Former county commissioner Taylor sets sights on West Palm City Hall

May 26--WEST PALM BEACH -- Priscilla Taylor brings to her candidacy for mayor of West Palm Beach a long resume of public service.

She served as Port of Palm Beach commissioner from 1999-2004, state representative from 2004-2009 and Palm Beach County Commissioner from 2009-2016, which included a stint as the county's first female mayor, in 2014.

Born and raised in Fort Pierce, for 35 years she's been a resident of West Palm. Now she wants to run the city.

In an interview Thursday, Taylor said as mayor she would focus on affordable housing; roads and other infrastructure to address traffic; crime prevention through education initiatives; and addressing homelessness through cooperation with the county and other municipalities and agencies and finding new sources of money to bring to bear on the issue.

Traffic needs to be addressed not just downtown but on 45th Street, she said. And as for the city's recent plans to expand bike lanes and narrow some streets to slow traffic downtown, she's not sure those are great ideas. "This is Florida and it rains and the temperatures get near 100 degrees. I don't know how many people are going to ride bikes to work," she said. "I'm for transit, but not for taking our roads and making them smaller," she added.

It's fine to address crime with gunfire-detectors, as the city is considering, but "let's try to focus on crime prevention," Taylor added, through employment opportunities and educational programs.

Taylor, who has an MBA from Palm Beach Atlantic University and a B.A. from Barry University, has owned and operated an insurance business for 25 years. As county commissioner, she said, she helped spearhead the county disparity study and pushed to bring in the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, winter home to the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals. She chaired the county Homeless Advisory Board and JFK Medical Center's north campus, and served on the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council and Metropolitan Planning Organization boards.

The March 2019 mayoral election remains far off but, with incumbent Jeri Muoio prevented from running again by term limits, a field has begun to coalesce.

First in the race, several months ago, was Keith James, an Ivy League lawyer and most-times ally of Mayor Muoio, who has held the city's western commission seat for several years. Commissioner Paula Ryan, a developer whose district runs from the wealthy El Cid area to the poorer Northwest, sounds more and more like a candidate, while south end businesswoman and former commissioner Shanon Materio also is considering jumping into the arena. Subculture Coffee co-owner Sean Scott said he, too, may run.

Taylor says her experience as a county commissioner, small business owner and state lawmaker make her the most qualified candidate. "I have a long and proven track record of working with and representing the citizens of West Palm Beach at almost every level of local and state government," she said.

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