The 2024 Marathon City Council race will now come down to four candidates, as longtime local Dustin Huff confirmed to the Weekly that he plans to withdraw from the race.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have come to this decision,” Huff said by phone on Wednesday evening, citing escalating medical concerns within his family as the primary reason for his withdrawal.
“My family comes first, and right now they need to be my focus,” he said. “As I’ve realized over the last few days that I will need to commit much more time to them, I know that if elected, I would not be able to devote the time to this city that it deserves. I love Marathon too much to do that.”
Huff said he had spent the majority of Wednesday contacting his most pivotal supporters, who had to date contributed $18,350 to his campaign, according to Supervisor of Elections Joyce Griffin’s website. The figure was the highest current total among the five candidates.
“Once I told them why I was withdrawing, they had nothing but support, and fully agreed with my decision,” he said.
Candidates remaining in the race for two open seats include incumbent Kenny Matlock, Lynny Del Gaizo, Mark Senmartin and Ray Wood, who shared the dais with Huff on Oct. 7 for a candidate forum addressing Marathon’s most pressing issues.
The Keys Weekly will update this developing story as more information becomes available.
