Winter Haven election preview: Five candidates vie for two commission seats in November

During the Nov. 7 municipal elections in Winter Haven, there will be competitive races to determine two seats on the City Commission.

Candidates for two other seats were unopposed, so without a challenger, they will not appear on the ballot and will gain the positions during a swearing in ceremony to be held in January. The current Seat 2 Commissioner Nathaniel J. Birdsong Jr. and Seat 3 Commissioner Brian Yates will both retain their seats without a challenge.

There are two contested seats and five candidates vying for those seats. Those races will determine who will represent districts one and five.

The seats on the City Commission are all non-partisan and at-large, which means each commission seat represents the entire city population. All members of the commission must be residents of Winter Haven.

For the District 5 seat, a three-way race will be held.

That post was vacated when Commissioner James H. “J.P.” Powell died. Powell had just over a year left in his term of office. The seat has been vacant since April but the winner of the Nov. 7 special election will be sworn in at the first meeting of the commission in November.

The swearing in will come right away because the winner will be serving the remaining term.

The three candidates for Seat 5 are Johnathon D. Bush, a pastor at Southside Baptist; Clifton E. Dollison, a pastor at First Missionary Baptist Church; and Tom D. Freijo, an executive recruiter.

2024 Winter Haven adopts $260M budget for 2024, full of capital projects and pay raises

In the other competitive race, incumbent Lucretia Tracy Mercer will face off with challenger Kim Davis, a realtor, for Seat 1.

The following information about each of the candidates was submitted by them for this report:

Seat 1: Kimberly Davis

Kimberly Dawn Davis, 47, said her “journey has been shaped by strong family values, a deep commitment to community, and a diverse professional background.”

Davis is a realtor who is active in the East Polk County Association of Realtors, where she serves on its Realtor Political Action Committee. She is the chairwoman for the Community Charity Committee and is active in the Terranova Homeowners Association Board.

Davis said she cares deeply about Winter Haven and wants to preserve its core values, including keeping it as “a place where neighbors look out for each other.”

“In our pursuit of progress, I firmly believe that our city should focus on uplifting and encouraging all residents equally based on their contributions to our community,” Davis said. “I do not believe that our city government should be involved in discussing or promoting any group based solely on their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Davis said her primary focus will be on the essential functions of city government and to ensure residents get the services they pay for. Among the services she listed, “efficient trash pick-up, reliable water and sewer services, well-maintained recreational facilities, and a strong presence of public safety officers to keep our community safe.”  She said she brings a “fresh perspective” and is committed to collaborative problem solving in her duties on various committees and city initiatives.

“My campaign focuses on bringing diverse voices to the table, fostering transparency in our local government, and ensuring that every resident's concerns are heard and addressed,” she said. “I want every person in our community to know that they have a dedicated advocate working tirelessly on their behalf.”  Davis said her faith plays a significant role in her life and she has been a longtime attendee of Redeemer City Church.   A resident of Winter Haven for the past three years, her ties to the community run deep. She is the eldest daughter of Ben Crosby of Crosby & Associates, Inc., and Debbie Crosby, a devoted member of Winter Haven MOPS.

She holds a liberal arts degree from Tallahassee Community College, which she attended with a fast-pitch softball scholarship.

She has prior experience in public service. She served as a member of Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite's team for two years, focusing on constituent services. Before that, she worked at Ruby Tuesday's corporate office in the human resources department and after college worked for Sprint as they built their original cell towers in the Tampa area.

Davis’ campaign treasurer is Deborah M. Crosby.

Davis is married and has four sons, ages 12 to 24.

Seat 1: Lucretia Tracy Mercer

Lucretia Tracy Mercer, 73, said for Winter Haven, she wants managed and responsible growth with affordable housing, infrastructure for drinking water and transportation, and preservation of natural resources, including the city’s many lakes.

In terms of opportunities for Winter Haven, she sees growth management as number one, she said.

“Winter Haven is poised for significant growth over the next two decades based on our strategic location, weather and tax structure,” Mercer said in a prepared statement. “Planning and construction of the public infrastructure to support this growth will be critical to defining the community we desire.

