A long-time Boca Raton resident with deep political roots in the community, Republican Gloria Branch, daughter of former school board member and school superintendent Art Johnson, has filed to run for Palm Beach County School Board District 5, a seat currently held by Frank Barbieri, who has decided not to run for reelection. With the addition of Branch, five people are running for this seat.
Subscribe to The Florida Jolt Newsletter!
Gloria Branch has been a Boca Raton resident for forty years. She’s a business development consultant with a thirty-plus-year banking career. She is a substitute teacher for Palm Beach County K-12 as well. Branch attended Boca Raton High School in 1984. She continued her studies and graduated from FAU. Her civic engagement is extensive and includes being the past president of the FAU National Alumni Association, a past board member of the FAU Foundation, and Treasurer for AD Henderson. She’s been active on numerous boards, including the Florence Fuller Child Development Center. She has volunteered for the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity. Additionally, she has worked on multiple political campaigns. She has one daughter who attends District 5 in Palm Beach County.
In 2023, former Democrat Frank Barbieri, who, in a moment of disgust with the Dem party, switched to Independent, decided that it was time to move on and announced he would not seek reelection. Former Dem County Commissioner Robert Weinroth switched his party affiliation to Republican and decided to run for the seat. He then changed his mind and decided to run for Congress against a Dem he once endorsed, current Congressman Jared Moskowitz, D-Broward. To add to the confusion, three other Republicans threw their rattles into the school board race playpen: earnest newcomer Mike Letsky and Republican politically involved candidate Suzanne Page, who previously ran for school board. Then, to add to the already crowded field, after losing a Boca Raton City Council race against Democrat Andy Thomson, Brian Stenberg, who may be getting support from Frank Barbieri, decided to jump into the already crowded pond, leaving Mike Letsky, who supported Stenberg during the city council race, crying, “What a Judas.” On top of that, one lone Democrat, Shannon Komorsky Scaglione, is also running.
Follow Florida Jolt on Twitter
The question is whether residents are ready to vote for a Republican in a seat that has been considered a Democrat seat, seemingly forever. Branch’s father brought gravitas to the school board, and his daughter undoubtedly has a unique perspective and a ton of experience that will give her opponents a run for their money. Let the games begin.
Other stories you may want to read:
If You Block the Roads to ‘Protest’ in Florida, You’ll Be Sorry
- Accused of Racism And Misogyny for Voting Trump – Hispanics Speak Out - November 15, 2024
- The Latest Scoop With Tracy Caruso - November 12, 2024
- Post-Election News With Tracy Caruso - November 8, 2024