Voters in Hallandale Beach will choose two commissioners and a new mayor in November, nearly a year after Joy Cooper’s political downfall.
Cooper, mayor since 2005, was arrested Jan. 25 on felony charges after being snared in an FBI sting. She was removed from office the next day by Gov. Rick Scott.
Her longtime nemesis, Keith London, was vice mayor at the time and inherited her seat.
Cooper’s arrest and the resignation of Anthony Sanders in August — more than a year before the end of his term — set off a series of musical chairs on the five-member commission.
London took on Cooper for the mayor’s seat in 2012 and lost, but he returned to the commission two years later. Now London’s hoping voters keep him in the mayor’s seat when they head to the polls on Nov. 6.
Political newcomer Joy Adams, who has sparred with London from the audience, is also running.
Mike Butler, who was elected in March to fill Sanders’ vacant seat through November, is hoping to hold onto his seat. He has a challenger in Steven Michael Carlo.
And Rich Dally, who was appointed to fill London’s seat when he took over as mayor, has one rival: Sabrina Javellana.
The 4-square-mile city is not divided into voting districts, so elections are citywide.
Hallandale Beach, already known for its feisty politics, found itself under an even more intense media glare in the past year.
Sanders, a longtime commissioner, resigned his seat last year after being accused by the Inspector General of using his elected position for financial gain.
Cooper’s arrest only added to the intrigue.
She has pleaded not guilty to money laundering, official misconduct, exceeding the limit on campaign finance contributions and soliciting contributions in a government building.
The winner of the mayor’s race will serve until Cooper’s term ends in 2020. If she is acquitted and returned to office before then, the winner would be forced to step down.
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