Atlantic Beach city elections are held every two years, with commissioners serving staggered four-year terms. The Mayor/Commissioner serves a two-year term and vote with the other commissioners on matters brought before the commission. This year, an election will be held for commission seat 3. Commission seat 2 was also up for election this year, but the incumbent, Bruce Bole, was the only candidate to qualify, and was automatically re-elected.
Ellen Glasser and Curtis Ford had qualified for the election for mayor/commissioner seat 1. However, on October 2nd, Glasser sent a letter to the Atlantic Beach city clerk, indicating she was withdrawing from the race due to some medical challenges. As a result, Ford is considered unopposed and will be elected to the position. Since ballots were already printed, both names will appear on the ballot, but notices will be posted in the precincts informing voters that Glasser withdrew and the race will not be tabulated.
Recommended Videos
News4JAX sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote -- in their own words.
Note: Responses for each race are sorted alphabetically and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4Jax staff.
| COMMISSION SEAT 3 CANDIDATES |
Mark Gabrynowicz
Occupation: I had an unusually wide variety of assignments during my Navy career with shipboard and staff engineering assignments and international including a NATO and a diplomatic posting. I had a second career with defense sector employments until 2014.
Age: 73
Family: 1 Wife (Married 51+ years)
2 Daughters
4 Granddaughters
Education: United States Naval Academy Graduate, Class of 1973
Political experience: This is my first foray into the elected (US) political field. I was selected to be a Board Member of the American School of Rio de Janeiro and was elected to serve as Secretary of that Board. During my current retirement I was selected to be a member of the City of Atlantic Beach Environmental Stewardship Committee and was elected Chairman.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
Expanding community engagement:
As a small community which cherishes its unique characteristics, it is vital for community voices to be heard as we manage daily challenges and most importantly plan our future.
Protecting against further erosion of home rule:
Local issues which can and should be addressed locally should not be preempted by state legislators.
Maintaining local control over elections:
Preventing any additional creep of partisanship into our elections will ensure that outside influence is minimized.
My plans to address these issues all have a similar base. An informed citizen is vital to the survival of our democracy. On a local level (as well as higher levels) this informed citizen will influence current and future issues by volunteering in the community, voicing concerns, and voting. Local government, community organizations, schools, etc., all must play a part of increasing our community’s collective understanding of the issues. At its core is the delicate balancing act of simultaneously protecting residents’ and community rights.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
Leadership, commitment, and vision are required to make headway with the above plans for today and the future. With more than 50 years of leadership in a wide range of challenging assignments I have gained an appreciation for the importance of near and long term planning, the necessity of active stakeholder engagement, the requirement to understand the issues through study, preparation and consultation, the reality of disappointments and most importantly of all, a deep respect for the inherent value of all.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
My passion for making a difference.
Campaign website: mark4abseat3.com
Campaign social media: None
Thomas Grant
This candidate has not yet responded to email invitations to complete the News4JAX candidate questionnaire. If any responses are received, they will be promptly added to this space.
Campaign social media: Facebook