Our endorsement: Joshua Wagner deserves second term for county council dist. 2 seat

Joshua WagnerDAYTONA BEACH -- Nancy Epps is a formidable opponent, but unless she can demonstrate that incumbent dist. 2 County Council member Joshua Wagner has not done the job for which he was narrowly elected four years ago, then he should be given the benefit of the doubt in Tuesday's general election.

Epps, the former Ponce Inlet mayor lost the election in 2008, by less than half a percentage point. The telling point for us was the Oct. 21 debate, in which Epps apprared to be more in agreement with the incumbent than in disagreement with him on the prevailing issues.

Regardless, Epps is a viable candidate with a lot of experience and insight. That she chose to register as an NPA or non-party afiliation, was refreshing. Still, she did receive support from the Republican Executive Committee of Volusia County which endorsed and financially supported her candidacy.

If we had any real doubts about Wagner's candidacy, he answered them with his frank response to our questions about the handling of the American Music Festival scandal ad his former partenership with Manuel Bornia, the promoter of that failed event.

If we had any real doubts about Wagner's candidacy, he answered them with his frank response to our questions about the handling of the American Music Festival scandal ad his former partenership with Manuel Bornia, the promoter of that failed event.

Epps is first class in how she conducts herself and in her community volunteerism. Should she win, it would not come as a surprise, but we believe Wagner has addressed the issues solidly. Headline Surfer endorses Joshua Wagner for re-election in Tuesday's general election.

Candidate snapshots

Nancy EppsNancy Epps
Age: 61
Career/Experience: Medical Laboratory Compliance Consultant; former Laboratory Director; Mayor and Council member, Town of Ponce Inlet, 2002-2008; exec. board of the Volusia Council of Governments, 2005-2008; president, Ponce Inlet Animal Rescue; president, Ponce Inlet Lions Club; numerous other civic and community memberships.
Education and/or military service: Associate of Arts, Daytona State College; Bachelor's Degree in Medical Technology, Bethune-Cookman University;  MBA, University of Colorado – Colorado Springs (distance learning)
Key Endorsements: Ken Ali, Margie Patchett, Lt Col William D Wester, USMC (ret.),  Eddie Colosimo; Daytona Beach Area Assn of Realtors; Volusia Couty Republican Executive Committee
 
Joshua Wagner Joshua Wagner
Age: 35 
Career/Experience: Attorney (2004 - present) and County Council Dist. 2 member, elected 2008; up for re-election; member, Drug Court Steering Committee Member;  sterring committee member, Correctional Treatment Diversion Program;  Steering Committee Member, DUI Court;  member, Transportation Planning Org.; member, Halifax Historical Society; SUS board member (benefiting victims of sexual abuse)
Education and/or military service: 

Associate of Arts, Daytona Beach Community College; University of Florida, BS; JD, University of Florida

Key Endorsements: Volusia/Flagler Central Labor Council; AFL-CIO;  Equality Florida; Volusia Deputies Assn.;  Daytona Beach Fire/Rescue; IAFF 1162 East Coast Firefighters Council
 

Editor's Note: The endorsements recommended to the voters are the sole decision of the reporter here, Henry Frederick, Headline Surfer's award-winning editor and publisher, who has covered news in Volusia County since 1996. In the interest of full disclosure, Frederick is a registered Democrat.

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