An Islamorada community facing some big decisions in the year ahead will see eight candidates vying for four open seats on the village council in the upcoming November general election.
Meanwhile, three current council members elected not to pursue another term in office.
A weeklong qualifying period for five village seats ended at noon on Aug. 13 with four races each seeing a pair of candidates.
Current Islamorada Mayor Buddy Pinder will see a challenge from longtime resident Van Cadenhead for Seat 1. Anna Richards and Capt. Steve Friedman will vie for Seat 2, which is currently held by Mark Gregg.
A combination of factors played in Gregg’s decision to forgo another run for office.
“In June I turn 65. That’s kind of the mental mark in life where you start to think about what’s next,” Gregg told the Keys Weekly. “Since March, I started to work for the North Florida Land Trust, purchasing conservation land and easements in 12 counties. I’m enjoying that work and leaving the map a little greener.”
Gregg served on the village council from 2000 to 2004. He was elected again in 2020 and 2022.
A contest for seat 3 will see Deb Gillis, a former mayor, square off against Mary Barley. Mike Murphy, who initially qualified on Aug. 6, ended up withdrawing his candidacy a week later. Corie McGraw-Abel filed but didn’t qualify.
Gillis and Barley ran in the 2022 election. The seat is currently held by Elizabeth Jolin, who elected not to run for another term.
“I think there’s something to be said for spirit for rotation,” Jolin told Keys Weekly. “I’m really excited about the number of people who stepped up to get involved in local government. We’re really at this turning point where we could go one way or the other, as far as going full on ‘let’s fill every last corner of the island’ or the alternative of ‘let’s think about our natural resource and let’s do some planning.’”
When her term concludes in November, Jolin said she’ll be focusing on her family as well as her real estate and charter businesses.
Don Horton and Tom Raffanello will square off for Seat 4. The seat is held by current Councilman Henry Rosenthal, who was elected to office in 2020 and again in 2022. Rosenthal initially filed for a potential run on Aug. 9, but he didn’t qualify by the deadline. Resident Sue Miller also filed but didn’t qualify.
“It’s been my pleasure to be on the council for the city of Islamorada for the past four years. I want to thank those who were supporting me and I also thank those who didn’t support me because they were part of the process,” Rosenthal said, adding he will continue working for the betterment of Islamorada.
Candidate Sue Miller also filed for Seat 4, but she didn’t qualify by the deadline.
Current Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney will serve another two years; she is unopposed in the race for seat 5. Mahoney was first elected to the village council in 2022. Mahoney said she was shocked upon learning no one entered the race for Seat 5.
“For the two years where people don’t hesitate to annihilate you or yell at you, I thought, ‘Maybe I did a good job. Maybe I am in there for the right reason and people realize I want what’s best for the community,’” Mahoney said.
