- April 18, 2024
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Three candidates, all Republicans, are competing for the District 2 Flagler County Commission seat.
Incumbent Greg Hansen has filed for re-election, and is being challenged by Janet McDonald and Denise Calderwood.
Hansen, a retired U.S. Navy captain, has served on the Flagler County Commission since 2017, when he was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the seat after the death of Commissioner Frank Meeker. He then won election in 2018.
“I absolutely love this job,” Hansen said when asked why he’d decided to run for re-election. “It gives me the opportunity to engage with Flagler County residents and businesses to solve problems and provide support.”
His top concern, he said, is the loss of the county’s beaches, and ongoing efforts to find a solution. He added that he’s also concerned about economic development, affordable housing and health care, including mental health care.
Hansen is a 1969 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. In his 27 years of service, he served in Vietnam with the Naval Advisory Group and commanded the USS McClusky (FFG-41) and USS Antietam (CG-54), according to his candidate bio.
He also served as appropriations committee liaison for the Secretary of the Navy and completed his service on the staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs before spending 16 years in government relations.
He is on the board of directors for the American Flag Project, the Agricultural Museum and Teens-In-Flight, the local nonprofit that provides free flight training to teen family members of military service member or first responders and to teens at risk.
Janet McDonald is a current School Board member serving in her second term on the board’s District 2 seat, which she won in 2014.
As of the time of publication, McDonald had not responded to the Palm Coast Observer’s inquiry about her reasons for running for County Commission.
McDonald has served as a classroom teacher and educational consultant and describes herself as a neurodevelopmental therapist and instructor on her webpage.
She has a master’s in education and is a licensed massage therapist, according to her business website.
Denise Calderwood is a local small business owner and an outreach worker for a nonprofit organization serving homeless veterans.
She’s worked as a program director for the Flagler County Health Department and as a deputy for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
“I’m running for the commission seat because I am worried that the average person (formerly middle class) is not being represented,” she wrote to the Palm Coast Observer.
She added, “... We are slowly losing our quality of life here, and our trees! What’s next, are we going to be selling our beach? I’m fiscally conservative and socially and environmentally friendly.”
Calderwood has been a Flagler County resident since 1974 and attended Bunnell Elementary and Flagler Palm Coast High, according to her candidate bio.
She holds a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s in criminal justice.
Calderwood has helped obtain grants for organizations including the Flagler Playhouse, the Palm Coast Arts Foundation, the African American Cultural Society, the Flagler County Health Department, the Flagler County school district and the Flagler County Police Athletic League, according to her candidate bio.
She helped begin the county’s first young Republicans club, and has served on the League of Woman Voters of Flagler County and the Flagler Palm Coast Kiwansis Club, according to her candidate bio.