“The One Water Master Plan is completed and needs to be affordable and realistically implementable for our city,” she added.

Mercer said, “growth needs to pay for growth” because she does not want current residents to pay an unfair share for new public infrastructure. “We need to look at both cost of services as well as value of services we provide to citizens and visitors when making our project decisions.”

She said the city should use impact fees on new development and seek state and federal grants wherever possible.

In terms of challenges facing Winter Haven, Mercer said, “When we address our challenges in an openly educated manner, we garner the community support and commitment that is vital to our success. All members of our community should willingly participate in the decisions the commission makes that have an influence on their quality of life.

“The management of the growth we have currently is the number-one challenge AND opportunity for Winter Haven,” Mercer said. “We must embrace the economic opportunities that Legoland and other developments offer for our community while sustaining our Chain of Lakes and identity as the State's water wonderland.”

She has worked in Winter Haven departments such as utility billing and customer service as well as an involvement with the purchase of Garden Grove Water Company and its merger with the Winter Haven system. She also worked with public works, including utilities, public services solid waste, fleet maintenance and cemeteries.

She said she has spent the last 25 years in areas that are “critical to the health and economic development of our community.”

Other positions include a police and fire department dispatcher, secretary to the chief, payroll, purchasing, bookkeeper and an emergency medical technician for Polk County. Before that, she was an office coordinator for fire, EMS, fire prevention, emergency management and animal control.

“I have spent most of my career working in local government, so I understand well the administration and budget development processes for public safety, public works, utilities, planning, parks and recreation and public education,” Mercer said.

She is listed as her own campaign treasurer, according to campaign records.

Her campaign finance records show Mercer received $9,000 in donations with multiple $1,000 campaign contributions from Cassidy Holdings and other Cassidy family businesses in real estate and land development for a total of $7,000 from them between July and September.

A business managed by the family of Polk County Planning Commission member Rennie Heath also donated $1,000. The other $1,000 came from Mercer herself.

Seat 5: Johnathon Bush

Johnathon David Bush, 42, has worked as a senior pastor for 14 years, with nine of those years at Southside Baptist Church in Winter Haven after moving to the area from Kentucky.

“It is my goal to be an enthusiastic voice on the city commission that speaks for Christian, conservative, and family values,” Bush said in a prepared statement. “As a pastor and a father of six, these core things are important for me. Our children are precious so they must be protected from the womb to adulthood. 

“It is my desire to help make wise decisions regarding growth management and commonsense infrastructure. Winter Haven is growing exponentially, so it is crucial that we have the infrastructure to keep up with the growth.  Proper growth management can help solve some of these issues. 

Bush said called police, firefighters and EMT "heroes," and said "I want them to know that I will have their backs."

And he said his faith would be his guiding force in decision making.

"First and foremost, my priority in life is my relationship with Jesus Christ," he said. "Any decision that I make for the direction of Winter Haven will be in view of my allegiance to God. I love Winter Haven and I am committed to its development and its citizens."

Bush’s campaign treasurer is Kari Cody.  According to campaign records, his campaign has collected $1,005 between July and September. His expenditures were $718.88 mostly for the filing fee to run for office and campaign literature and signs.

Bush has been married to Hannah Bush for 19 years and they have six children, who are homeschooled.

Seat 5: Clifton E. Dollison

Clifton E. Dollison, 66, has served as a pastor and teacher for the First Missionary Baptist Church of Winter Haven for the past 31 years. He said he wants to offer leadership that promotes the greater good for every citizen.

He currently serves on the city’s downtown Community Redevelopment Agency board, and he previously served on the city planning board and housing board, among other public service roles.

For the past 25 years, he has served as the senior chaplain for the Winter Haven Police Department.

Other community service and leadership roles have included past co-chair for the Polk Ecumenical Action Council for Empowerment, or PEACE, which is a social justice coalition comprising dozens of church congregations.

In 2004, PEACE played a role in securing the half-cent sales tax for health care, and it was renewed in 2016. It delivers approximately $40 million to $48 million annually for health care, for the uninsured or underinsured. The tax now helps operate five full-service clinics across Polk County and 24-hour access to health, mental and dental services.

