INDIAN RIVER SHORES — With former Mayor Tom Cadden suddenly resigning his seat, the Shores Town Council now must appoint a successor who, presumably, will want to run for a full four-year term in the next election slated for March.
Michael Ochsner, who served from 2009 to 2013 on the council but lost his re-election bid to the present vice-mayor, Jerry Weick, by fewer than 40 votes in 2013, has applied to fill Cadden’s seat.
The former CFO of surf giant Hurley International has stayed active in town business and serves on the Finance Committee, reviewing the Shores budget, benefit costs and pension obligations.
Ochsner also served briefly on the Vero Utilities Commission, but had to step down because he, as a ratepayer, became a party to the Shores’ circuit court lawsuit against Vero electric.
While on the Shores Town Council, Ochsner was trusted by his colleagues with matters pertaining to residents’ money.
Politically, Ochsner was seen as a moderate, pragmatic conservative, but not as a hard-line Tea Party type of politician.
He and Cadden agreed most of the time, and should Cadden publicly throw his support behind anyone, it would likely be Ochsner.
Ochsner and his wife came to the island from California and live full-time in The Estuary.
