David Alfin’s campaign for Mayor of Palm Coast is officially underway. Alfin packed a dining room at the Vida Resto Lounge Thursday evening with volunteers, supporters, and even a handful of passers-by. Alongside fellow Republican Alan Lowe, Alfin is largely viewed as a frontrunner to win the July 27th special election arranged after the resignation of Milissa Holland.
Introducing Alfin (and serving as an effective hype man) was Palm Coast’s own Fernando Melendez. Melendez is the chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Flagler County, as well as Alfin’s campaign manager. His main message to voters, which Alfin reiterated, was that their campaign is looking to collaborate with all sorts of voters. Republicans, moderates, and Democrats alike were courted by the Alfin campaign in their campaign kickoff’s rhetoric. People within the campaign openly denounced ‘far-right’ Republicans, however, drawing contrast to their more middle-of-the-road approach.
David Alfin joins four other declared candidates in the mayoral race: Alan Lowe, Doug Courtney, Carol “Mother Elizabeth” Bacha, and Mark Mistie. Additionally, Kathy Austrino has announced her intent to run, but has not filed with the Flagler Supervisor of Elections Office.
Read More: Everything You Need To Know About The Special Election For Palm Coast Mayoral Seat
Prior to venturing into the mayoral race this year, David Alfin was a candidate for City Council back in November. Former Council member Jack Howell resigned due to health issues, and the seat drew four hopefuls: Alfin, Victor Barbosa, Bob Coffman, and Dennis McDonald. Some 9,492 voters turned out for Alfin, good for 20.61% of the vote. The race was easily won by Victor Barbosa, the now-councilman who accrued 38.10%. With Bob Coffman finishing second at 24.58%, Alfin’s lone election experience is a third-place performance.
A Palm Coast resident since 2013, David Alfin currently works as a realtor and broker associate at Grand Living Realty. His 2020 campaign was easily the most donated-to of the four in the race, with contributions coming in from prominent local figures such as David Sullivan and Albert Esposito. Alfin was also heavily funded by different PACs representing various special interests.
After his statements to the crowd, AskFlagler asked Alfin for his thought on the bombshell news of City Manager Matt Morton’s sudden resignation. Taking a moment to ponder the issue, Alfin responded:
“I wish Matt Morton the very best success. Despite his absence in the upcoming election process, I feel very confident that with my experience we can collaborate and form a consensus, and that we can instill confidence in the citizens of Palm Coast that we can move through this budget process, and the balance of the special election very, very well.”
David Alfin is one of five candidates currently set to square off in a special election for Palm Coast Mayor on July 27th. Early voting dates will be held July 17th-24th, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the following locations:
- Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Office – Government Services Building, 1769 E. Moody Boulevard, Building 2, Suite 101, Bunnell, Florida, 32110
- Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Parkway NE, Palm Coast, Florida, 32137
- Flagler County Library, 2500 Palm Coast Parkway NW, Palm Coast, Florida, 32137
Lee
May 29, 2021 at 1:31 pm
What time is the meet and greet.
Chris Gollon
May 29, 2021 at 2:07 pm
Alfin’s meet and greet already took place on Thursday evening.
Ron Anderson
June 1, 2021 at 5:30 pm
What time will Alfin be at the European Village?
Chris Gollon
June 1, 2021 at 5:56 pm
The event has already passed.
Edythe F Iversen Martin Prevel
June 22, 2021 at 11:19 am
Dear Mr. Collon,
I am an out of country voter living in France, trying to get information on the upcoming Mayoral election. It is ridiculous. Why can they have one page in the paper, that goes over each issue and have them respond that can be sent out to voters overseas or up north, like a Scorecard…I E taxes, expansion, water situation, schools etc…I cannot find one page on the issues of any one
person running for mayor and their facebook pages are ridiculous. Help.
An overseas voter from France
Chris Gollon
June 22, 2021 at 11:40 am
Ms. Prevel,
Thank you for coming to our site to read about the election. We recently published the first in a series of candidate interviews, this one with Doug Courtney. All candidates have been sent identical questions, and we’re expecting to publish others soon. Check back with the site, and we hope the questions give you the chance to learn comprehensively what the candidates think on the issues.
Here’s the first interview for you: https://askflagler.com/askflagler-mayoral-interview-doug-courtney/