Orlando city voters are deciding on a new District 3 Commissioner for the first time in two decades.
In Tuesday’s election, a field of five candidates is vying to replace Commissioner Robert Stuart, who is not seeking a sixth term on the Orlando City Council.
Samuel Chambers, Roger Chapin, Chris Durant, Kimberly Kiss and Mira Tanna are competing to represent District 3, which covers Baldwin Park, Audubon Park, College Park, Rosemont and other neighborhoods.
Chapin and and Tanna are emerging as two candidates to watch.
Chapin, the son of former Orange County Mayor Linda Chapin, has raised the most money by far with a war chest of more than $214,000 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, has picked up endorsements from Rep. Anna Eskamani, Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, community advocate and popular food blogger Ricky Ly, and other Democratic elected officials for the non-partisan Orlando City Council race. She 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.”
If no candidate wins with a 50%-plus-one vote, the race will go to a runoff in December.
Early voting ends at 3 p.m. Sunday. Polls on Election Day open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tanna, an Orlando city grants manager, wants to make the city more pedestrian- and bike-friendly and increase housing.
“As a public transit user, Mira takes the Lynx bus to City Hall for work each day, and knows how to improve our transit system and make our neighborhoods safer for pedestrians and cyclists,” she said on her website.
Chapin, a Mears Transportation executive, told the Sentinel that he also focused on constructing wider sidewalks for walkers and bikers on Edgewater, Corinne and Virginia Drives. He also wants to provide incentives for affordable housing developments, he said.
Kiss’ platform included giving micro-grants to help businesses and start-ups, and improving the parks, according to her website.
The estate attorney said the city needs to communicate and work better with businesses affected by road closures after some businesses closed during ongoing road construction projects, the Sentinel reported.
Durant, a youth sports coach, said his priority is for the Orlando Police Department to invest in community programs and work more closely with the neighborhoods, according to the Sentinel.
Chambers, an adjunct professor at Valencia College, proposes that the city raise the current $ 15-an-hour minimum wage for city employees, the Sentinel reported.