- August 6, 2026
Dear Editor:
Jason Leslie, who is he? I first heard him speak at a local church a couple years ago. I liked him and I liked what he had to say. No bells, no whistles, he was just looking to make our city a good place to live as he had grown to love Ormond Beach himself. He won his mayoral race with $5,000 the first year of running and by the end of his campaign he had reached a total of $11,797, not a huge sum of money.
Now he is campaigning again. When delivering flyers door to door, he stops to talk with anyone who wants to talk. When he says he will call you back, he does.
He is concerned about what you are concerned about. He willingly took a tour of the Tomoka Oaks development with Lieutenant Tom Larson when asked to by the residents and ended up changing his vote about allowing the current plan of development in the center of that development. If he is questioning a situation, he will learn more about it. It’s as simple as that.
I am interested in what someone does when no one is looking. Recently Mayor Leslie had a fundraiser. He rolled up his sleeves, got his chef’s apron on and got to work early that morning with his volunteers preparing the food. He never stopped working. By the end of the day, he sat and talked with a friend looking a bit exhausted.
But what did he do after he thanked everyone and sent them on their way knowing they had done a good days’ work of volunteering? He rolled up his sleeves again and cooked the rest of the food in order to deliver all that was left to the First Step Shelter in his truck by himself. That is just one example of what he does when no one is looking.
Jason has not changed a bit since I first heard him speak at that church, except maybe he has stopped using “um” as much when he is speaking. He knows what he wants to say now with no hesitation. He stands true to his convictions and works to represent the citizens of the city.
Darla Widnall
Ormond Beach
Editor's Note: Widnall is in charge of coordinating and communicating with Jason Leslie’s campaign volunteers.
