Jacob Ogles
Orlando voters have narrowed their choices regarding who will fill an open Orlando City Council seat. Nonprofit leader Shan Rose and former Rep. Travaris McCurdy emerged as the top vote-getters in a Special Election for the District 5 seat.
Unofficial results from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections showed the two candidates leading a seven-candidate field. The Special Election will decide who fills a seat previously held by suspended City Commissioner Regina Hill.
Rose received 527 votes, or 24.8% of all votes cast, while McCurdy had 495 votes, or 23.29%. That put both well short of a majority, so they will advance to a June 18 runoff election, scheduled less than a month from now.
The candidates beat out five others in the race. Public relations strategist Ericka Dunlap received 459 votes, civil rights activist Lawanna Gelzer 403 votes, community organizer Miles Mulrain 121 votes, tax adviser Cameron Hope 87 votes, and business coach Tiakeysha Ellison 33 votes.
McCurdy is a well-known quantity in Tallahassee, where he served a term as a Democratic Representative. He lost his seat to now-Rep. Bruce Antone in a 2022 Primary but is looking to return to public office closer to home. He has promoted affordable housing, infrastructure investment, and safer neighborhoods as chief campaign issues.
“I’m asking our community to stand with me,” he wrote on his Instagram. “I was your trusted voice in the State House, and I’ll be YOUR champion on the City Commission.”
Rose, meanwhile, challenged Hill for the seat in the last election. Her website notes that she started Change For the Community to bring positive community changes to Orlando neighborhoods in 2019. She has also mentored youth in the area as she has tried to boost opportunities in her Parramore area and the surrounding community. She recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden for her volunteer service.
“I am a candidate for Orlando District 5 Commissioner to be a Champion For The People,” she posted on X. “Forged in Fire: My Vision is of a community where everyone thrives; families, the arts and our businesses.”
