Four men want governor's appointment to vacated Escambia County Commission seat

With Robert Bender serving as Escambia County's new Supervisor of Elections, the competition to fill his vacant County Commission District 4 seat is underway.

Gov. Ron DeSantis' office on Monday opened applications to fill Bender's vacant seat, and four men have confirmed to the News Journal they are seeking the appointment.

Whoever is appointed by the governor will only serve in the seat until November, and voters will decide in this year's election who will serve the remaining two years of Bender's term on the commission.

Seville Quarter and The District co-owner Charles "Buck" Mitchell, Pensacola City Councilman Jared Moore, attorney Jim Reeves, and Downtown Improvement Board Executive Director Walker Wilson all confirmed to the News Journal they are seeking DeSantis' appointment to the office. Wilson and Reeves do not live within the District 4 boundaries.

So far, Mitchell is the only candidate who is committed to running in November, regardless of the choice DeSantis makes. Mitchell filed to run for the seat as a Republican on Monday.

"We see it as a great opportunity to serve the community and serve District 4, and we are in it to win it," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said he's tried to stay out of politics for most of his life but has been involved in local charity and civic organizations. Now, he said he's looking at making a difference for Escambia County citizens.

"It's time to have a seat at the table and make sure that we are looking out after the citizens of Escambia County in a proper way," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said he's interested in following the facts and doing what's right for Escambia County.

"We do think that Robert Bender did a great job representing District 4, and we would, at this moment, pretty much keep people on that same momentum that he has established over his last two terms," Mitchell said.

On the other end is Reeves, father of current Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves, who has committed to not running in November.

The elder Reeves served in the Florida Legislature in the 1970s and on the Pensacola City Council in the 1980s and has remained influential in local politics ever since. He is currently a council member on the county's Tourism Development Council.

Reeves said with his experience, he can hit the ground running in the short time he'll be in office.

"I wouldn't need any training or what have you since I've been in both the Legislature and on the City Council," Reeves said.

Reeves said he wanted to step forward to serve in the short window to give the governor an option and avoid a situation like what happened when a seat on the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority board remained vacant for more than 10 months in 2019.

Reeves said if he is appointed to the Commission, his top issue would be to focus on improving the housing supply in the county, especially for low-income families and people who are homeless.

"They've spent a lot of money on programs, but you can give somebody a meal, you can give him a bath, you can give medical attention, but at the end of the day, what do they need?" Reeves said. "They need a place (to live)."

In between Mitchell and Reeves are Moore and Wilson, who both say they will run in November if appointed but aren't sure yet if they'll run if DeSantis chooses someone else.

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Moore said he is interested in the position because his current City Council district is entirely in the County's District 4, and it's another way he can serve the community.

"I love this community, and I love serving in that capacity at the City Council. And so is this opportunity came to be, it was not on my radar. All I'll say is I received a few calls last week that I might be somebody that would fill the gap."

Moore said at first, he was hesitant but came around to the idea.

"As I began to think about it, there's a lot of overlap, and it's a bigger area of the same community that I would be able to serve," Moore said. "And at the end of the day, I think my disposition is gifted for that sort of position to keep focus on community good and on the public good."

Moore said his mind is not made up whether to run for the position if he doesn't get the appointment.

"I'm taking it one step at a time, and the first step is obviously the appointment," Moore said. "So, politics is a fickle game, right? So, I hold those things loosely and recognize that there's certainly a lot of decisions to be made outside of just me being willing to do it."

Wilson said the decision on whether to run in November will come down to who gets appointed, but if he's appointed, he will run.

"I think (DeSantis is) probably looking for somebody to appoint that he thinks can go run a race and win," Wilson said, "And so I certainly hope that that's me."

Wilson said he believes he is the best person suited for the job, and serving for several years on the county planning board, including as chairman, leading the Pensacola Yong Professionals, and as director of the DIB, gives him the experience needed to be on the commission.

"I think we need someone who's a stable leader in that seat and someone who's got good relationships with those leaders in Tallahassee, which I think I bring to the table," Wilson said. "And certainly, somebody in that seat, since it covers two-thirds of the city, has got to have good relationships with the leadership over at the city of Pensacola, and I've certainly built those up over the years."

Wilson said he thinks the county needs to execute on its promise to bring jobs through its OLF 8 project and that as District 4 commissioner, he'd work to address traffic congestion on Pensacola Beach. He'd also like to find ways for the county to get involved in providing more workforce training opportunities, including working with both public and private schools.

"Really doing everything that the county commission feasibly can do to help improve the narrative around public education, and education in general here in Escambia County, because I certainly think that's something that holds us back," Wilson said.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia County Commission District 4 campaign already underway