Representative Matt Willhite (D-Wellington) today issued the statement below regarding his vote on the Village of Loxahatchee local bill presented at the Dec. 8 Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation meeting. This local bill provides for a referendum on the charter for the Village of Loxahatchee, which was tabled at the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation’s Oct. 28 meeting.
Today, Wednesday, Dec. 8, after a vote from the members present, the motion failed. Representative Willhite voted in support of the Village of Loxahatchee local bill.
Following the vote, Representative Willhite issued the following statement:
“Throughout the last few months, I’ve kept a close eye on this issue. I spoke with the bill sponsor and members of the community that will potentially be affected by the passage of this local bill, responded to hundreds of emails, and my office has taken hundreds of phone calls. After carefully listening to everyone who contacted me, I decided that the residents should be the ones to decide the fate of their community. I firmly believe if this local bill were to be signed into law and a referendum were brought to voters, the voters would then be able to make an informed decision on what is best for their community. An individual’s right to vote on issues that directly affect them and their community is one of the core tenants of our democracy.”
