If there was ever an idyllic bedroom community in Palm Beach County, it would be Royal Palm Beach.
This village of 40,000 residents has one of the lowest millage rates in the county and has enjoyed relatively good public safety service from county fire and the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office. Reliable public safety and low millage rates are to be expected, and while the community is nearing build-out, which limits development, the village has seen an increase in traffic, a trend that has become a growing concern.
On Mar. 10, voters will have a choice in the Seat 1 race between two individuals who have village council experience. The race pits incumbent Councilman Adam Miller against former Vice Mayor Selena S. Samios. The Palm Beach Post recommends voters pick Samios. Her record of showing a willingness to step up and address issues gives her the edge.
“I have a track record of delivering results for Royal Palm Beach,” she wrote in her Post questionnaire. “I have prioritized transparency, our senior residents, traffic solutions, small businesses and responsible growth. My experience and leadership ensure that our community’s needs are met with action, not just words.”
Samios, 53, works as the executive director of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County, and she has the experience with elective office in Royal Palm Beach. She was first elected to the council in 2016 and between then and 2025, she has served as the village’s vice mayor. Her tenure on the council may have gone uninterrupted but last year she lost a race to unseat Royal Palm Beach’s popular Mayor Jeff Hmara.
If elected, Samios would work to update the village’s senior needs assessment, an undertaking the village hasn’t done in a decade. She’ll also refine Royal Palm Beach’s sign code as a way of easing costs for small businesses operating within the village. Samios has a record of voting against projects that risk overdevelopment. She’d continue to work with the village engineer and county traffic and transportation officials to find ways of easing traffic in the village.
Miller, 48, works for the Palm Beach School District as its chief of performance accountability. He has served on the village council since 2024 where he has amassed a tenure that has produced little to distinguish itself. That might work in a campaign against an inexperienced challenger. Unfortunately, he faces a more experienced opponent in Samios.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Post recommends Samios in Royal Palm Beach race | Endorsement
Reporting by Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
