As final precincts reported in the 2025 Marathon City Council election, voters delivered a mixed bag of support for incumbents and a desire for new faces, electing newcomer Debbie Struyf as the top finisher along with current councilwoman Robyn Still and Mayor Lynn Landry.
Struyf, seen every morning for nearly two weeks at the Sombrero Beach Road intersection to cap off an aggressive months-long campaign, finished with 939 votes (21.18%) to lead the tightly-contested field. She celebrated the win with family, friends and supporters at a watch party at the Stuffed Pig restaurant, together with candidate David Perry.
“Thank you for all the amazing support. I remain committed to my promise of accessibility, transparency and accountability,” Struyf told the Weekly. “Your questions and concerns matter. I invite you to bring questions and concerns to me and we will work on them together.”
Awaiting results with her supporters at the Marathon Elks Lodge, Still finished her second successful campaign with 761 votes of her own (17.16%).
“I want to thank the voters for their continued trust in me,” she told the Weekly the following morning. “Serving on Marathon’s City Council is an honor and I’m looking forward to working with my fellow council members to continue the progress that has already been made and to continue to find new ways to improve our residents’ quality of life while addressing ongoing problems faced by our community.”
Marathon’s current mayor chose to watch results roll in at home with his family, paying the Weekly a visit the following morning to thank his backers.
“I want to thank everybody for their support, from the people who supported me in my campaign both financially and with advice, to the voters who voted for me,” he said. “And now it’s time to get back to work for the entire city of Marathon.”
Perry finished as the race’s top runner-up, earning 683 votes. Current councilman Jeff Smith was fifth at 661, Greg Robinson earned 419 votes and Gerrit Hale finished with 252.
With mail-in and early votes reportedly shortly after 7 p.m., along with day-of results from three of five Marathon precincts minutes later, final results were delayed until just after 8 p.m. Speaking to the Weekly via text message after her first election in her new post, Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies said the delay was due to a phone line outage at Marathon City Hall, which housed precincts 21 and 23 for election-day voting.
Tuesday’s race featured 1,670 ballots cast from 5,628 registered voters – 522 mail-ins, 314 early votes and 835 election-day tallies, for a total voter turnout of 29.76%. While falling far short of the 86.07% turnout from the 2024 general election, the number closely mirrors Marathon’s last standalone council election in 2021, which saw a 29.37% turnout from 6,293 voters.
Struyf, Still and Landry will be sworn in at the Tuesday, Nov. 18 Marathon City Council meeting, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
Photos by Alex Rickert and Natalie Danko.
ELECTION RESULTS
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
| Debbie Struyf | 939 | 21.18% |
| Robyn Still | 761 | 17.16% |
| Lynn Landry | 719 | 16.22% |
| David Perry | 683 | 15.4% |
| Jeff Smith | 661 | 14.91% |
| Greg Robinson | 419 | 9.45% |
| Gerrit Hale | 252 | 5.68% |
FROM THE CANDIDATES
“I extend my sincere congratulations to Debra Tyner Struyf on her election to the Marathon City Council, and to Lynn Landry and Robyn Still on their successful re-elections. While tonight’s result was not the outcome I hoped for personally, the ideas we shared during this campaign remain vital: ensuring our workforce finds housing, keeping our waters clean, protecting neighborhoods, preparing infrastructure for hurricanes, and guiding growth responsibly, all with transparent oversight and public accountability. Although I’m stepping back from this race, I’m not stepping away from this city. I will continue to show up, contribute, listen, and advocate because Marathon is our home, and progress never waits.” – Gerrit Hale
“I’m proud of the work we’ve done over the last three years, and I respect the will of the voters. I know there’s still more work to be done, and I look forward to continuing to support this community.” – Jeff Smith
“Congratulations to Debbie, Robyn and Lynn, and thank you to everyone who voted for me. I appreciate all the support, and we gave it our best shot. I hope these three get the city going in the right direction.” – Dave Perry
