FREEPORT — In a city where elections have hardly mattered in recent years, candidates now are elbowing each other to get a seat at the council table.
Freeport Mayor Mickey Marse, who has held his position for 22 years, is facing a challenger for the first time since 2005.
The three City Council members whose seats are up this year and who have run unopposed for several election cycles also face challengers.
The election is July 9.
The races have stirred interest in the community of about 2,000 residents. About 100 people attended a candidate forum in the Hammock Bay subdivision Monday night.
The last contested regular city election in 2009 drew just 86 voters.
“I think it’s great for community involvement,” said Councilman Earl King, who has held his seat for 22 years. “This year we’re having a full-blown election. We haven’t seen this many (election) signs in Freeport in years.”
King is being challenged by former council member Janice McLean. He said he could not remember the last time he faced opposition for his seat.
Most of the candidates, including Marse, were born and raised in Freeport. Marse’s father was elected as the city’s first mayor in 1963 and held the position into the early 1970s.
Marse said he’s proud of what the city has been able to accomplish — a new business has just added about 30 jobs and Waste Management will soon expand to a new administrative facility that will add 10 more jobs.
“Some of you are running around saying we’re broke, but we far from it, folks,” he said at the forum, while acknowledging that Freeport does owe some millions of dollars to the county and state government.
If re-elected, Marse said he will continue to work to get a major grocery store in town and to draw businesses that will create jobs.
“All of my grandchildren are here working, and I hope my great-grandchildren will be, too,” he said after the forum.
Russ Barley, a Freeport native and owner of Emerald Coast Flowers and Gifts, said he decided to run because the city needs a change and an aggressive leader to pave the way.
He was unable to attend Monday’s forum, but said in an interview Tuesday that the city has not changed much since he graduated from high school in the mid-1960s.
“It’s like we’re stagnant,” he said.
If elected, he said he would work to get businesses to set up shop in Freeport and implement a beautification project to draw residents and visitors alike.
“I have often wondered with some of the current leadership why we are not taking advantage of what we have to offer. We’re a diamond in the rough here just 15 minutes from the beach,” he said.
Marse said he considered retiring this year, but decided to run again because he does not believe his opponent is the right person to lead the city.
He said whatever the outcome of the election, this is the last time he will run.
“Win, lose or draw, this is my last rodeo,” he said.
Councilwoman Elizabeth Brannon, elected in 2009, is being challenged by Dottie Hunter, who works at Clary-Glenn Funeral Home.
Councilman Charlie Simmons was elected unopposed eight years ago and hasn’t been challenged since. Jennifer Laird, owner of Freeport Family Chiropractic Care, is vying for his seat.
HOW TO CAST A BALLOT: Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 9 at the Freeport Community Center. Information about voting or absentee ballots is available from the Walton County Supervisor of Elections Office at 892-8112 or at www.votewalton.com.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie at 850-315-4443 or lreinlie@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenRnwfdn.
*This article has been corrected from a previous version. Councilwoman Elizabeth Brannon was not elected unopposed in 2009. She defeated another candidate for the open seat.