Hollywood voters return Levy as mayor, pick 2 commissioners

Hollywood voters returned the mayor and a commissioner to office — and voted in a new commissioner in Tuesday's election.

The Hollywood city races have centered on school closures, a homeless crisis and a political divide over high-rise development.

Voters decided that incumbent mayor Josh Levy, first elected mayor in 2016, would keep his seat.

A lawyer who has been general counsel for his family's car dealership, Levy had three challengers in the race: Eduardo Flores, an app developer; Catherine "Cat" Uden, an activist and former teacher who now works on environmental legislation for a nonprofit organization; and Peter Hanna, a business consultant.

Levy, who has lived in the city for most of his life, is a graduate of Hollywood Hills High School.

Among his top campaign issues was housing affordability. "Our homeowners and renters, which respectively make up 60% and 40% of our households, are experiencing a reality where the cost to live and work in the economy, including housing, insurance, taxes, condo assessment, child care, food, transportation, health care and more, has outpaced regional growth in wages, resulting in serious financial hardship for many households," he said in a questionnaire.

Levy said he was humbled by the support and pledged to get to work first thing in the morning.

"I'm grateful for the trust Hollywood has placed in me to continue serving as their mayor," he said as the final results rolled in late Tuesday.

District 2

Peter Hernandez, a former Hollywood commissioner, defeated political newcomer Richard Walker, a retired South Broward High School basketball coach, for the District 2 seat.

Hernandez, a Hollywood resident since 1974 and a former president of the Chamber of Commerce, has pushed for low- to moderate-income housing, saying this district has "a disproportionate amount of homeless population."

A third candidate in the race, South Florida radio personality Jill Tracey Folmar. recently died at her home.

Police spokeswoman Deanna Bettineschi said Tuesday that Folmar's death is no longer an active investigation, and no foul play is suspected.

District 2 covers east central Hollywood between Federal Highway and Interstate 95, extending from Pembroke Road north to the city limits north of Sheridan Street.

District 6

Idelma Quintana, the incumbent, kept her seat as District 6 commissioner.

She joined the commission in 2022 after Linda Sherwood resigned two years before her term was up. Quintana, a former public school teacher who serves as chief of staff for Broward Commissioner Beam Furr, was elected unopposed in that race.

She grew up in Chicago, and has been a Hollywood resident for 22 years as a first-time homeowner.

On Tuesday, Quintana defeated two political newcomers: Jamil Devante Richards, the owner and principal of a private school in Pompano Beach; and Claudia Villatoro, a businesswoman.

District 6 encompasses Hollywood's southwestern neighborhoods, from Interstate 95 west to the Florida Turnpike. The district's western portion extends from Pembroke Road north to Johnson Street; the eastern portion extends north to Hollywood Boulevard.