Three incumbents join diverse group of candidates for Volusia County Council

On the heels of a tumultuous past few months that culminated in a protest and the sudden resignation of the county manager, the Volusia County Council is working to silence critics while seeking a new leader to steer operations, the budget and personnel.

At the same time, four of the seven council seats are up for grabs in this year's election cycle, including three with incumbents vying to keep their jobs in the aftermath of the turmoil.

Pat Patterson, an insurance agent and former state legislator, and Fred Lowry, a Deltona minister, are facing competition on the Aug. 28 primary ballot. Deb Denys, an insurance agent, has a competitor as well, but that two-candidate race will move straight to the Nov. 6 General Election. 

It's a guarantee that a new county manager won't be the only fresh face behind the dais next year, with at-large council member Joyce Cusack terming out in December. Seeking to replace her are former sheriff  Ben Johnson— whose $192,245 in campaign contributions is by far the most among council candidates — or a pastor-turned-Daytona Beach city official, the Rev. Ronald Durham, who's raised $22,310.

Both are propelled by a desire to make a difference for their communities.

"It had gotten to the point where if I did not run, I could not complain about anything happening in Volusia County government from that point forward," Durham said. "It was time to step up and make a difference."

Johnson, who served as sheriff for 16 years before his retirement in 2016, said he misses public service. "I truly miss working and miss being involved, and miss being able to help. I felt I could make a difference and that I have a lot left in me."

The at-large race and Lowry's District 5 race were forced into a primary after two late-entries qualified as write-in only candidates. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote during the primary election, the top two will move into a November runoff.

At stake: a job that pays $41,000; the responsibility of helping to steer a more than $721 million budget; and a role in making policy decisions that impact beach driving, public transportation, how much developers pay for development, and more. An immediate responsibility includes selecting a new manager.

District 1

Having served 10 years in the Florida House and eight years on the council, Patterson has the most experience in public office among the incumbents. Recent accomplishments include helping to bring a public park to Pierson along Lake George and a fight to free taxpayers from paying for miles of SunRail track that may never come into DeLand.

"The thing I'm most proud of is my constituent service and helping people when they have a problem, whatever they need," Patterson said. "It's the same constituent service I provided when I was a state legislator."

While the most experienced, he also faces the most heat in his quest for re-election. Patterson faces three challengers in District 1, which includes Pierson, DeLand, DeLeon Springs, Orange City and Lake Helen. 

Barbara Girtman, a DeLand resident and real estate agent, currently serves as chairwoman of the West Volusia Hospital Authority. Jeff Brower, a farmer from DeLeon Springs with nine children, and Eddie Molina, a DeLand resident who recently retired from the Army after 20 years of duty, are seeking their first public office.

Molina said after his tour of duty with the military ended he was looking for a new way to serve his community and give back. That was one reason he decided to run. The other?

"I don't feel like the current council has a good thing going in terms of representing the people they are supposed to be serving," Molina said, adding, "I thought my (military) background would be a benefit to the position."

Brower, who's been the most vocal candidate against the current council and called for County Manager Jim Dinneen's firing during the June 19 council meeting, said similar criticisms served as motivation for his decision to run.

"I've been thinking about it for four years," he said. "I'm just tired of hearing politicians make promises during campaigns and doing the opposite. I thought I could run and keep my promises and keep my word. I want to be responsible to my constituents and give them a voice instead of giving them the run-around."

Asked why she decided to run, Girtman said she views the seat as another opportunity to represent West Volusia.

"I've established relationships at all levels, with city managers, mayors, and the County Council," she said. "I've really been working throughout the community as an advocate on a number of levels. I'm not new to advocacy or new to government."

Patterson has collected $41,450 through June 22 in campaign contributions compared with Girtman's $20,291, Brower's $15,109 and Molina's $3,610.

District 5

It seemed like Lowry, a pastor at Deltona Lakes Baptist Church and former Deltona city commissioner, was set to reclaim his District 5 seat by default. He filed to run in May 2017 and was running unopposed for nearly a year. Then, in April, he learned he had to gear up for a campaign.

"We were planning all along as if we’d have an opponent," Lowry said. "It didn’t really catch us off guard, it just made us go into fast forward."

His opponent: Dan Hunt, an electrician who served as DeBary council member from 2010 to 2014.

"I want to have a working class, blue collar voice on the dais of the Volusia County Council," Hunt said. "Big business is represented well; let's get someone in there who speaks on behalf of the working class."'

Lowry — whose self-described biggest accomplishments in the past four years include securing a Votran public bus route along Howland Boulevard in Deltona and his work alongside the rest of the council to get the county debt-free in its general fund has raised $25,550 in campaign contributions compared with Hunt's $13,357.

District 3

Voters in Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater and Oak Hill will have to wait until November to make their pick for County Council District 3, when Denys will face a challenge from Michael Arminio, who cited the recent chain of events that led to Dinneen's departure as a reason why he filed.

"What I'm seeing and hearing is a lot of (discussion) among the citizens who say they aren't being heard," said Arminio, owner of Baybreeze Blinds in South Daytona and a member of the Port Orange planning commission. "It was time for me to step up and do something about it. I have never seen people this angry before."

Denys, an insurance agent who served a stint on the School Board in the 1990s, points to getting a new bridge at Turnbull Bay in New Smyrna Beach as a major accomplishment.

"The thing I'm most proud of is making Turnbull Bay a priority," Denys said. "It will be finished in December of this year, and we did it with no detours" and without closing the bridge.

Through June 22, Denys has raised $82,617 compared with Arminio's $1,800.