The Jupiter Town Council election in March is shaping up as a referendum on the town鈥檚 hotly contested decision to create its own fire department.
Mayor Jim Kuretski, who championed , will face Council Member Cameron May, a firefighter/paramedic with Palm Beach Fire Rescue and a critic of the decision.
Both have qualified to run for mayor in the March 11 election, as have six candidates vying for two council seats. Qualifying ends at noon Nov. 19.
Jupiter is one of dozens of towns and cities in Palm Beach County with elections scheduled for March. The qualifying period for candidates in six other towns in north and central Palm Beach County closes Nov. 19 and five more close later in November or in early December.
May鈥檚 decision to challenge Kuretski, who has been on the council since 2001, comes five weeks after a Palm Beach County Circuit judge blocked an attempt by firefighters to call for a public vote on switching from county fire-rescue service to a city-owned and operated fire department.
The Professional Firefighters/Paramedics of Palm Beach County Local 2928 gathered more than 7,400 signatures to place the question on the ballot and sued when the Town Council refused.
ruled in October that the town acted within the law because the firefighters鈥� question gave power to the voters at the Town Council鈥檚 expense, as Stet News reported .
Changing the balance of power
After the ruling, union President Jeffrey Newsome told Stet that rather than continue the fight in court, the union might try to win control of the council through the ballot box.
Two additional council candidates have voiced support for retaining county fire-rescue: Teri Grooms, who is running for May鈥檚 District 1 seat, and Linda McDermott, who is running against District 2 incumbent Malise Sundstrom.
In August 2023, Sundstrom, Kuretski and Ron Delaney cast the decisive votes to sever Jupiter鈥檚 ties with county fire-rescue. May cast the lone vote against.
Kuretski, who pledged this would be his final term, emphasized the future cost to taxpayers of remaining with the county, saying it would cost a quarter-billion dollars over 10 years.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to see anything happen that would jeopardize (the October 2026 fire department startup),鈥� Kuretski said.
May鈥檚 approach
May, who is giving up his District 1 council seat to run for mayor, won鈥檛 commit to reversing the town鈥檚 decision. He emphasized the need to hear more from the public.
鈥淭he opposition wasn鈥檛 ever opposition (to) Jupiter starting the fire department. My opposition was how they went about doing it in the beginning,鈥� said May, a lifelong Jupiter resident. 鈥淭aking on a large capital project that was estimated to cost about $60 million, I felt like we should have gone to the residents with that to get their feedback, their approval, before just doing it.鈥�
Despite his initial opposition, May said he has voted 鈥測es鈥� on matters related to the fire department鈥檚 creation.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to just sit on the sidelines and be a 鈥榥o鈥� vote when, as a firefighter myself, I could have valued input for Jupiter fire rescue,鈥� he said.
When asked directly about whether he would prefer to keep or create Jupiter鈥檚 own department, May said he would defer to residents.
鈥淚 would expect a lot of people, knowing that for how long it鈥檚 been going on, they would probably agree to keep (relying on Palm Beach Fire Rescue), which I would support,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut any decision I make should be based off of what the residents think and what the residents want, not what I personally think or what I personally want.鈥�
The town has begun building two fire stations and hiring key personnel, including a fire chief and a medical director.
Kuretski expressed confidence that the town would meet its deadline to begin responding to fires and medical calls by October 2026.
鈥淚 do believe that the leadership, the steps we鈥檝e taken to create our fire department, and the leadership that we鈥檝e already hired, is incredibly talented and respected. 鈥︹�� he said.
It takes a council
The mayor, a voting member of the Town Council, cannot dictate a change in the town鈥檚 direction by himself. For instance, the council voted 3-1 to give three years notice to end the decades-long relationship with Palm Beach County. It would take a majority vote to stop spending on the new fire department and revert to the county.
That makes the two council races critical as well.
In District 1, where Andy Fore is not seeking reelection, Grooms would face Phyllis Choy and Andy Weston.
Joining McDermott and Sundstrom in District 2 is Willie Puz, legislative and public affairs manager for the county鈥檚 Solid Waste Authority.
Once the election is over, the council would be tasked with selecting a replacement to fill the remaining year on May鈥檚 seat.
Beyond the fire department issue, the mayoral candidates are emphasizing other accomplishments.
Kuretski pointed to his long-standing work on growth management and transportation solutions, mainly addressing traffic congestion. As the council鈥檚 representative on the , he said several transportation projects he championed are close to securing construction money.
May, first elected in 2020, stressed the need for term limits in local government, arguing they encourage more community engagement and fresh perspectives.
鈥淲hen you don鈥檛 have term limits sometimes, you can have an unfair advantage if you鈥檙e an incumbent with the name ID, and when someone new steps up to run against an incumbent, it鈥檚 very hard to overcome,鈥� he said.
Both mayoral candidates are planning grassroots campaigns. Kuretski said he鈥檚 never hired a campaign consultant, while May has self-financed his campaign with a $300 loan to cover qualifying fees.
This story was originally published by , a SA国际传谋 News partner.
