The deadline to apply for the Palm Coast City Council’s vacant District 3 seat has come and gone, and thirteen applicants have submitted their names for consideration. The seat became open with the resignation of Councilman Ray Stevens, who was elected in November but resigned in February due to health concerns.
Several of the applicants are previous candidates for public office. One is a former member of the Flagler County Commission, while another is a former appointed member of the City Council. Both of the other two candidates who competed against Stevens in last year’s election have applied.
The City Council is set to choose the interim Council member in April, setting their choice up to serve through the 2026 election. At that point a special election will be held to finish the final two years of the term Stevens won, before the seat comes up for a regularly scheduled election in 2028.
Once a Council member is appointed, the City Council will have two of its five members be unelected appointees, leaving the citizens of Palm Coast with only 60% of their direct governing body having been chosen by the voters. Both this new member and the other appointee, Charles Gambaro, will be in office until 2026.
Below are each of the applicants with key personal details, according to their own applications.
- Mark Burton
- Age: 71
- Occupation: Retired
- Resides: Hummingbird Place
- Years in Palm Coast: 8 months
- Doug Courtney
- Age: 70
- Occupation: Retired
- Resides: Prince Kaarel Lane
- Years in Palm Coast: 27
- Ran for Palm Coast Mayor in 2021, Flagler County Commission in 2000, Florida House in 2008, 2010, 2012
- David Ferguson
- Age: 73
- Occupation: VP of Sales/Marketing
- Resides: Lagare Street
- Years in Palm Coast: 13
- Appointed to the Palm Coast City Council from 2012 to 2014
- Michael Flanagan
- Age: 71
- Occupation: Retired
- Resides: Point Doral Court
- Years in Palm Coast: 6
- Cornelia Downing Manfre
- Age: 67
- Occupation: Commercial/Industrial Advisor
- Resides: Lakeside Drive
- Years in Palm Coast: 25
- Ran for the Palm Coast City Council in 2020, Palm Coast Mayor in 2021 & 2024
- Joan Paulus
- Age: 71
- Occupation: Retired
- Resides: Waterside Parkway
- Years in Palm Coast: 10
- Gene Perez
- Age: 79
- Occupation: Insurance Salesman
- Resides: Riverbend Drive
- Years in Palm Coast: 10
- Scott Pillath
- Age: 55
- Occupation: Border Patrol Advisor
- Resides: President Lane
- Years in Palm Coast: 6
- Chad Raymond
- Age: 40
- Occupation: Real Estate Appraiser
- Resides: Selborne Path
- Years in Palm Coast: 18
- Dana ‘Mark’ Stancel
- Age: 74
- Occupation: Retired
- Resides: Smoke Candle Place
- Years in Palm Coast: 4
- Ran for the Palm Coast City Council in 2024
- Candace Stevens
- Age: 54
- Occupation: Mixologist/Manager/Chef
- Resides: Point Pleasant Drive
- Years in Palm Coast: 9
- David Sullivan
- Age: 83
- Occupation: Retired
- Resides: Front Street
- Years in Palm Coast: 24
- Served on the Flagler County Commission from 2016 to 2024
- Andrew Werner
- Age: 46
- Occupation: School Psychologist
- Resides: Post Tree Lane
- Years in Palm Coast: 3
- Ran for the Palm Coast City Council in 2024
Gary Kunnas
March 20, 2025 at 1:20 pm
No Stancel. This is the guy that sat on the board of judges for code violations. Saw fit to fine an elderly woman $1600.00 for some trash in her front yard. She was in the hospital so couldn’t get it. Another had a trailer in the backyard on the porch covered. Saw fit to fine him $6000.00. My case they wouldn’t look at the evidence and sand bagged it. Even Barbara Grossman and Richy from code enforcement were floored by this action. We don’t need that kind of person on council. When I confronted him about he wouldn’t discuss it.
TR
March 20, 2025 at 1:46 pm
Definitely not Manfre, she’s a realtor and we don’t need that mess again. Not to mention what her and her husband did when he was sheriff still was never justified. They both just need to leave town and start new someplace else. Maybe California, they would fit right in there.
Tina olive
March 20, 2025 at 7:42 pm
You have to ask yourself….With all the cluster#$$%mess going on in this city…..Why would anyone want this job.????? Definitely no real-estate people..Just when you think it can’t possibly get any worse…..