Roger Chapin and Mira Tanna will face each other in a December runoff following the razor-thin margin in Tuesday’s election for Orlando City Council’s District 3.
It is Chapin, the candidate with the deeper pockets and a legacy last name, versus Tanna, who won the endorsement from progressive Democrats.
The difference between them? Thirteen votes, according to the unofficial election results.
Chapin won 2,477, or 34.01% of the vote, versus Tanna’s 2,464, which is 33.83% of the vote.
They emerged as the top two candidates out of a field of five candidates to replace Commissioner Robert Stuart, who did not seek a sixth term.
District 3 covers Baldwin Park, Audubon Park, College Park, Rosemont and other neighborhoods.
The four-year City Commission term pays $79,343 annually.
Chapin, the son of former Orange County Mayor Linda Chapin, raised the most money by far with a war chest of more than $219,000 and won the endorsements of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association and the Orlando Sentinel’s editorial board.
“Some who haven’t been following this race might quickly dismiss Chapin after learning that he’s the son of local political powerhouse Linda Chapin, Orange County’s first elected Chair. That would miss the point entirely,” the Sentinel’s Oct. 31 endorsement said.
“Roger Chapin may have learned local government at his mom’s knee, but he stands on the merits of his own involvement that reaches across a wide array of charitable organizations and civic groups. Most notably, he’s on the Orlando Utilities Commission.”
Tanna, however, picked up endorsements from Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, Rep. Anna Eskamani, community advocate and popular food blogger Ricky Ly, and other Democratic elected officials for the nonpartisan Orlando City Council race. Tanna has raised more than $57,000.
“I’ve worked with Mira at City Hall and seen firsthand her commitment to fair housing and tackling our city’s housing crisis,” Eskamani wrote in her endorsement. “She has also been effective in bringing new resources to our community to address critical issues, such as flood mitigation, congestion, public safety, and more. She knows how City Hall works — and where it doesn’t work — and will be ready to dive into action on day one.”
District 3 was one of three contested races Tuesday to reshape Orlando city government.
Some of the issues in front of the Orlando City Council include funding road improvement projects in busy corridors, modernizing Leu Gardens and adding a children’s garden, and building the Pulse Memorial.