by Beth Kassab | Dec 11, 2023 | City Commission, Election
Ballot is set: Two candidates for mayor; three for Seat 2
As qualifying ended at noon on Monday, two more candidates turned in the required petitions
Dec. 11, 2023
By Beth Kassab
The ballot is set for the March 19 election with two candidates qualifying for the mayor’s race and three running for Seat 2 on the City Commission.
City Clerk Rene Cranis confirmed Monday afternoon that the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office has now verified petitions for all of the candidates. The qualifying period ended at noon on Monday.
Vice Mayor and attorney Sheila DeCiccio is running for mayor along with real estate school owner Michael Cameron Sidawi. Cranis said he filed the necessary paperwork for his name to appear as Michael Cameron on the ballot.
DeCiccio sent an email to supporters on Monday with a holiday message and emphasized her priorities.
“If I’m elected Mayor, I will continue to focus on the same important priorities: putting residents first at City Hall, ensuring fiscal responsibility, and retaining the charm and character of our wonderful City – making Winter Park the very best place to live, work, and play,” she said.
The email included a list of the names of more than 300 supporters of her campaign, a who’s who of Winter Park, including Mayor Phil Anderson, Commissioner Todd Weaver, developer Alan Ginsburg, former gubernatorial candidate Chris King and Craig DeLongy, owner of John Craig Clothier on Park Avenue.
Cameron did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Monday afternoon. When reached by the Voice on Friday, Cameron declined to answer questions about his campaign.
Seat 2 is an open seat because DeCiccio was required to resign effective after the election in order to run for mayor.
The three candidates competing for the seat are Jason Johnson, an attorney; Stockton Reeves, director of the Center for Public Safety and Craig Russell, a teacher and coach at Winter Park High School.
Candidates for both races will be required to turn in their first financial reports in January ahead of the March 19 election.
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by Beth Kassab | Dec 8, 2023 | City Commission, Election, News, Uncategorized
New candidate enters mayoral contest as qualifying deadline nears
First-time candidate Michael Cameron Sidawi opened a campaign account to run against Vice Mayor Sheila DeCiccio
Dec. 8, 2023
By Beth Kassab
Vice Mayor Sheila DeCiccio drew an opponent in her bid for mayor with real estate school owner Michael Cameron Sidawi filing to run against her.
Reached by phone on Friday, Sidawi told the Voice he wasn’t yet ready to discuss his campaign and declined to answer questions.
He has until Monday at noon to turn in the required petitions to secure a spot on the March 19 ballot.
DeCiccio turned her petitions in earlier in the week and said she is focused on getting her message about maintaining Winter Park’s charm and fixing infrastructure needs in front of voters.
Sheila DeCiccio talks with residents at a meet-and-greet event. (Courtesy of DeCiccio’s campaign.)
“I am looking forward to running a positive campaign and highlighting the accomplishments of Mayor [Phil] Anderson and the commission, discussing the issues, answering questions and, most importantly, listening to the residents and giving them a voice at City Hall,” DeCiccio said.
She announced her campaign in October and resigned from Commission Seat 2 effective after the election in order to run. That triggered an election for Seat 2, which has drawn three candidates so far.
Jason Johnson, an attorney, and Craig Russell, a teacher and coach at Winter Park High School both submitted their qualifying petitions to run for the seat.
Stockton Reeves, director of the Center for Public Safety, is also running for Seat 2, but has not yet submitted his petitions.
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by Beth Kassab | Dec 1, 2023 | City Commission, Election, News
Winter Park High coach enters commission seat race
Three candidates are now vying for Seat 2 on the City Commission while Commissioner Sheila DeCiccio remains unopposed headed into qualifying
Dec. 1, 2023
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park High School football and wrestling coach Craig Russell said this week he would run for City Commission Seat 2, making it a three-way contest as Sheila DeCiccio remains unopposed for mayor.
Jason Johnson, an attorney, and Stockton Reeves, who runs a public safety firm, are also running for the commission seat that opened when DeCiccio, also an attorney, decided to run for mayor.
The qualifying period for the March 19 election opens on Monday and runs until Dec. 11.
Russell, 43, graduated from Winter Park High and the University of Central Florida before he began his 20-year teaching and coaching career at his alma mater. He is an assistant football coach and head wrestling coach and teaches weightlifting. He said he wanted to enter the race to bring a voice from his generation to City Hall.
“I feel like it’s time for me to step up from my generation to help bring a change for our leadership and our community,” said Russell, a first-time candidate for office. “I want to make it better for our kids.”
He said creating more affordable housing and extending the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency west of downtown are among his priorities.
Stockton Reeves, candidate for Winter Park City Commission.
Russell, who is Black, said he doesn’t want to make his race an issue in the election, but he is aware that Winter Park has not had a Black commissioner more than 130 years.
“I think me getting up there and voicing my experience will remind people we’re a lot more inclusive than we have a reputation to be,” he said.
Jason Johnson, an attorney in the Winter Park office of the Byrd Campbell law firm, announced in October that he will run for the seat. He is also a first-time candidate who has lived in Winter Park for 13 years with his wife, Lori, and their daughter. He serves as chairman of the city’s Board of Adjustments, which rules on homeowner applications for building variances.
