind more than just an empty chair.
Long was often the decisive “swing” vote on a deeply divided city commission. In the March 10 election, his successor will inherit that powerful role, so voters must choose with care.
A sample ballot for Delray Beach in the March 10, 2026 city election.
Three women from diverse backgrounds want to fill the vacancy in the only election in this vibrant city, and all three offer different attributes.
The best overall choice is Delores Rangel, a career city staff member, running for office for the first time at age 67.
Rangel is not a polished, professional politician, and she’s not an especially gifted public speaker. But don’t underestimate her.
Her calm, professional demeanor will immediately help settle the jangled nerves on a chaotic and often bickering commission, and she would bring a fresh independence to City Hall.
As an example, Rangel refuses to grovel for endorsements from city police and fire unions the way most candidates do. She considers it a conflict of interest, at odds with her duty to protect taxpayers. That’s extremely rare in politics, and Delray voters should take note.
A three-person race
Rangel faces two formidable opponents.
The others running for Delray’s Seat 2 are Andrea Keiser, a land use and education lawyer, and Judy Mollica, a real estate broker.
This is a nonpartisan, citywide winner-take-all election. The top vote-getter will serve a three-year term.
Keiser, 42, has a well-known name (her in-laws own the private Keiser University), lots of money, and strong Republican loyalty. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Keiser to the board of the Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County.
Keiser has donated $3,000 each to the 2026 campaigns of Byron Donalds for governor and James Uthmeier for attorney general, records show. Asked about that, she noted that she also gave $1,000 to Joel Flores, a Democratic Palm Beach County commissioner.
“I have given to any candidate that I believe has done something good for the people, on both sides,” Keiser said in an online Sun Sentinel interview.
Keiser has loaned her campaign $102,000 and she has two political action committees, or PACs, that can accept unlimited contributions: A New Brand of Florida and Best Friends of Andrea Keiser. Both were formed in December.
If money alone were to decide the outcome of this election, it’s over — Keiser wins.
Asked why she put so much money into a race for a job that pays only $30,000 a year, Keiser said: “I am independent … I will not be bought.”
Mollica, 65, a city planning and zoning board member, is well-versed in city and state issues and helped found Friends of Delray, an online information site. In her Sun Sentinel questionnaire, she was the most outpoken critic of legislative plans to slash property taxes, fearing a “disaster” for Delray if that occurs.
Criticism of the mayor
In Sun Sentinel questionnaires, all three candidates questioned the leadership style of Mayor Tom Carney, who struggles to keep order amid frequent clashes with commissioners Juli Casale and Tom Markert.
Keiser, who is loathe to criticize, said “all of us have room for improvement.”
Mollica said the bickering could be quieted “if (Carney) took stronger control.”
Rangel said Carney “needs to run a tighter, more organized meeting instead of trying so hard to control the outcome,” and she questioned his frequent criticism of the city Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
Rangel said she supports Delray Beach reconsidering its agreement with the federal ICE agency, following violent incidents in Minneapolis in which two people were shot to death in January.
Rangel said she agreed with Casale’s request to City Manager Terrence Moore to review the city’s ICE agreement. Casale said the manager did nothing, then slowly replied that no consensus existed.
“Yes, absolutely,” Rangel said. “That, to me, was something that should have been brought to the commission.”
Rangel, who is Hispanic and a native of Oklahoma, said she was raised in a family of migrants.
A resident of Delray for nearly 60 years, Rangel worked for 27 years as executive assistant to the mayor and commissioners, managing agendas, preparing speeches and navigating the bureaucracy for them. She has endorsements from two former mayors, Cary Glickstein and Shelly Petrolia.
“I’m a workhorse, not a show horse,” Rangel said.
In our view, that is just what Delray needs. The Sun Sentinel recommends Delores Rangel for Seat 2 on the Delray Beach City Commission.
Note: Our endorsements reflect the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s values and concerns for our community. The newsroom does not participate in editorial board decisions.
The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman, and Executive Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant. Contact us by email: letters@sun-sentinel.com.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/02/14/delray-needs-delores-rangels-quiet-passion-endorsement/
