Orlando voters are headed to the polls Tuesday in Districts 1, 3 and 5 to decide who will represent them for the next four years.In District 3, there is an open seat since Robert Stuart, commissioner since 2006, is stepping down.In District 1, Jim Gray is running for another term. But much of Orlando is focused on the heated battle in District 5. Regina Hill has served on Orlando City Council for nine years. Now she’s trying to get reacquainted with the voters in Carver Shores and other neighborhoods west of I-4 after being suspended from office in March 2023. Hill was suspended for alleged exploitation of the elderly and is facing trial next year. She’s asking voters to give her another chance.“Of course, we know the dark cloud hanging over my head, but voters have continued to support me, and they’re asking, and they have, as I said in the very beginning of this race, that the people asked me to run again,” Hill said.Replacing Hill in a special election last year was Shan Rose, who is running to keep the seat. Rose tells voters that clean and safe streets are a priority.Rose showed WESH 2 the new sidewalks in The Willows neighborhood that open accessibility to those in wheelchairs and those with other mobility issues.The sidewalks were installed after Rose took office.”Crime is down 27 percent, we’ve got programs for our seniors and our youth, and we’re working together to move the District forward,” she said. “It’s not about me, it’s about the community, and I’ve been serving what I call my three Ps: purpose, presence, and putting my people of District 5 first.” Also running is community activist Lawanna Gelzer, who says a vote for her is a vote to keep petty politics out of City Hall. Gelzer told WESH 2, “That’s not professionalism. That’s not what I bring to the table. That’s why in my upbringing, integrity is something that I really run on, and it’s about the community.” Voter turnout is expected to be lowest in District 5, compared to races in Districts 1 and 3, making every vote count.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Orlando voters are headed to the polls Tuesday in Districts 1, 3 and 5 to decide who will represent them for the next four years.
In District 3, there is an open seat since Robert Stuart, commissioner since 2006, is stepping down.
In District 1, Jim Gray is running for another term.
But much of Orlando is focused on the heated battle in District 5.
Regina Hill has served on Orlando City Council for nine years.
Now she’s trying to get reacquainted with the voters in Carver Shores and other neighborhoods west of I-4 after being suspended from office in March 2023.
Hill was suspended for alleged exploitation of the elderly and is facing trial next year. She’s asking voters to give her another chance.
“Of course, we know the dark cloud hanging over my head, but voters have continued to support me, and they’re asking, and they have, as I said in the very beginning of this race, that the people asked me to run again,” Hill said.
Replacing Hill in a special election last year was Shan Rose, who is running to keep the seat. Rose tells voters that clean and safe streets are a priority.
Rose showed WESH 2 the new sidewalks in The Willows neighborhood that open accessibility to those in wheelchairs and those with other mobility issues.
The sidewalks were installed after Rose took office.
“Crime is down 27 percent, we’ve got programs for our seniors and our youth, and we’re working together to move the District forward,” she said. “It’s not about me, it’s about the community, and I’ve been serving what I call my three Ps: purpose, presence, and putting my people of District 5 first.”
Also running is community activist Lawanna Gelzer, who says a vote for her is a vote to keep petty politics out of City Hall.
Gelzer told WESH 2, “That’s not professionalism. That’s not what I bring to the table. That’s why in my upbringing, integrity is something that I really run on, and it’s about the community.”
Voter turnout is expected to be lowest in District 5, compared to races in Districts 1 and 3, making every vote count.