Photo for Headline Surfer / District 3 County Councilwoman Deb Denys is shown in front of the dais in the Frank T. Bruno, Jr. County Council chambers. Behind her is District 2 Councilwoman Billie Wheeler.
HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The race for county chair comes down to experience and that's why Deb Denys should emerge victorious when all the votes have been cast and counted in Tuesday's primary in Volusia County.
Not only should Denys win the primary, she could win the seat outright if she crosses the threshold of 50 percent plus one vote over her two opponents. If not then the top two vote-getters from the primary would square off in the Nov. 3 general elections.
Headline Surfer endorses Deb Denys for the county council chairmanship because she's clearly the only one of the three candidates with the experience, temperament and judgment to handle the responsibilities that come with being the face of Volusia County government - a standard set by the man for whom the county dais was named at the end of 2012 when he retired after eight years as the elected chair and 20 years overall as an elected county leader - Frank T. Bruno, Jr.
There is no incumbent in this race with current County Chair Ed Kelley, who was elected in 2016, opting to retire at year's end. Denys also is the only candidate in this race with any elected public service. In fact, she's held two elected offices in her political servitude.
Besides her nearly eight years on the county council, Denys, of New Smyrna Beach, served four years on the Volusia County School Board in the mid-1990s.
One of her opponents, Jeff Brower, a DeLeon Springs farmer, has previously run for public office, but did't fare so well.
Two years ago, Brower was among four candidates running for the District 1 seat held by then-incumbent Pat Patterson. Brower finished a distant third with 6,171 votes or 28.75 percent of the total votes cast and out of the running. Newcomer Barbara Girtman won the primary with 6,784 votes or 31.61 percent, and Patterson was second with 6,401 votes or 29.82 percent of the total votes. Girtman defeated Patterson in the November general election, 20,644 votes or 50.22 percent to 20,465 votes or 49.78 percent.
In the same November election cycle, Denys crushed challenger Michael J. Arminio, with 26,707 votes or 61.14 percent to his 16,978 votes or 38.86 percent.
Arminio and Brower were being promoted as viable candidates in 2018 by then-political blogger David Lee Davis, who was convicted earlier this year of child sex rape and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The other candidate in the race for county chair, Gerard Witman, a DeLand computer software retiree, has never even run for office before. He qualified for candidacy with barely a week left before the deadline back in June.
It's the Final Countdown to the biggest leadership post in Denys' political life -- Volusia County Chair -- for which she is uniquely qualified against two weak candidates who offer nothing of substance to a beach-front county of half a million residents and so much potential with aerospace, light tech industry and warehousing.
Denys has endorsements from elected office holders from municipal mayors to county colleagues, to a state senator and a congressman. Among these are Oak Hill Mayor Douglas Gibson, retiring County Chair Kelley, State Sen. Tom Wright, and Congressman Michael Waltz.
Denys has endorsements from elected office holders from municipal mayors to county colleagues, to a state senator and a congressman. Among these are Oak Hill Mayor Douglas Gibson, retiring County Chair Kelley, State Sen. Tom Wright, and Congressman Michael Waltz.
And Deb Denys has the endorsement, of course, from the award-winning, 24/7 internet news outlet, Headline Surfer.
About The Byline Writer:Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories.