Headline Surfer® photos / 
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Back in the 2012 election cycle, Jim Hathaway needed a strong endorsement while locked in a three-way primary battle for the district 3 seat on the County Council.
So he called on environmentalist Barbara Herrin, a one-time candidate for the seat herself.
And while Hathaway was criticized by his opponents, then-Edgewater City Councilman Justin Kennedy and ex-Volusia County School Board member Deb Denys, Herrin didn't hesitate to lend her name to the fellow conservative's campaign.
And Hathaway, a registered Democrat, won the non-partisan primary, even though Kennedy, too, was a Democrat.
Though he would come up short in the November run-off election against Denys, Hathaway was appreciative of Herrin's help.
And a few days after Herrin's death on June 28 of this year, at the age of 69, Hathaway was stoic, telling Headline Surfer®, "Barbara Herrin was a fine lady and a strong conservative for environmental causes," Hathaway told Headline Surfer®.
Barbara Herrin's death comes in at No. 100 in the HeadlineSurfer.com Countdown of the Top 100 stories of 2014.
And a few days after Herrin's death on June 28 of this year, at the age of 69, Hathaway was stoic, telling Headline Surfer®, "Barbara Herrin was a fine lady and a strong conservative for environmental causes," Hathaway told Headline Surfer®.
Barbara Herrin's death comes in at No. 100 in the HeadlineSurfer.com Countdown of the Top 100 stories of 2014.
Hathaway had just announced his candidacy for mayor of New Smyrna Beach just weeks before Herrin's passing, which he won in the November elections. That hotly contested municipal race as well as several of this year's big stories involving Kennedy and Denys will be highlighted further up in the countdown.
Herrin, popular in New Smyrna Beach and throughout the Sunshine State for her pro-environment stances and her Sierra Club's advocacy in support of preserving wildlife habitat and drinking water, told the internet newspaper she was pleased to support her fellow conservative, even though Hathaway's ideology was more along the lines of less government and lower taxes.
"It's a pleasure supporting a fiscal conservative like James Hathaway who understands how important our work is," Herrin said.
"It's a pleasure supporting a fiscal conservative like James Hathaway who understands how important our work is," Barbara Herrin told Headline Surfer®.
With GOP incumbent Joie Alexander opting not to seek re-election, Hathaway knew the seat was attainable not just to him but either of the other two, which is why he courted Herrin.
And it worked.
On Aug. 12, Headline Surfer published an endorsement letter from the Sierra Club and Herrin in support of Hathaway's candidacy. And Hathaway won the the subsequent primary two days later with 5,468 votes or 36.28 percent. Denys was second with 5,364 votes or 35.59 percent and Kennedy finished a distant third and out of the running with 4,240 votes or 28.13 percent.
Headline Surfer® graphic / But in the November elections with the Republican Party riding the GOP presidential ticket of Mitt Romney-Paul Ryan with a Biketoberfest rally in Daytona Beach, Hathaway was beaten down by the related anti-Obamacare theme Denys and other GOP candidates used with even greater frequency after the primary with the presidential election on the same ballot.
Denys benefitted from the late-surging Republican wave and edged Hathaway in the runoff, with 22639 votes or 51.6 percent to Hathaway's 21,234 votes or 48.4 percent.
The election propelled a no-name candidate, Gulf War hero and Republican Jason Davis, to a huge win for the county council seat with a plurality of 20,000 votes over registered Democrat Carl Persis.
in his quest for the county chair seat by a plurality of more than 20,000 votes over Democrat Carl Persis. Still, Hathaway was appreciative of Herrin for her support.
"Barbara Herrin cared very much about the environment and New Smyrna Beach and she will be missed, but not forgotten," Hathaway said.
Obituary listing for Barbara J. Herrin, 62, staunch environmentalist
Barbara J. Herrin, 69, of New Smyrna Beach, passed away on June 28, 2014. A memorial service was held July 3, 2014, at Lohman Funeral Home in Daytona Beach.