Craig Russell wins Winter Park seat; Iliana Ramos Jones topples incumbent in Winter Garden
Craig Russell narrowly won a seat on the Winter Park City Commission Tuesday night, becoming the first African American to do so since the city’s first election in 1886.
And in Winter Garden, Iliana Ramos Jones toppled incumbent Ron Mueller to win a seat on the west Orange city’s commission.
Both seats are part-time roles in cities where city managers run the day-to-day business — though commissioners set the agenda and cast votes on major issues.
Russell, a teacher and coach at Winter Park High School, squeaked past Jason Johnson, an attorney, by a 32-vote margin of 5,704 votes cast. He had a 0.6% advantage in the runoff election, two votes more than he needed to avoid a recount, which state law mandates if candidates are separated by less than half a percentage point.
“It’s humbling. I’m in the history books,” Russell said Tuesday, moments after results were posted. “I don’t like barriers…that barrier has been put up…I’m proud to be the one to punch a hole in it.”
Two of Winter Park’s initial six aldermen were Black, and none had been elected in the 138 years since.
With the win, Russell will serve out the nearly two years left on the term first won by Sheila DeCiccio, who vacated her seat to run for mayor of the city of about 30,000. She prevailed and was sworn in last week.
All results available Tuesday evening are unofficial. Turnout between the two cities in the only races on Orange County ballots was 23.3%.
In the March election, Russell pulled in 42% to lead the three-candidate field, followed by Johnson with about 34% of ballots.
The campaign heated up further from there, with Johnson blasting Russell, an assistant football coach at Winter Park High School, for failing to vote in any Winter Park election until his name was on the ballot.
Russell acknowledged it – but highlighted his record of community service as a teacher, coach and nonprofit owner.
The biggest wedge between the two, however, came on development.
Johnson vowed to maintain Winter Park’s village charm, with a strict adherence to the city’s parking requirements and land-development code. Russell said he was open to more creative parking solutions than surface lots and spaces, and said the city should embrace more development than it has previously.
Winter Park Commissioners are paid $12,600 annually.
The runoff race in Winter Garden pitted neighbors head to head, for the third time in three years. Jones won 52.6 percent of the 1,091 votes cast.
Mueller, the incumbent, and Jones, the challenger, live in the gated Lake Cove Pointe neighborhood. While Mueller has elected experience, it was Jones who won the endorsement of the other board members.
Mueller, a U.S. Navy veteran, said that made him the commission’s “independent voice” with an eye for oversight and accountability.
Jones, who works in real estate and construction, said she wants “controlled growth” in the west Orange County city of about 50,000 people.
Last month, Jones won 48% of ballots – 25 votes short of winning the seat outright. But the third-place finisher, Danny “DJ” Culberson, later endorsed Mueller.
Winter Park commissioners are paid $600 per month.
