APOPKA, Fla. — With Election Day for key positions in Orange County just two months away, the Hope CommUnity Center held a candidate forum Thursday to help residents get to know the candidates.
The mayoral race was at the top of mind for voters as term limits mean current Mayor Jerry Demings is stepping down after eight years in office.
Four candidates have qualified to run for the seat: Orange County District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe, Orange County Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell, former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy and businessman Chris Messina.
Uribe, Moore Russell and Murphy attended the forum, where candidates addressed questions about affordable housing, immigrant protections, youth opportunities and the importance of small businesses.
Messina was not present at the forum, and while Hope CommUnity Center officials said they reached out to him several times, Messina’s team said he did not receive an invitation.
During the forum, Moore Russell said her experience as a former county commissioner and current Clerk of Courts has prepared her for the mayor’s office.
“So, I understand how to serve while also providing quality to our citizens,” she said. “Making tough budget decisions that we are going to need. Orange County mayor is policy on Tuesdays but executive leadership Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.”
Uribe said her years on the Orange County Commission have given her detailed knowledge of county government.
“I have taken seven years of learning every department in Orange County, meeting with every director, every manager, talking to employees and actually learning from them,” Uribe said. “And also, being very dedicated in every decision we make as a board — and there are some that are tough. And it’s hard to be tough, but leadership is being tough.”
Murphy said her background in the private sector, Congress, the Department of Defense, and her nonprofit work make her a good candidate for mayor.
“All of these skillsets — time in the private sector, in Congress, and in the Department of Defense, plus time working in the nonprofit world — come together to be able to manage what is a very large organization,” Murphy said. “It has a nearly $9 billion county budget, 8,000 employees and 1.6 million customers, or residents, and we need someone that has this proven executive experience.”
Messina, who spoke at a separate, previously scheduled event after the forum, said his business background sets him apart.
“I represent a new vision,” Messina said. “I’m not a recycled politician — I’m a business guy and, so, that’s what I bring. I bring new vision for the county, and not necessarily more of the same old, same old politics, which has unfortunately got us to a place where we are among the lowest in terms of median income, according to the Census Bureau, in the country.”
The Orange County mayoral election is set for Tuesday, Aug. 18, with early voting going from Aug. 3 to Aug. 16. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff election in November.