John Walsh's 2022 Ormond Beach general election endorsements

Ormond Beach Observer
Opinion

Ormond Beach Mayor

I endorse Mayor Bill Partington for reelection.

Ask anyone who lives in Ormond Beach if they like living here. Sure, not everyone would say yes, but most residents do like living in Ormond Beach. The majority.

And Bill Partington, a lifelong resident, has served the citizens as a city commissioner or mayor for the last 19 years. There must be — no, there is — a correlation between Partington serving as an elected city official and the fact that the majority of citizens like living here.

Ormond Beach is not overdeveloped. The city has ordinances and laws controlling density, building height, building codes and other restrictions to prevent that from happening. A 1% growth rate for the last 20 years confirms this point.

The threat to Ormond Beach in overdevelopment and growth is not from within the city limits; it is from neighboring municipalities and unincorporated Volusia County.

Threats to infrastructure, environment, utility capacity and water quality need to be met head-on by a strong leader. Now more than ever, the city of Ormond Beach needs a leader who has expertise, knowledge and experience dealing with these growth issues from neighboring communities.

Partington has all of that and is up to the task of protecting the citizens of Ormond Beach.

And if reelected, Mayor Partington, just keep doing what you have been doing for Ormond Beach and all who live here.

Ormond Beach City Commission, Zone 4

I endorse Harold Briley for City Commission Zone 4.

I just endorsed Bill Partington for mayor, and gave him a great deal of credit for the high quality of life the residents of Ormond Beach enjoy.

But Partington has not done it all by himself. Some of the credit goes to our city administration and staff. And some of the credit goes to dedicated citizens who provide voluntary services to the cause.

Harold Briley is one of those citizens, dedicated to making and preserving Ormond Beach as a great place to live. Briley has served on various city panels and boards, without compensation, for the last 35 years, with 21 of those years on the Planning Board.

Briley’s experience on the Planning Board makes him an expert and has prepared him to take on the challenges of encroaching development from our neighboring communities.

Briley’s love of this community is shown through his actions and his decades of service to Ormond Beach. Briley is ready to serve as city of Ormond Beach Commissioner for Zone 4.