ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Tom Keen took the lead in the race for Orlando City Council Commissioner District 1 Tuesday, earning 53.9% of the vote with 100% of precincts reporting.
The race also included incumbent Jim Gray, who ran against Manny Acosta, Sunshine Linda-Marie Grund, and Tom Keen for the seat.
Keen is a former state representative, who also served in the military and the Orlando Citizen’s Police Review Board. He listed several issues on his campaign website as key topics, including managing development in the area, prioritizing multiple modes of transportation, and an expansion of available housing in the area.
Incumbent Jim Gray was elected to the Orlando City Commission on June 1, 2012, but has been a resident of Orlando since 1988. He also serves as the Managing Director for CBRE, which the Orlando city website calls the largest commercial real estate services and investment firm in the world.
Acosta described himself as a business owner as well as a USMC veteran. In a post on Instagram, he said that he was running because, “I believe in preserving our quality of life, building stronger communities, and making sure we have proper representation.”
Grund is a real estate broker who served in the National Guard, she also has an educational background, according to her campaign website. Top issues for Grund included enhanced community policing, increased school safety, increased traffic safety, and affordable housing.
District 1 includes much of the area around Orlando International Airport, and a lot of land to the southeast.