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Three Candidates Vying For two Dunedin Commission Seats

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: December 29, 2007

DUNEDIN, Fla. - DUNEDIN, Fla. - The next municipal election promises to be quite a close horse race in Dunedin.

Two seats on the Dunedin City Commission are up for grabs. What makes the race even more interesting is there are three contenders running for two seats: two incumbents and a political newcomer.

The top two vote-getters in the Tuesday, March 11, municipal election will win the open commission seats.

Commissioner Deborah Kynes is seeking her fourth term.

Commissioner Julie Ward Bujalski is seeking her first full 3-year term in office. She was elected to fill the two years remaining on the seat Bob Hackworth vacated when he was elected mayor.

Political newcomer Tony Scruton is challenging the incumbents.

Kynes, an attorney, said the city is facing many challenges and she has many projects she would like to see through to completion.

For one thing, she would like to help oversee the proposed Gateway commercial center project, at the eastern entrance to the downtown retail and entertainment district, to completion.

She also wants to make sure the city's recently adopted architectural guidelines are used as a framework to ensure construction is compatible with how residents want to see the city evolve, Kynes said.

Bujalski, an economic forecaster, wants to continue to press for property tax reductions through oversight of the budget and asking tough questions.

She is proud her budgetary scrutiny helped lower property taxes, Bujalski said.

She also sees herself as the voice of residents who want to see managed growth that will keep Dunedin from resembling Clearwater Beach.

Bujalski said she will lobby for revitalization efforts to be expanded to other areas of the city such as S.R. 580.

Scruton said he was inspired to run for office by the city's former mayor, the late John Doglione.

He wants to bring a fresh face to the commission and focus on fiscal accountability, but not micro-manage, Scruton said. He wants to further the city's historical, cultural and creative resources.

A former owner and trainer of thoroughbred race horses, Scruton favors managed responsible growth and revitalization based on residents' vision of how they want their town to look.

In the March election, voters will also decide whether the city should keep electing commissioners from a pool of candidates, or whether candidates run for individual seats that would be voted on citywide.

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