Jason Johnson, candidate for Winter Park City Commission, with wife, Lori, and daughter, Molly.
Johnson, who estimated he has raised about $17,000 in his campaign account so far, said his main priority is preserving Winter Park’s charm.
“It’s all about preserving this community that we all love,” Johnson said.
Stockton Reeves, executive director of the Center for Public Safety, also entered the race in October. He ran for the Florida House in 2018 and lost to Rep. Anna Eskamani in the general election. He has served on a number of city boards and is now vice chairman of the Civil Service Board and has run for commission before, but was not elected.
Reeves, who describes himself as a third-generation resident of the city, could not be reached for comment. But he earlier told the Voice that advocating for police and firefighters is among his top priorities.
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by Beth Kassab | Oct 18, 2023 | City Commission, Election, News
Terry Hotard withdraws from mayoral contest
The city clerk on Wednesday posted that the former mayor is no longer running against current Vice Mayor Sheila DeCiccio
Oct. 18, 2023
By Beth Kassab
Terry Hotard, the former mayor who said last week he would run for the job again, is no longer in the contest against Vice Mayor Sheila DeCiccio, according to the Winter Park City Clerk’s office.
The office added a “withdrew” notation under Hotard’s name on the city’s election page on Wednesday.
Hotard told the Voice that he was “completely humbled and overwhelmed” by messages supporting his candidacy, but ultimately concluded the timing wasn’t right.
“I came to a decision that I would rather spend my time and efforts elsewhere,” he said. “I wish whoever is elected as our next mayor the very best.”
He opened a campaign account and said he intended to run a week earlier.
One of his chief concerns, he said, is the placement of large utility boxes near property owned by Marc and Sharon Hagle, who are building what is to be the largest home in Winter Park on Palmer Avenue. Hotard, also a former city utility executive, said the boxes are eyesores and should be hidden on private property rather than public right of way.
DeCiccio announced her bid for the post earlier this month and is focused on maintaining Winter Park’s charm and shoring up the city’s aging infrastructure.
She had to resign from her commission seat in order to run triggering an election in March for someone to serve the remainder of her term.
The official qualifying period for both contests is in December.
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by Beth Kassab | Oct 14, 2023 | City Commission, Election, News, Uncategorized
Terry Hotard enters race for mayor against Sheila DeCiccio
The former mayor says he will challenge the current vice mayor in the March election
Oct. 13, 2023
By Beth Kassab
Former Mayor Terry Hotard said he will run against Vice Mayor Sheila DeCiccio for the city’s top elected post, driven to run by controversy over utility boxes that have appeared in the city right-of-way outside the Palmer Avenue property owned by Marc and Sharon Hagle, who are constructing the largest home in Winter Park.
“It’s a quality of life issue,” said Hotard, who served as mayor in the early 2000’s and worked for the company that became Duke Energy before he served as assistant director of Winter Park’s electric utility. “Once those boxes are put in place they will never move.”
He said the green boxes, which house electrical equipment, can fade over time and attract graffiti. He said the city’s own code mandates the boxes be on private property rather than on city-owned land.
Sheila DeCiccio talks with residents at a meet-and-greet event.
A spokeswoman for the city cited a different portion of the code, but said alternatives are being considered for the transformer boxes near the Hagle house, which is expected to be 40,000-square-feet on the shore of Lake Osceola.
“The city is researching a more aesthetically pleasing alternative for these public utility boxes including traffic signal cabinets,” said Clarissa Howard.
Hotard said he enjoyed his time as a city commissioner in the 1990s and then as mayor in the early 2000’s before he went on to serve as assistant director of the city’s electric utility.
“I feel like I have a little bit of gas left in the tank and I have something to offer,” he said of the upcoming race.
DeCiccio announced her candidacy earlier this month and highlighted infrastructure needs as one of her top priorities.
“We’ve made great headway, but there’s still a lot to be done to maintain the heart and charm of the city,” she said shortly after that announcement. “Hurricane Ian laid bare a lot of our problems such as pipes that need maintenance, brick streets that need attention. Infrastructure is the No. 1 issue and we can’t kick this can down the road anymore.”
DeCiccio, an attorney who has lived in Winter Park for more than 40 years, said water basin studies ordered by the current commission along with more bike paths and extending sidewalks will be key for the city’s future.
She had to resign from her commission seat in order to run for mayor. Her resignation will take effect in April 2024, at the time she would take over as mayor if elected to that job. As a result, there is also a contest to fill Seat 2 on the five-seat dais.
There are two challengers for Seat 2: attorney Jason Johnson and Stockton Reeves, who leads the Center for Public Safety, which helps local governments build new police and fire stations.
Reeves said one of his key issues is advocating for police officers and firefighters.
“That’s one of the things that kind of pushed me to do this,” he said, noting he wants to reassess the policies at the police department and fire department to make sure that officers can donate sick time or other benefits to each other in times of need.
