PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- With his Aug. 30 primary victory assured, Chase Tramont is eager to take his seat on the Port Orange City Council dais.
But that won't happen until after the Nov. 8 general elections.
"To the people of Port Orange, one concrete promise that I can make to you all is that I will represent you with great honesty and integrity," Tramont said in a statement on his Facebook profile page.
Tramont continued, "Whatever I do, I do with great passion, character and commitment. As a pastor, teacher, mentor, and coach, I know what it means to be a true servant. I consider it the highest honor to now serve you as your City Councilman-elect."
Chase Tramont's campaign for public office was no dog day afternoon, except maybe for the family pooch doing campaign sign duty.
Tramont also is shown earlier in the Spring with campaign supporter Deborah L. Keith and a partially obscured Volusia County Councilwoman Deb Denys, whose district 3 territory encompasses New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, Oak Hill and the area of Port Orange south of the Dunlawton.
Tramont defeated Sarah Jones, receiving 6,5550 votes or 59.83 percent to her 4,398 votes or 40.17.
Both were first-time candidates for public office and were vying for the seat on the city council currently held by Don Burnette, who won the three-way primary for mayor, with nearly 42 percent of the vote.
But because Burnette fell short of the threshold of 50 percent plus 1 vote to win the top municipal post outright, Burnette will face fellow candidate Ted Noftall, who finished second in the primary.
Burnette received 4,865 votes or 41.73 percent, to Ted Noftall's 3,796 votes or 32.56 percent and Lance Green's 2,996 votes or 25.7 percent.
As the top two vote-getters, Burnette and Noftall will square off in the Nov. 8 elections. The winner of the Burnette-Noftall runoff will succeed Lance Green's father, Mayor Allen Green, who is term-limited. And Chase Tramont will inherit Burnette's council seat.
'Something So Much Bigger Than Me'
Tramont, 36, married with four children and a US history teacher at Spruce Creek High School, reflected on his situation the morning of the primary.
"I awoke at 6:15 to pouring rain outside," the city councilman recalled. "This was disappointing because I and some volunteers were scheduled to hold campaign signs on Dunlawton at 7 am. While on the way to drop my daughter off for school at 6:45 I called my friends, Maria Mills-Benat, Renee Carlton and Steve Johnston, to let them know that due to the rain I do not expect to see them this morning. Their response? 'We've got our umbrellas and we're out here already.' I cannot begin to describe how humbling that moment was. It was similar to the feeling that I got the day I received my first contribution check. These moments were incredible reminders that it's not about me. It is something so much bigger than just me."
Chase Tramont and Sarah Jones squared off in an Aug. 25 videotaped debate sponsored and moderated by Headline Surfer on Aug. 25 at the Lakeside Community Center in Port Orange and attended by 45 citizens.
Two other debates followed that night: Port Orange City Mayor with candidates Don Burnette, Lance Green and Ted Noftall, and the third debate was for Volusia County Chair with incumbent Jason Davis and two of his three challengers, Ormond Beach Mayor Ed Kelley and Orange City Mayor Tom Laputka.
A third challenger for Davis' seat, Greg Gimbert, was a no-show, announcing ahead of time he was not going to attend a debate moderated by a "roach."
Kelley won the primary with 38,985 votes or 47.01 percent, to Davis' 19,233 votes or 21.93 percent, to Gimbert's 14,110 votes or 17.02 percent, to Laputka's 10,596 votes or 12.87 percent.
Because none of the candidates reached the 50 percent plus 1 vote threshold for the primary win outright, Kelley and Davis, the top two vote-getters, will square off in the Nov. 8 general elections.
On the debate night, Tramont excelled over Jones with his responses to multiple topics, and as such, Tramont was endorsed by Headline Surfer.
Previous Coverage:
ENDORSEMENTS: Chase Tramont for Port Orange City Council
2016-08-30 01:09:51 -0700