Ryan Nicol
First-time political candidate Harrison Vaughn will compete against fellow newbie Molly Young to replace Mayor Abby Brennan on the Tequesta Village Council.
That election will take place alongside a slate of local Palm Beach County races on March 9. The seat 2 matchup between Vaughn and Young will be the only Tequesta Council contest up for grabs on March 9.
As the Post detailed, both candidates attended Jupiter High School and are familiar to the region.
The 34-year-old Vaughn is a risk management consultant who is focused on safety and infrastructure issues such as sewer and road work.
“These are all projects that have been deferred and delayed,” Vaughn told the Post. “I think that, as time goes on, addressing them will get more expensive. It’s important to put a plan together to spell out when and how these things will be addressed.”
The 38-year-old Young works in the real estate and construction industry and is an alternate member of the village’s planning and zoning board. She highlighted a push for local business growth in her talk with the Post.
“We have a really good, strong local business environment here,” Young said. “The residents really love that, so I really want to attract new local small businesses and make Tequesta a little hub, a place you don’t have to leave to get anything. Everything that we want is here.”
The candidates also agreed on boosting compensation for Tequesta’s first responders.
Brennan has served as Mayor since 2011, but she’s declined to run for reelection in the Seat 2 race.
“I think 10 years of being on a council was a good enough time for me to be able to do things that I wanted to do and that the residents wanted me to do,” Brennan told the Palm Beach Post.
“I thought, ‘There’s younger people coming into the community. Our council is changing.’ I believe that’s a good thing for a community, to have a balance of the old guard, the council members with history, and the new council members to bring with them another energy.”
Her term on the Council expires in April. Council members will select a new Mayor following her departure.
The winner of the March 9 contest between Vaughn and Young will serve a two-year term, ending in April 2023.