Stockton Reeves
Reeves, who has served on a number of city boards and is now vice chairman of the Civil Service Board, grew up in Winter Park and has run for commission before, but was not elected. In 2018, he ran as a Republican against Democrat Anna Eskamani for the Florida House and lost.
In 2020, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a public reprimand of Reeves after the Ethics Commission ruled that he violated financial disclosure requirements. Reeves said the matter was “the most technical of a technicality.”
Jason Johnson, who works in the Winter Park office of the Byrd Campbell law firm, is a first-time candidate who has lived in Winter Park for 13 years with his wife, Lori, and their daughter. He is chairman of the city’s Board of Adjustments, which rules on homeowner applications for building variances.
Jason Johnson, candidate for Winter Park City Commission, with wife, Lori, and daughter, Molly.
“My north star in all of this is to preserve the charm of Winter Park, but I’m also a rule-of-law guy and I recognize that landowners have rights and due process exists,” he told the Voice earlier this month.
Official qualifying for both the mayoral contest and Seat 2 does not end until mid-December.
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by Beth Kassab | Oct 4, 2023 | City Commission, Election, News, Uncategorized
Sheila DeCiccio to run for Winter Park mayor
Jason Johnson announces run for DeCiccio’s remaining term
Oct. 3, 2023
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park Commissioner Sheila DeCiccio announced this week she is running for mayor, triggering a special election for the remainder of her term that has already attracted at least one contender: local attorney Jason Johnson.
DeCiccio, who was elected in March to a second commission term without opposition, said she will make improving the city’s infrastructure and preserving Winter Park’s small town feel the central focus of her campaign.
“We’ve made great headway, but there’s still a lot to be done to maintain the heart and charm of the city,” she said. “Hurricane Ian laid bare a lot of our problems such as pipes that need maintenance, brick streets that need attention. Infrastructure is the No. 1 issue and we can’t kick this can down the road anymore.”
She pointed to the water basin studies ordered by the current commission and priorities set out in the transportation master plan, including more bike paths and extending sidewalks, as foundations for taking the city to the next level.
Winter Park is a city manager form of government, which means Randy Knight oversees the day-to-day operations of the town of about 30,000 people and a more than $200 million budget. But the mayor and commission hire the city manager and set policy and the mayor can be highly influential when it comes to driving an agenda or steering debate, particularly at public meetings.
DeCiccio, who moved to Winter Park more than 40 years ago after working as an assistant district attorney in Massachusetts, became the first woman partner at the Lowndes law firm in the 1980s. She went on to practice law with her husband, Dan, at DeCiccio & Johnson and has served on the city’s Planning & Zoning and Code Enforcement boards. The couple has two adult children.
She was first elected to the City Commission in March 2020 as the world was shutting down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then two years later as the pandemic finally eased, Winter Park experienced some of the worst flooding in its history as Hurricane Ian brought record-level rain across the region.
She said those tumultuous events have sharpened her focus on keeping the city financially strong and prepared for the next emergency.
“We’ve learned from all of it,” she said. “That’s why infrastructure is my No. 1 priority.”
Mayor Phil Anderson, who is not seeking a second term, said he supports DeCiccio’s campaign and wants to see the long-term planning he helped initiate as mayor carried forward.
Mayor Phil Anderson gives the state of the city address earlier this year as commissioners Marty Sullivan, Sheila DeCiccio and Kris Cruzada look on.
“I supported her in her first election and we really got to know each other,” Anderson said. “I’ve continued to enjoy working with her as she runs for and hopefully serves as mayor.”
Social media influencer Dino Favara on Friday posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he is joining the race for mayor. His name is not yet listed on the city’s election site, but he confirmed to the Voice that he intends to run. He did not immediately provide more information, but his TikTok account, which has about 20,000 followers says he works as a social media content creator and has also worked as a substitute teacher, wedding DJ and for children’s programs at an Orlando church.
The official qualifying period for the March 19, 2024 election doesn’t end until December.
In order to run, DeCiccio announced she would resign from her commission seat on April 10, the date she would take office as mayor if she is elected.
That means there will be a special election for the final two years of her three-year term as Seat 2 Commissioner.
Jason Johnson, candidate for Winter Park City Commission, with wife, Lori, and daughter, Molly.
Jason Johnson, an attorney in the Winter Park office of the Byrd Campbell law firm, announced this week he will run for the seat. He is a first-time candidate who has lived in Winter Park for 13 years with his wife, Lori, and their daughter. He is also chairman of the city’s Board of Adjustments, which rules on homeowner applications for building variances.
“My north star in all of this is to preserve the charm of Winter Park, but I’m also a rule-of-law guy and I recognize that landowners have rights and due process exists,” he said.
Stockton Reeves, executive director of the Center for Public Safety, is running for the seat, according to the city elections site. Reeves did not immediately respond to a request for more information. He ran for the Florida House in 2018 and lost to Rep. Anna Eskamani in the general election.
Justin Vermuth, also an attorney, said he explored the idea of running but told the Voice this week he does not plan to enter the race.
The qualifying period for candidates to enter the contests for mayor and the commission seat ends Dec. 11.
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