Winter Garden City Commissioner Ron Mueller trying to defend his position from the opponent Iliana Jones. The challenger in a race last month drew more votes, but is the most voted in the slide who will hold the District 2 seat for the next four years.
The race is also a rematch for the candidates. Mueller won in 2021 by 66 votes.
But in March, Jones won 48% of the vote in a three-way race for the same job, just shy of a majority to win the seat. Mueller won 42% of the vote as DJ Culberson Jr. took the remaining 10%.
Jones ran on a platform of protecting Winter Garden from the dense development seen in other parts of Orange County. Any discussion of “smart growth” in the city, its website said, needs to prioritize a desire by residents for low-density development.
“We love Winter Garden, and with your help, we can preserve it,” she said in a campaign video about her website.
Meanwhile, Mueller has maintained a record of support for road and park improvement efforts. He shot his own campaign video at Lake Cove Point, a conservation area overrun by invasive species a few years ago.
“I was able to secure a $35,000 grant to help restore the natural beauty and nature of this community in this wetland,” he said. “Today we have this beautiful park that everyone can enjoy.”
Since the first election, Culberson has approved Mueller. While he said he was initially inclined to support Jones as a woman and immigrant with a similar history to her family, he said he disagreed with the negative tone of her campaign. He said he appreciated Mueller more than running on his own record.
“What kind of community do we want to be?” Culberson said. “Do we want to be the one supporting and enabling the politics of hate? Or are we a community that wants our leaders to speak our values and represent our best interests?”
Winter Garden in March saw another election deal a blow to Orange County Democrats when Republican Chloe Johnson red another seat of the City Commission.
There is no danger here. Jones is a non-partisan voter. But the local party said last month they would fight to keep Mueller, a Democrat, in the seat.
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