Volusia County Councilwoman Heather Post announces run for the at-large seat in 2022
Volusia County Councilwoman Heather Post announced Wednesday she will not run for re-election in her district next year, instead declaring her candidacy for the soon to be vacant at-large seat.
Post is the first to declare in the race.
Former Sheriff Ben Johnson has been the at-large representative since cruising to victory in 2018. He told The News-Journal this week he is not running for re-election.
"First time I ran, I said I was going to run for one term," Johnson said. "It’s the worst kept secret. All my supporters know. County staff knows."
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Post was twice elected to the Volusia County Council, representing District 4 for the past six years.
The county charter states councilmembers are only allowed eight years in any one seat. Post would have finished out her final four-year term in 2024 had the U.S. Census not forced district lines to be redrawn, triggering an election next year for a two-year term.
The at-large seat was not impacted by redistricting. Every seat but County Chair Jeff Brower's is up for grabs in 2022 due to redistricting or normal election cycles.
Post first won in 2016 by a 9-point margin, earning 54.5% of the vote to claim victory over Al Smith. She raised $171,000 that year, more than any of the six other candidates.
Post improved in the polls in 2020, winning 58.5% of the vote to beat Barbara Bonarrigo by 17 points despite raising only $31,000 to Bonarrigo's $83,000.
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District 4 encompasses much of western Daytona Beach, all of Ormond Beach and Holly Hill, and unincorporated areas in the northeast and central parts of the county.
Nobody has declared for the District 4 seat.
Here's who's filed so far in the other council races:
District 1: Incumbent Barbara Girtman and newcomer Wallace Bailey
District 2: Port Orange City Councilman Chase Tramont and newcomers Danny Fuqua and Paul Zimmerman
District 3: Incumbent Danny Robins
District 5: Deltona City Commissioner Victor Ramos
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia County 2022 Elections: Heather Post to run for at-large seat