Dollison said another result of PEACE’s work in the community is a reduction in youth arrests with a second-chance diversion program. The program has reduced recidivism by 86%.

PEACE has advocated for the development of affordable housing for nearly 800 low-income families in Winter Haven and Lakeland.

Dollison said wants to use his community service experience to serve Winter Haven and the challenges facing the city.

“I’m aware of the significant challenges facing our beautiful city, especially the explosive municipal growth requiring us to make difficult management choices,” he said.   His treasurer is Betty Brown.

Dollison has been married for 42 years to his wife, Valerie, and they have three grown children. They each have different careers. Trista Manuel is a Broadway actress and singer, Bradley Dollison is a Lakeland police sergeant, and Austin Dollison is an educator at Polk State Collegiate. The candidate also has five grandchildren.

Seat 5: Tom David Freijo

Tom David Freijo, 81, is a Tampa native, management consultant and former University of South Florida professor with a Ph.D. in educational research methodology.  He's also a former member of the Winter Haven City Commission.

For his platform, he listed multiple goals among quality of life and smart growth as well as financial goals including appropriate impact fees, property taxes and competitive employee compensation.

Freijo said making promises about what he will do on Day 1 of his term in office is not how he operates and that is not the best way to get things done. He cited the commission’s many accomplishments when he served previously on the board.

“What I am going to do – and have already started doing – is to study the issues, make a lot of inquiries, formulate a course of action, and work hard at getting buy-in,” he said.

He cited the city’s purchase of the Garden Grove Water Company, which he spearheaded during his prior term as an example of how he approaches decision making.

“When I first got on the Commission and was inquiring of staff about important issues, they told me that purchase of the Gargen Grove Water Company would be wonderful for the City, but not to waste my time on it, because previous attempts had been made, and it just could not be done,” he said.

But he said he met with stakeholders, researched the legal and technical hurdles and developed a plan of action demonstrating the long-term benefits to the city and gained buy in from civic groups to city administrators and eventually his fellow commissioners.

“I’m not running because I think the current Commission is doing a bad job; I want to help assure that we keep a good leadership team that is focused on making Winter Haven a great place to live,” Freijo said.

In terms of other accomplishments while previously a commissioner, he helped to expand the city’s tax base and its financial situation, including expansion in the southeast section of the city via annexation. The police station was modernized, a new modern police station and fire station No. 2 were built.

He also was involved in the conversion of the old mall into a City Center, the creation of the Winter Haven bus system, a new library and worked with the downtown and Florence Villa CRAs, he said.

Freijo previously served a four-year term and did not seek re-election.

Freijo is the founding president of Main Street Winter Haven and founding board member of Ritz Theatre 100. He is a former chairman of the Polk County Community Relations Advisory Council.

He also is the former board member of Winter Haven Meals on Wheels and the city’s Habitat for Humanity. He is a former chair of the Winter Haven Area Transit Authority, a member of Winter Haven Rotary Club, and current chair of the Winter Haven Public Safety Community Advisory Committee.

His campaign treasurers report shows he raised $6,350 and spent $2,646.70 mostly on campaign signs and handouts. His donors include Carter and Kayne Engineering and School Board Member William Allen, both of whom donated $150. Baxter Troutman donated $500.

'It's keeping us young': Winter Haven grove finds niche selling organic lemons

He lists the Social Security Administration and Ameritrade as his sources of income. He is also a management consultant to a very large number of public agencies – cities, counties, school boards, state agencies.

He moved to Winter Haven about 40 years ago and has been married to his wife, Sandy for 22 years. She teaches third grade at Chain of lakes Elementary School.

Commission seats

Candidates must be a U.S. Citizen, at least 18 years old, a resident of Florida, a registered voter in Florida and in Polk County, and reside within the City limits of Winter Haven at the time of qualifying and during term of office.

Term of office is four years and will commence at the first regular City Commission meeting in January 2024. Seats are at-large and non-partisan.

For more information, visit PolkElections.gov or call the Elections Office at 863-534-5888.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Meet Winter Haven's candidates: Five vie for two commission seats