ISLAMORADA COUNCIL RACE WELCOMES A LARGE CROWD OF CANDIDATES

Islamorada Village Hall. KEYS WEEKLY FILE PHOTO

Fourteen candidates will vie for five open Islamorada Village Council seats on Nov. 8. 

A seven-day qualifying period for Islamorada’s village elections ended at noon on Aug. 16. In that time, two new candidates entered the race, while another candidate switched seats to make the race for seat 4 a five-person contest. 

New to the race for seat 4 are Deb Gillis, former village mayor; John Timura, businessman and former near shore water regulation citizens’ advisory committee member; and Angel Borden. Gillis officially qualified on Aug. 9 while Timura officially qualified on Aug. 16. Borden, who originally filed to run for seat 1, qualified on Aug. 16 to run for seat 4. They’re joined by Casey Watkins and incumbent and current vice mayor Henry Rosenthal.

Gillis termed out in 2018 after serving four consecutive two-year terms. Village code allows council members to be in office up to four consecutive terms, or eight years. 

She’s the current chairwoman of Islamorada’s Local Planning Agency. A full-time resident for close to 30 years, Gillis owns and runs the Key Lantern Inn and Blue Fin Inn at MM 82.1, bayside, in Islamorada. She’s the former owner of Sunset Inn at MM 82.2, bayside, in Islamorada. 

“First of all, I enjoy serving the public. Second, I think I bring a lot of history and common sense to the council,” Gillis told the Keys Weekly. “I’m hoping to be able to reunite everybody, including the citizens. It’s time for this village to move forward and stop the divisiveness.”

Timura said he moved to Islamorada some 28 years ago after falling in love with the area. He said his goal is to preserve what’s left of the community he loves to the best of his ability. 

“We have had quite a few things shoved down our throats by past council members over the past 10 years that diminish our quality of life,” he said. “The best we can do at this point is to stop the bleeding.”

Timura said he looks to bring integrity and new innovative ways to solve old problems. 

“Islamorada needs a younger council that will actually live to see the consequences of the decisions that they make at the dais. After 28 years, I feel that enough people should know what I stand for.”

Watkins is a four-year resident of Islamorada who manages Starbucks, and Rosenthal is a resident of 57 years and former business owner. 

In the race for seat 1, incumbent Buddy Pinder will square off against Sue Miller. Pinder originally filed for seat 3. Pinder is an underground utilities contractor who’s lived in Islamorada most his life. He served his first year in office as mayor following his election win in 2020. Miller is a retired Islamorada real estate broker and computer programmer who’s called Islamorada home for 41 years. 

The race for seat 3 has current Mayor Pete Bacheler, who originally filed for seat 1, facing Elizabeth Jolin. Bacheler has been a private land use planner in the village for 35 years. Jolin has been an Islamorada resident for 25 years. She is captain of Bay and Reef Company and a real estate agent. 

Races for seat 2 between incumbent Mark Gregg, semi-retired lawyer, and Mary Barley, former chairwoman of The Everglades Trust, and seat 5 among incumbent David Webb, retired pilot, Sharon Mahoney, Enchanted Forest owner and Tom Rafanello, retired drug enforcement agent, remain the same. 

Jim McCarthy is one of the many Western New Yorkers who escaped the snow and frigid temperatures for warm living by the water. A former crime & court reporter and city editor for two Western New York newspapers, Jim has been honing his craft since he graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2014. In his 4-plus years in the Keys, Jim has enjoyed connecting with the community. “One of my college professors would always preach to be curious,” he said. “Behind every person is a story that’s unique to them, and one worth telling. As writers, we are the ones who paint the pictures in the readers minds of the emotions, the struggles and the triumphs.” Jim is past president of the Key Largo Sunset Rotary Club, which is composed of energetic members who serve the community’s youth and older populations. Jim is a sports fanatic who loves to watch football, hockey, mixed martial arts and golf. He also enjoys time with family and his new baby boy, Lucas, who arrived Oct. 4, 2022.