Longtime volunteer, landmarks board member says her skills are needed on Town Council

A longtime Palm Beach resident with an extensive background in volunteer work is campaigning to win a seat on the Town Council in Tuesday's municipal election.

Bridget Moran, who has worked with numerous nonprofit organizations during her more than two decades on the island, will face retired preservationist and former Architectural Commission member John David Corey in the race to fill the Group 3 seat currently held by Maggie Zeidman, who announced in October that she would not seek a fifth term.

Council members Lew Crampton and Bobbie Lindsay were reelected to their Group 1 and Group 2 seats, respectively, after facing no opposition at December's town caucus. Crampton will serve a fourth term, and Lindsay will serve a fifth.

Town Council members in Palm Beach serve two-year terms and there are no term limits.

Moran, 57, who currently serves as a voting member on the town's Landmarks Preservation Commission, decided to enter the Town Council race because she wanted to be part of the decision-making process as the town progresses into the future, she said.

"Palm Beach is truly unique and special," she said. "We are different from anywhere else. There is an expression that goes something like, ‘if you know, you know,’ and I know.'

Moran, a mother of two who announced her candidacy in October, cites a handful of key issues in her campaign, including the need to address traffic and parking issues, stop overdevelopment that threatens the town's character, ensure fiscal responsibility, select a suitable water supplier, and strengthen the town's comprehensive plan.

Prioritizing public safety is particularly important to Moran, whose husband, Tim, and friend John Scarpa started the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation nearly 20 years ago.

Moran has volunteered with the foundation since its inception, and also serves as a director with Safeguard Palm Beach, the foundation's educational arm.

"I work to raise community awareness for crime prevention, risk reduction, and emergency preparedness," said Moran, who holds a bachelor's degree in marketing and management from Siena (N.Y.) College. "This work has helped me to really understand our town’s needs, get to know the staff in town that work for us, and to listen and learn about what our residents need."

Moran says she agrees with the town's efforts to tackle some of its most pressing issues, including traffic mitigation and parking, and overdevelopment.

However, if elected, she said she will advocate for additional solutions to those issues.

Her suggestions for traffic mitigation include implementing new technology to allow for remote control of traffic lights in real time; staggering the arrival and departure hours for workmen and service vehicles; requiring construction vehicles to be off the island by 3 p.m.; exploring one-way streets and other alternatives to alleviate congestion; and increasing collaboration with West Palm Beach to improve overall traffic flow.

To address parking challenges, Moran said she would increase parking fees for non-residents; look at reducing on-street parking tags for contractors where practical; and consider alternate side-of-street parking for narrow streets.

"We need to identify solutions, implement them, access what the effects of these implementations are, and readjust when necessary," she said. "We also need to be proactive in our quest to identify additional solutions that would improve these conditions whenever possible."

Overdevelopment also is a big concern for Moran, who advocates for strengthening the town’s zoning code to further control the size and intensity of future projects, promoting renovation over demolition of properties on the island, and standing up against any development that would potentially transform the town into more of a 'resort destination.'

"We all know we are a built-out town," she said. "There is simply no room to allow for anything more than what is allowed by right to be developed."

Moran, who said she has raised more than $163,000 for her campaign, said her leadership and listening skills, collaborative efforts, trustworthiness, and familiarity with the issues facing the town would make her the best choice to serve on the town council.

"I believe having lived here for over 26 years, I’m a part of the fabric of this community," she said. "I have spent decades serving this community. I love doing it. It makes me very happy to know that the work I do is good and makes a difference."

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Bridget Moran running to fill vacant Town Council seat in Palm Beach