ORMOND BEACH, Fla. -- Retiring Mayor Ed Kelley has utilized another social media visual in his quest for Volusia County Chair in the Nov. 8 general elections: Promotions of two municipal cops.
Kelley shared an image on his personal Facebook page from the Ormond Beach Police Deparment's own Facebook page that announces recent promotions of Tom Larsen to sergeant and Chris Davis to corporal. Shown with the two veteran cops in the photo with an American flag emblem in the backfground is Ormond Beach Police Chief Chief Jesse Godfrey.
The image was highlighted on Kelley's page on Friday without any gratuitous comments from the county chair candidate who won the Aug. 30 primary in a four-candidate field over incumbent Jason Davis, setting the stage for a runoff in the Nov. 8 elections.
Kelley finished first in the primary with 38,985 votes or 47.1 percent of the total. Davis, elected four years ago, was second in the primary with 19,233 votes or 23.19 percent. The Ormond Beach mayor finished a few percentage points shy of the 50 percent plus 1 vote threshold that would have given him the victory outright.
Because of the shortfall, Kelley and Davis will battle it out in the runoff. Finishing a distant third and out of the running was Greg Gimbert of Daytona Beach with 14,110 votes or 17.02 percent, just ahead of Orange City Mayor Tom Laputka, who had 10,596 votes or 12.78 percent of the total votes.
Kelley, Davis and Laputka participated in a July 25 public candidate debate sponsored and moderated by Headline Surfer at the Lakeside Community Center in Port Orange. Gimbert, who focused his candidacy as an advocate of beach driving while running a negative campaign against the two frontrunners skipped the debate, the last of three that night in front of 50 citizens that included a seat on the Port Orange City Council and for mayor. Gimbert was the only one among the nine candidates collectively who was a no-show.
Kelley, Jason Davis and Laputka participated in a July 25 public candidate debate sponsored and moderated by Headline Surfer at the Lakeside Community Center in Port Orange. Gimbert, who focused his candidacy as an advocate of beach driving while running a negative campaign against the two frontrunners skipped the debate, the last of three that night in front of 50 citizens that included a seat on the Port Orange City Council and for mayor. Gimbert was the only one among the nine candidates collectively who was a no-show.
On Sept. 6, the following Ormond Beach PD sworn personnel were promoted: Amberly Michaelis to corporal, Michelle Gaden to sergeant and Lisa Rosenthal to captain.