Above (L-R): Orlando City Commissioners Robert Stuart, Regina Hill and Jim Gray (Photos courtesy of the City of Orlando).
ORLANDO | Orlando City Commissioners Robert Stuart, Regina Hill and Jim Gray retained their seats in each of their races as Central Florida came out to vote Nov. 2.
Stuart, in the closest of the three races, continues his tenure as District 3 City Commissioner winning 50.7% of the votes. Challengers Nicolette Springer and Samuel Chambers received 44% and 5% of the votes, respectively.
By getting more than 50% of the vote, Stuart avoids a December runoff with Springer. The three city commissioner wins continues the trend of no incumbent commissioner losing a re-election bid in more than a decade, according to Florida Politics.
Martin “Leigh Shannon” Fugate, who dropped out of the District 3 commissioner race in September and endorsed Stuart, posted a congratulatory message to his Facebook page with a message for Stuart.
“You have been a fantastic advocate for our District, however, I hope you truly do make this your last term, as you stated,” Fugate wrote. “After this term, it should be time to pass the torch to new leadership. It is time for our city to usher in new blood throughout local government. I implore all long-term office holders to mentor and encourage new leaders, and to grow into new challenges for yourselves.”
After ending his campaign, Fugate promised his supporters he would “continue to remain civically engaged and continue to advocate for positive change in his district” but did not indicate if he would plan to re-run in four years.
Chambers took to social media to congratulate Stuart on his win.
The voters have decided and I respect their decision. That is why I congratulate @robertfstuart on his victory tonight. I hope to work with him to ensure the issues impacting our neighbors are addressed timely. We must put people and the community first.
— Samuel Chambers (@Chambers4Otown) November 3, 2021
Springer left a heartfelt message to voters, thanking them for their support during her election campaign.
Hill and Gray had substantially bigger victories for their respective districts.
Hill won her race with 73% of the votes, beating competitor Shaniqua Rose, to remain commissioner for District 5. On Facebook, Hill was congratulated by her staff and supporters on her big win.
Gray won 62.5% of the votes in District 1 — beating the combined votes of candidates Sunshine Grund (22.7%) and Bill Moore (15%).
In other Central Florida elections, Megan Sladek will remain mayor in the city of Oviedo for another two years after beating out candidates Abraham Lopez and Kevin Hipes.
Sladek took to Facebook to express her thanks to voters.
In Mount Dora, bookstore owner Crissy Stile managed to unseat incumbent Catherine Hoechst securing 58.5% of the votes. Stile thanked her community for selecting her for the mayoral position and offered her congrats to City Council winners Nate Walker and John Cataldo.
