Meet the candidates vying for City Council District 3 seat in Port Orange

On Aug. 20, the Port Orange government will undergo a major shift as voters choose a new mayor and elect two new City Council members.

With Mayor Don Burnette running for the Volusia County chair man's job, current Vice Mayor and City Council District 4 representative Scott Stiltner is vying for the post, running against Derek LaMontagne.

Stiltner’s seat now is open and being contested by Joseph Mialki III and Lance Green.

And with City Council District 3 representative Drew Bastian's prevented from running due to term limits, that seat will also see a new member elected later this year.

More election coverage: Who's running for Volusia, Flagler county councils, school boards, local city councils?

The candidates for that race are Barry Pitek and Shawn Goepfert.

The News-Journal posed the following questions to each candidate with a request to limit responses to 100 words. Answers that exceeded the word limit were edited for space; otherwise, answers are presented as they were submitted, save for minor corrections to punctuation.

The candidates

Shawn Goepfert

Name: Shawn Michael Goepfert

Age: 56

Occupation: Community Ambassador – Arrow Clinical Trials

Political experience: First political election

Top three priorities:

1. To be a citizens’ advocate for improving and protecting the quality of life in Port Orange.

2. To preserve and expand our parks and recreational areas for all ages.

3. To provide the city manager with the tools needed for developing a terrific working environment for city employees (first responders).

Why are you running?

While living, working and raising my family in this beautiful city I have always been an active member in the community. Now that my children are grown, I want to do more to ensure the quality of life in Port Orange continues to flourish. My family and I treasure the friendliness of our community and I believe that through transparency and openness we can protect that culture.

What is a life accomplishment that illuminates the kind of officeholder you will be?

I have often been told that I am a servant leader. Throughout my life I have always sought out ways to give back to my community. For many years I have served as a youth sports coach for both flag football and baseball. I have been a member of the Chamber of Commerce for 22 years and during that time have held several leadership positions including chairman of the board. I volunteer for several not-for-profit organizations, and I have a passion for developing future leaders through mentorship. These accomplishments reflect who I am as a person and my desire to serve others. If elected, I will undertake this office with the same servant’s heart.

What is something about your community you treasure and aim to protect? What is something you will seek to change?

Port Orange is an amazing place to live, and I want to preserve and improve the quality of life for our citizens.

I will be involved with the redevelopment of the U.S. 1 corridor and continue to improve access to the river as well as parks and recreation.

Barry Pitek

Name: Barry Pitek

Age: 71

Occupation: I retired with 45 years of experience as a sole proprietor, retail sales and merchandise buyer, group insurance processing, benefits administration, and third-party benefits outsourcing with American-based products and American customer service.

Political experience: Serve in a Borough Council in Western Pennsylvania; volunteered in multiple campaigns in both Western Pennsylvania and Port Orange.

Top three priorities:

1. I pledge honesty, integrity and compassion for every conversation I have with constituents and the same for every vote I cast as the next member of the Port Orange City Council.

2. I shall support school administrators, Volusia County and Port Orange elected officials and staff as they meet to review viable options to avoid another Sugar Mill Elementary School fatality while reviewing similar procedures for all schools in Port Orange.

3. Working with my colleagues, I want to ensure that the new 20-year plan for Port Orange incorporates the current needs of the community as well as being flexible in meeting future physical and economic development of land use, affordable housing, infrastructure, open space and growth challenges in a timely and sustainable manner.

Why are you running?

A 12-year term limit expires this year creating an opportunity for a new person with fresh ideas to step into the role. I believe I am the right person for the position. My educational and professional background have prepared me for this opportunity. I will apply my previous experience in public office combined with my business acumen and strong sense of community to effectively serve as a City Council person in Port Orange. I will bring a renewed sense of energy and contribute to the positive leadership of the Port Orange community.

What is a life accomplishment that illuminates the kind of office holder you will be?

While it is easy to cite professional accomplishments or endorsements, I believe my most formative experience was that of a caregiver. I cared for my mother for over 20 years, in both good and challenging times. That role required physical presence, timeliness, responsiveness, dependability, action, availability, accountability, understanding, respect and effective communication. Caregiving is a task badged with loving. It can take on dimensions without limits. I believe that council members are not just politicians, but rather caretakers for their community. I commit to applying all of the aforementioned skills to my role as council member when elected.

What is something about your community that you treasure and aim to protect? What is something you will seek to change?

The Riverwalk project is a gem of a cornerstone that provides opportunities for community and family engagement. It is a work in progress and the path to completion must be one of inclusivity, openness, accessibility, and visual capture. I believe the community must work together with integrated goals and constructive dialogue to ensure that Riverwalk moves forward.

Parts of Ridgewood Avenue are hard on the eyes. The community and City Council need to be jointly engaged in creative, purposeful and meaningful dialogue to consider things such as affordable housing, infrastructure, accessible open spaces, and future land use. Ridgewood Avenue in Port Orange is not going away. We need to find and describe options that address short, mid-range, and longer-term goals for this area of Port Orange.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Drew Bastian could not run again for his seat due to term limits.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Meet the candidates vying for City Council District 3 seat in Port Orange