Voters in Deltona, DeLand elect new mayors; West Volusia cities pick incumbents, newcomers
Deltona's next mayor is Santiago Avila Jr.
Avila earned nearly 53% of the 26,566 votes cast, besting incumbent Mayor Heidi Herzberg four years after she had beaten him.
"I'm feeling super excited and hopeful," Avila said Wednesday while collecting his campaign signs. "It was a hard-fought race."
The race to be Deltona's next mayor started with three candidates: Avila, Herzberg and Gus Kostianis, the latter of whom lost in the primary.
The primary election saw Herzberg receive nearly 49% of the 13,804 votes cast; Avila received 35.5%, and Kostianis fell shy of 16%.
In 2018, Herzberg, 60, a longtime professional hairstylist, had defeated Avila, 39, a small business owner, with nearly 53% of the vote.
Avila said he thinks the race went in his favor this time because "people were just fed up and wanted to see change."
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Herzberg also served as a commissioner from 2010 to 2018.
The mayor chairs commission meetings and serves as a figurehead. The term is four years with an annual salary of about $14,918.
Census estimates from July 2021 put the Deltona's at 95,782, making it the largest in Volusia County.
New faces join Deltona City Commission
Three other commission races also were decided Tuesday night.
In the race for District 1, former city Planning Manager Tom Burbank defeated Brandy White, a well-known face in City Hall, by a 52-48 margin.
In the race for District 3, current Vice Mayor Maritza Avila-Vazquez beat Tara D'Errico, earning more than 56% of the votes.
In the race for District 6, bar owner Jody Lee Storozuk earned more than 56% to win over William "Bill" Coakley.
The District 5 seat went to business owner Stephen Colwell last month when his opponent Donald Freeman dropped out of the race.
Changes to Deltona charter
In addition to choosing new commissioners, Deltona residents voted in favor of changes to the City Charter.
Nearly 60% voted in favor of requiring the city manager and in-house city attorney residing within Volusia County or within 25 miles of city boundaries. That loosens a restriction requiring those officers to live in the city boundaries.
Some 68% also voted in favor of repealing superseded or obsolete provisions.
DeLand elects Chris Cloudman as new mayor
DeLand's next mayor is City Commissioner Chris Cloudman.
With all precincts reporting, Cloudman, who ran against Reggie Williams, earned more than 58% of the 13,194 votes cast.
The 45-year-old is the city's first new mayor in two decades as Bob Apgar served in the role since 2001.
"I am excited to continue to serve our community and represent DeLand and Volusia County on the local, regional and statewide level," Cloudman said via text message Tuesday night. "Our city is rich with history, culture and tradition, and we will honor and respect that as we move forward."
Cloudman has served as a commissioner since 2014.
The race to be DeLand's next mayor started with three candidates: Cloudman, Williams and Buz Nesbit, the latter of whom lost in the primary.
The primary election saw Cloudman receive nearly 47% of the 13,804 votes cast; Williams received about 33%, and Nesbit received about 19.7%.
The mayor chairs City Commission meetings and serves as a figurehead. The term is four years with an annual salary of $16,302.
During DeLand's general election, which was held in August, residents reelected incumbents Jessica Davis and Kevin Reid to their respective commission seats.
Daniel Reed was elected to Seat 4.
Commissioners, who are elected citywide, serve four-year terms and receive an annual salary of about $11,601.
DeBary residents reelect incumbent
Patricia Stevenson was reelected Tuesday night to the DeBary City Council.
Incumbent Stevenson ran against newcomer Donnie Taylor in the citywide race for Seat 3 and earned nearly 59% of the 8,790 votes cast.
As the only candidates in their race, Stevenson, 40, and Taylor, 46, didn't face a primary in August.
Mayor Karen Chasez and Phyllis Butlien, the current vice mayor, also will return to the dais in DeBary as they ran unopposed in their respective races.
Commissioners serve four-year terms and earn an annual salary of $7,800.
Orange City residents elect newcomers over incumbents
Alisa "Lisa" Stafford and Fran Darms were elected Tuesday night to the Orange City Council.
Both Stafford and Darms ran against incumbents.
Stafford earned more than 51%, defeating Jeff Allebach for District 2.
Darms defeated Martin Harper for District 5. She won with 67%.
Council members, who receive an annual salary of about $12,001, serve four-year terms as one of seven votes on legislative and policy matters.
Lake Helen residents choose something new, something old
Roger Eckert and Charlene Bishop were elected Tuesday night to the Lake Helen City Commission.
In the Zone 2 race, incumbent Eckert defeated Kurt Sniffin. Eckert earned more than 59%.
Charlene Bishop bested incumbent Jim Connell, the current vice mayor, in the race for Zone 4 with 60%.
Commissioners serve two-year terms and receive an annual salary of about $6,947.
Lake Helen residents also voted down three proposed charter amendments.
More than 56% opposed updating the charter to remain consistent with state law, repealing outdated and inconsistent provisions and incorporating provisions consistent with current operations and good-management practices; and incorporating changes to make city operations more efficient.
More than 58% voted against creating four-year staggered terms in office for commissioners.
More than 66% voted against giving the city administrator administrative and supervisory authority over city employees.
Pierson residents elect Richardson, Peterson
Linnie Richardson and Brandy Peterson were elected Tuesday night to the Pierson Town Council.
Richardson ran against incumbent Gray Leonhard in the race for Seat 1 and earned nearly 61%.
Peterson got 62% to top James Anderson for Seat 2.
Council member Robert Greenlund ran unopposed.
Council members serve four-year terms and receive an annual salary of $3,798.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Deltona, DeLand elect new mayors; West Volusia cities pick incumbents, newcomers
