Rodney Mayo files to run against WPB Mayor Keith James
Posted by Sandy on November 17, 2022 · Leave a Comment
When it was announced that Rodney Mayo has qualified to challenge Keith James for Mayor of WPB I was overwhelmed with multiple texts and emails asking who is Rodney Mayo?
I met Mr. Mayo years ago, and was impressed by his openness and candor, he’s been an activist for the downtown business owners and residents, he has challenged Mayor James on many issues and policies, and has been punished by James for his opinion.
I wrote stories on Mr. Mayo and readers will be reminded if they take the time to read the story below titled “Rodney Mayo A man of Compassion” published Oct.16, 2021.
Short answer on who is Rodney Mayo? He is a man of integrity, inspires confidence, as a successful businessman he has excellent decision making skills, he is his own man, nobody owns him. An honest man who can’t be bought. Mr Mayo is everything a good Mayor should be, and will return integrity to the WPB Mayor’s office.
Below is a story written by Joe Capozzi. For those of you who don’t know him here’s his story.
Joe Capozzi is an award-winning newspaper reporter based in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. For more than 30 years at The Palm Beach Post often collaborates with another award- winning former PB Post reporter Joel Engelhardt who spent nearly 30 years with the PB Post. Two winners working together, doesn’t get better than that. Mr. Capozzi operates a local independent news website, simply called By Joe Capozzi.com. Excellent read. Save the site. Link added below.
Below are excerpts from Mr Capozzi story. My comments in italic.
“Subculture’s Rodney Mayo files to run against West Palm Mayor Keith James”
A DAY BEFORE the filing deadline, West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James has drawn an opponent in the March election, and it’s a name he’s familiar with — Subculture Group owner Rodney Mayo.
“I am not a politician. I am here for one term, to change as much as I can and then I’m going back to coffee,’’ he said, wearing a polo shirt, shorts and sandals when he dropped off two checks for the $9,000 qualifying fee.
James’ campaign consultant, Rick Asnani of Cornerstone Solutions, said his client would welcome any legitimate challenger. But Asnani said he planned to ask election officials to look into whether Mayo is qualified under residency rules to seek office in West Palm Beach. And there we have it. James campaign manager Rick Asnani looking for a way to disqualify Rodney Mayo who barely has his foot in the race. Mr. Asnani received Three contracts, no bidding, no City Commission approval for a total of $357,500. James was very generous with taxpayers money, and if he’s not re- elected, Asnani will surely miss him.
Mayo owns a home in Lantana, but he also owns a building at 520 Clematis Street, where he said he lives and spends most nights in an apartment above his nightclub Respectable Street. He said he has maintained a water utility connection there since 1985. He said the Clematis Street address is on his driver’s license and voter registration. If readers are interested in sending a donation to to the Rodney Mayo Campaign Account please send donation to his residence 520 Clematis St. WPB Fl. 33401.
Mayo, 59, has flirted with the idea of running for mayor off and on over the years. He said the idea of James winning a second term by default because no one would challenge him spurred him to finally throw his hat in the ring and try to clean up the West Palm Beach “political swamp.”
“I’m the anti-politician,’’ he said. “I think people are ready.’’ People are more than ready.
Mayo, who has never sought public office, said he will unveil his campaign platform in the coming week, along with a motto that might end up being “One and Done,’’ his pledge to serve only one term. If WPB residents vote in the March 14,2023 election supporting Rodney Mayo we can make it “One and Done” for Mayor James.
Mayo knows he’s facing a formidable opponent in James, a former city commissioner who has amassed a campaign war chest of more than a quarter of a million dollars. James receives many $1,000.00 contributions from developers, attorneys, businessmen, and other wealthy contributors. That tells me if re-elected James will owe many people.
Unlike James’ campaign, Mayo doesn’t want big money. He said he will only accept contributions of no more than $100 from individuals and businesses. He said he won’t accept money from political action committees or special interests. This is a breath of fresh air. The only people he will owe is the residents who had faith in his leadership, and trust him to do the right thing, and honor him with their vote.
By challenging James, Mayo said he hopes to shine a spotlight on what he and other downtown business owners see as festering problems at City Hall under a mayor Mayo has accused on social media of employing “pay-to-play politics” and bullying tactics with political opponents. Lets not forget bullying tactics with city employees, decent city workers who have been fired, after years of devotion to a city they loved, employees re-assigned and working in a hostile environment with a Mayor who wields power and instills fear in employees always wondering who will be next to lose their job.
