Four candidates face off in Republican primary for Brevard County Commission District 1
Four Republicans are vying to represent North Brevard's District 1 on the Brevard County Commission, one of three seats on the five-member board with an election this year.
The GOP candidates are horse trainer and community activist Katie Delaney; Titusville Mayor Dan Diesel; former Titusville City Councilman and former Brevard School Board member Robert Jordan; and Mims activist Dwight Seigler, who previously ran for the seat as a Democrat.
Whichever candidate gets the most votes in the Aug. 20 Republican primary will face a Democrat, former Keep Brevard Beautiful Executive Director Bryan Bobbitt, and a Libertarian candidate, activist and former Titusville City Council candidate Nathan Slusher, in the Nov. 5 general election.
Term limits meant incumbent District 1 County Commissioner Rita Pritchett, a Republican, was not eligible to seek re-election, opening the field for a race that now has six candidates, including the four Republicans. Pritchett, hoping to remain in local government, is running this year in a Republican primary for Brevard County Tax Collector against incumbent Lisa Cullen.
The current salary for Brevard County Commissioners is $60,272.98. There also will be elections this year in County Commission Districts 3 and 5.
Katie Delaney
Like her colleagues in the race, Delaney put a focus on the Indian River Lagoon, infrastructure and economic growth.
Delaney, however, also is using her campaign to put a greater emphasis on changing the relationship between the public and the County Commission. Delaney herself is no stranger to County Commission meetings, where, over the past year, she has frequently addressed commissioners during the public comment periods on a range of topics.
"The most important thing is rebuilding public trust and bringing the public back in the conversation," Delaney said. "Having the atmosphere become a lot safer to be involved and feel wanted in the conversation. What that will look like as a policy is reviewing and revising public participation policies."
She also wants to rethink the approach to rehabilitating the Indian River Lagoon. "We have been throwing a lot of money at lagoon projects, and we haven't seen in North Brevard a change, and it's almost getting worse, because sewage keeps getting dumped into the river," Delaney said. "We have to stop the source of the pollution. We need to make sure we have clean drinking water for people and maintain it for people."
Dan Diesel
Diesel has served on the Titusville City Council since 2016, including as mayor since 2020.
For decades, Diesel has been a staple of Brevard County high school football, serving as Titusville's head coach for over 10 years and working as an assistant coach at Cocoa High as well.
Diesel is running on a platform of "smart growth," protecting the lagoon and "putting the taxpayers first," according to his website.
In an online statement posted by Diesel, he said he "will be a strong voice on the County Commission. He is committed to putting the taxpayer first, focusing on smart growth, protecting our waterways and beaches, and providing the next generation more opportunities."
Diesel was chosen to be Teacher of the Year in 1994 and Florida Athletic Director of the Year in 2007.
Diesel is endorsed by the Brevard Federation of Teachers and the Space Coast Association of Realtors.
Robert Jordan
Jordan, a businessman and president of logistics and procurement company Genesis VII in Titusville, has served both on the Brevard County School Board and the Titusville City Council.
Jordan in 2022 announced that he would not run for reelection for his Titusville City Council seat, instead saying he wanted time off to spend with his family and iron out his plans for the future. Shortly after, he filed to run for the District 1 County Commission seat. Jordan's campaign is focused on responsible growth, supporting public safety agencies and rehabilitating the Indian River Lagoon. "We know we need development, and it's vital to the economy, but not just saying 'yes' to developers, no matter what," Jordan said. "It's important to maintain the small-town feel of North Brevard, and I don't want to compromise that." Although Jordan said a lot of progress has been made on the lagoon, he wants to see those improvements continue.
"I'm a living witness that the Indian River Lagoon used to be thriving, and we really need to continue cleaning up the lagoon as much as possible," Jordan said. "We also want to see people taken off septic and hooked up to sewer as part of that process."
Jordan boasts many high-profile endorsements, including from current District 1 County Commissioner Rita Pritchett; former District 1 County Commissioner Robin Fisher; Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey; and the mayors of Cocoa, Melbourne and Palm Bay.
Dwight Seigler
Seigler is a longtime Mims community activist and no stranger to Brevard County politics, although he has yet to win an election. Seigler ran for the same seat in 2020 as a Democrat, losing to Pritchett by more than 35 percentage points. This time, he has decided to run as a Republican, saying that party politics don't matter as much at the local level. Seigler hopes that, if elected, he will increase representation of residents of unincorporated areas, which he says have been underserved by the county. "Unincorporated areas don't have a city government that can be responsive to their needs, so we need to be represented at the county level," Seigler said. "This is the year we need to change that." Seigler ― who has served as president of East Mims Civic League for 25 years ― said his biggest issues are increasing the infrastructure quality in the county's north, including revamping the sewage systems and improving transportation infrastructure. Public bus services often do not run as frequently or as late to more rural parts of the county, Seigler said, putting those who live in those areas at a disadvantage when it comes to maintaining employment.
Campaign financing
Delaney has raised $7,600 in cash and $1,023.05 in-kind donations since her campaign began last year, mostly from small donors in the community. Delaney has spent $6,600.17.
Diesel has raised $18,716.11 and $500 in in-kind donations, while spending $14,592.49. Among his donors are political consultant Guy Spearman and a company affiliated with District 2 County Commissioner Tom Goodson.
Jordan leads the District 1 race in campaign funds, thanks in part to a total of $101,050 in loans and contributions he gave his own campaign last year. In total, the Jordan campaign has raised $198,647.10, plus $2,044.47 in in-kind-contributions, while spending $49,534.73. A number of Jordan's contributions came from those connected to Parrish Medical Center, where Jordan sits on the board, as well as from attorneys, lobbyists, others in the business sector, County Commission Chair Jason Steele, and Fisher, the former county commissioner.
Seigler's campaign has raised the least amount of money, at $6,190, including $5,500 of his own money, while spending $5,432.76.
Tyler Vazquez is the Brevard County and North Brevard watchdog reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or [email protected].
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More on the County Commission District 1 candidates
Katie Delaney
Where do you live? Canaveral Groves
Age: 33
Occupation: Stay-at-home mom; professional horse trainer
Education: Some college
Political/government/civic experience: Community advocate
Campaign email: [email protected]
Website or Facebook page: katieforbrevard.com
Dan Diesel
Where do you live? Titusville
Age: 64
Occupation: Football coach/teacher
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Tennessee Tech; master’s degree, Nova Southeastern
Political/government/civic experience: Titusville mayor and city councilman
Campaign email: [email protected]
Website or Facebook page: votedandiesel.com
Robert Jordan
Where do you live? Titusville
Age: 64
Occupation: President & CEO of Genesis VII
Education: Bachelor of Science in civil engineering; master's in aeronautical science, specializing in management
Political/government/civic experience: Titusville city councilman, Brevard County School Board (including serving as chairman and vice chairman)
Campaign email: [email protected]
Website or Facebook page: jordanforcc.com
Dwight Seigler
Where do you live? Mims
Age: 66
Occupation: Army intelligence veteran, worked in space program
Education: Some college
Political/government/civic experience: President of East Mims Civic League for 25 years
Campaign email: [email protected]
Website or Facebook page: seigler4commissioner.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Four Republicans seek Brevard County Commission District 1 seat
