When Marci Woodward won her election in 2022 by defeating an incumbent to become the Palm Beach County Commissioner for District 4, she won the old-fashioned way; she knocked on a zillion doors and charmed the voters, but she only raised about forty-eight thousand dollars.
Woodward will have no shortage of money this time around.
Last Thursday, at the incredible home of Art and Marcy Falcone in East Boca Raton, Woodward raised around $200,000 in one night. Fundraiser extraordinaire Mark Guzzetta was in charge of fundraising for the event, so I knew an impressive amount would be raised, but $200k is a massive haul for this early in the cycle. When it comes to fundraising, Guzzeta don’t play.
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BizPac stalwarts Cliff Hertz of Nelson Mullins Broad & Cassel, Bob Schafer of Ranger Construction Industries, Inc., George Elmore, Hardrives, Inc., Tom McNicholas, McNicholas & Associates, and Neil Schiller, Government Law Group, PLLC, as well as I, were cohosts of the event. Innercircle BizPac member Matt Sarelson of Dhillon Law Group also attended.
Note: BIZPAC of PBC has not yet endorsed in this race.
Woodward and District 6 County Commissioner Sara Baxter were the only two county commissioners who tried to lower our property taxes this year. A topic near and dear to my heart, but lost that vote by a 5-2 margin this September. Politicians who genuinely strive not to extract every penny they can from us whenever possible will always be in demand.
Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller Mike Caruso and his political whirlwind of a wife, Tracy, also attended.
I chatted with the Batmasians for a bit, and the always charming Marta Batmasian loved my new tie and pocket square, illustrating her excellent taste and fashion sense.
The Hors d’oeuvres were fabulous, and I ate my share and then some—props to the caterer.
The host committee as a whole was impressive, and it was great seeing so many old friends.
Former Boca Raton Mayor and former County Commissioner for District 4, Steven Abrams, graciously introduced Woodward, although he didn’t specify whether he took Tri-Rail or not to get there.
I am still processing the success of my first major re-election fundraising event. I am so grateful to Mark Guzzetta, my Finance Chair, for throwing his full efforts into gathering such a phenomenal group of people to be my finance committee. And boy did they deliver!
The room was filled with more than 100 contributors, large funds were raised and the guests were happy! I was especially pleased to speak to so many people for the first time. I enjoyed telling the story of how I came to run for office in 2022 and answer the still too common question “what does a county commissioner do?”
It was a memorable night shared with my husband, mother, and friends, both old and new. I am so grateful for such an outpouring of support.
~District 4 County Commissioner Marci Woodward.
Some Republican volunteers were staffing the event who kept everything running smoothly, and deserve a mention: Palm Beach County State Committeewoman Jodi Schwartz, Cheryl Mullings, Josie Machovec, Linda Johnson, Tricia DeBlasis, and Jill Seganti. Good volunteers play a crucial role in making an event as successful as this one was.
It was an enjoyable night and a successful evening.
Find out more about Commissioner Woodward.
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