Daytona Beach already has full slate of commission candidates and Ormond Beach isn't sleepy as usual.
Say what you will about Daytona Beach politics, at least this is a town with an active political life.
Public comments periods at City Commission meetings are animated enough that the city is trying to downplay the whole exercise by taking them off the video feed and the city website. And every seat on the commission has attracted multiple candidates even though qualifying is more than a week away.
The Zone 1 race already has four declared candidates challenging incumbent Ruth Trager: Danny Fuqua, Anne Ruby, Vernon Weatherholtz and Frederick Zieglar.
Trager was a frequent comment-period city critic who ran for office, lost twice, then won decisively on the third try against incumbent Carl Lentz in 2014.
Lentz’s chances for re-election nosedived after an election-year incident at a strip club in which he was accused of throwing a drink at a woman tending bar. Usually, politicians complain to police about strip clubs, but this is Florida where strip clubs complain to police about politicians.
Trager is now the incumbent and is fighting accusations that she neglected property that she owns jointly with her husband, Warren Trager. In an election in which lack of city code enforcement is an issue, code citations – even code citations that have been or are being resolved – will hurt her.
And Zone 5 incumbent Dannette Henry, sister of Mayor Derrick Henry and state Rep. Patrick Henry, will have at least one announced opponent in Katienna Brown-Gardner.
This election is sure to see at least one new member because Zone 3 Commissioner Kelly White is not running for re-election. White, who was 30 when first elected in 2010, was one of the youngest people to serve on the commission. Her main interests have been beautification and redevelopment of the downtown and beachside.
Now, there already is something of a scramble to succeed her with four candidates already declared and fundraising. They are: Belinda Haynes, Quanita May, James Newman and Amy Pyle.
Pyle has the most visible public profile of the group. A member of the city’s Beachside Redevelopment Board, a frequent comment-period and public forum speaker, she is an advocate for neighborhood improvement in the beachside core and is running on the slogan “neighborhoods first.”
But it’s May, who runs Quanita’s Executive Wellness Coaching, Fitness and Premier Ballroom, who has raised the most money of any city candidate so far, $19,450.
Given that one can run a credible commission race for the cost of a good used car, that’s an impressive preseason haul that includes contributions from a few area heavy-hitters like Hyatt Brown.
Meanwhile to the north, Ormond Beach elections are traditionally sleepier affairs than in Daytona Beach. In 2016, no Ormond Beach incumbent was opposed. In 2014 and 2012, only one incumbent per election had opposition.
But this year is different. One indication was the group of 50 people waving signs with slogans like “save our green space” at the western base of the Granada Bridge on Tuesday.
The Ormond Beach City Commission has been cheering on faster city growth lately, but a clear-cut moonscape on the city’s leading (and often congested) thoroughfare has sparked a backlash in a city that used to be known for its attention to quality of life. And that seems to have translated into contested elections.
Mayor Bill Partington had no opposition last election and none so far this year but already has raised $14,025 as of his May report, at least $6,500 from real estate and development interests.
Zone 2 Commissioner Troy Kent has raised the most of any candidate, $16,275 by May, at least $6,000 from real estate and development interests. Joe Dugan has announced that he will oppose him.
Zone 4 Commissioner Rob Littleton is opposed by Barry du Moulin. And Zone 3 Commissioner Rick Boehm may be opposed by Sandy Kauffman. (Fun fact: In Volusia and Flagler counties’ 21 city governments, only Ormond Beach, Port Orange and Pierson have no women in elected office.)
But for cities with elections this year, it’s still the preseason. Formal candidate qualifying begins June 18. And it’s a sad candidate qualifying period that doesn’t contain at least one surprise.