FELLSMERE — Fellsmere voters have re-elected Vice Mayor Joel Tyson and Mayor Pro-Tem Fernando Herrera to the City Council and have chosen 21-year-old Jessica Salgado to join them at the dais.
As of 9:32 p.m., with all ballots except provisionals counted, Herrera earned the most votes with 327. Salgado placed second with 314 votes and Tyson took third with 271.
Candidate and former Fellsmere Councilman Michael Barone placed fourth with 185 votes.
The three seats open on the Fellsmere City Council dais were those of Tyson, Herrera and Daniel Naranjo. Naranjo completed his second term and decided not to seek re-election.
Herrera has served on the council in consecutive terms since 2002, while Tyson has served off and on since 1998.
The winners of the election are expected to be sworn during the Nov. 15 regular Fellsmere City Council meeting.
The candidates participated in a couple forums leading up to the election, the last being at the Old Fellsmere School auditorium, sponsored by the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce.
There, three of the four candidates fielded questions that included what their priority issues are and how the city could “go green” to how they would tackle the challenging economy and implement the city’s economic development plan.
Herrera, Tyson and Salgado participated in that forum. Barone was absent.
Herrera, a 42-year resident of Fellsmere and landscape business owner, told the audience during the forum that among his priority issues he’d like to address in another term are helping veterans and seniors.
He also said he believes his biggest contribution to the city during his tenure on the council has been his outreach to the citizens to help solve whatever problems they have been facing.
Tyson said there is no unfinished business compelling him to seek another term on the Fellsmere City Council. Instead, there are ongoing projects he’d like to see through. Such projects include overseeing the National Elephant Center’s arrival to Fellsmere, bringing in a natural gas pipeline, and shaping new development.
“We have a good team right now with the council,” Tyson said. “We work well together. We work well with (City Manager) Jason (Nunemaker).”
Tyson joked that he had once thought when he turned 80 he’d be falling asleep during City Council meetings – but, instead, he’s finding he still has the energy to keep going.
Barone previously served two terms on the Fellsmere council, in 2002 and 2004. He was unsuccessful in his re-election bids in 2006 and 2008.
Salgado, a 10-year resident of Fellsmere, is a political newcomer, never having run for Fellsmere elected office prior to now.
During the candidate forum hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, she told the audience that she was running for election because she wants to bolster youth activities in the city. She said she also wants to expand community gardening. There are two such gardens already established in Fellsmere.
