Candidates line up for soon-to-be vacant Dunnellon City Council seats
DUNNELLON — Come next month, two Dunnellon city officials will be leaving the board, making way for two new representatives.
Mayor Wally Dunn from Seat 1 and Seat 2 council member Juliane Mendonca have decided to leave before their terms end. Mendonca said she wants to leave by Dec. 1. Dunn said he wants to depart by the end of December if given permission by city officials.
The mayor was elected in 2022. Earlier this year, he took over from former Mayor Bill White ,who abruptly resigned citing health reasons.
Mendonca also came on board last year when she replaced former representative Louise Kenny, who resigned for family reasons.
Neither Dunn nor Mendonca had to run for election and were picked by their colleagues to fill the vacancy.
Deadline for applications
To be eligible for the job, candidates must live within the city limits. Whomever is selected will be in office until the November 2024 election.
The mayor and city council serve staggered four-year terms, and the mayor is one of five representatives on the council. Their pay before taxes is $150 monthly.
Those interested in the mayor or city council positions must submit their application to the city clerk by Nov. 30 at noon.
For more information, call City Clerk Mandy Odom at (352)465-8500 or emailmodom@dunnellon.org.
Potential candidates
To date, three people have expressed an interest in serving on council.
The three are Art Jones, Adam J. Nichols and Valerie Hanchar. Jones and Nichols had submitted their applications a few months ago when former council member Jan Cubbage resigned in August.
Jones later withdrew his name, saying he was too busy, and endorsed Nichols. Council members decided not to select Nichols. They said he lacked experience and later settled on former councilman and mayor Walter Green.
Now Jones is back.
"If you want get something done, give it to a busy person," Jones said with a laugh.
Despite being rejected by city officials, Nichols said he's still interesting in serving the community and believes he will eventually get his wish.
"I'm still in it," he said.
Defeating by Dunn in 2022, Hanchar, a former vice mayor, said she wants to make a difference. Before considering a return to city council, Hanchar said she spoke to her family and they gave her the thumbs up.
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"If they want someone with experience, then I'll do it," Hanchar said, adding some people from the community have urged her to serve again, which made her "feel good she has support from the citizens."
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Soon-to-be vacant Dunnellon council seats have attracted three candidates so far