He has been critical of downtown parking fees, noise limitations and sidewalk cafe fees.Mayo said he has no animosity toward James, even though he and the mayor have had their differences over the years. Mr. Mayo has learned how vindictive Mayor James can be when challenged. One story written on Rodney Mayo WPB Watch can be found below.
In 2020, Mayo told The Palm Beach Post that James blocked Mayo’s proposed Clematis Street drive-in theater project because Mayo and his partners didn’t contribute to James’ 2019 mayoral campaign. A meeting in June of that year between Mayo and James ended with the mayor accusing Mayo of exercising “white privilege” for expecting the city to give him whatever he asked for, according to the Post.
Mayo said he has tried to communicate with James. “He’s the one who ignores me. He refuses to answer my emails,’’ he said.
Mayo’s campaign treasurer is Kristen Dagata, the operations and events manager for Subculture Group, which oversees 17 restaurants. Although Mayo has not hired a campaign consultant, he is taking advice from former city commissioner Kimberly Mitchell, Mayo’s childhood friend.
But Mayo, who grew up in West Palm Beach, sought to dismiss any notion that, if elected, he’d be a puppet for Mitchell.
“I am not naive enough to think I can go from business to government and answer all the questions,’’ he said.“I will take whatever experience and resources that are out there.’’ Mitchell, a commissioner from 2002 to 2015, when she ran for mayor and lost to Jeri Muoio, said she has no interest in getting back into city politics. But she said will offer advice to help her longtime friend. Rodney has no political experience, and if Ms. Mitchell can help guide him through the process he would be foolish not to accept her help, and one thing he is not, is foolish.
“If that’s what some people think, then they have a fundamental misunderstanding of Rodney,’’ she said.
“Like anything I’ve ever done with him, it’s his vision and you carry it out. That’s it,” Mitchell said.
“He wants input and ideas, but when Rodney moves on anything it’s because it’s sitting inside of him. He calculates it and designs it. He’s got friends and people that he trusts and they go and execute it.’’
Mayo is like “a Joel Daves in a younger body with incredible business sense. That’s who Rodney is,’’ she said, referring to the late former West Palm Beach mayor, who served many years as a commissioner before serving as mayor.
Mitchell said she tried to talk Mayo out of running as recently as Saturday, warning him about how ugly politics can get. He wouldn’t hear of it.
“I do believe every once in a while really good people can succeed in politics,’’ she said. “This is that once in a while. This is when lightning strikes.’’ If Mayo wins, she won’t be in control, she said.
Mayo can “bring true integrity and magic back to a town that deserves it and absolutely needs it,’’ she said. “It’s never about him.’’ I totally agree with Ms. Mitchell’s opinion.
Mayo said he doesn’t own a suit. He is comfortable in shorts, sandals and T-shirts, usually ones advertising Joy Division, The Cure and other alternative bands whose music is played at Respectable Street. Mr. Mayo, please buy a suit for your swearing in ceremony as Mayor.
“Does Rodney look like a politician? Heck no,’’ said Sean Scott, who helped Mayo launch Subculture Coffee Roasters before moving to North Carolina in 2020, in part because of his discontent over West Palm Beach downtown policies.
“He’s absolutely mayor material,’’ Mitchell said. “He’s the most reluctant politician you and I will ever know.’’
Mayo’s supporters warn against underestimating Mayo’s popularity in town and at the polls. They also point to the openness of voters in current political times to cast ballots for unconventional candidates.
They ask: If former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura can become governor of Minnesota, if singer Sonny Bono became a California congressman, if comedian Al Frankel can become a U.S. senator, if a former reality TV show host can become president of the United States, why can’t the man behind Subculture Coffee become mayor of West Palm Beach?
“Rodney is an idea guy,’’ said Scott, who flirted briefly, at Mayo’s urging, with a run for mayor a few years ago before backing out.
“He really cares about the city and he wants to get things done. If he has the right team in place, I think he will be a powerful voice whether he wins or not.’’ Read the entire story below for more information.
WPB Watch published a story on Oct. 16, 2021 titled Rodney Mayo A man of Compassion and I urge readers to read the story and get to know the real man.
https://wpbwatch.com/2021/10/rodney-mayo-a-man-of-compassion/
Was ready to publish when I received Rodney’s website mayo4mayor. His website also has integrity, he put his promises in writing.
http://mayo4mayor.com/index.html
The end