The Flagler Tiger Bay Club hosted its 2026 candidate forum on Thursday, featuring candidates running for the Flagler County Commission and Palm Coast City Council. The event was held at the Palm Coast Community Center, free to attend for members and non-members alike.
Every qualified candidate in the four races represented was present Thursday with one exception: Drew Moss, a Republican running for the District 4 County Commission seat. Flagler Tiger Bay Club President Jay Scherr said Moss did not confirm his intent to attend before the established deadline.
All candidates were given a series of questions by the forum’s five panelists. These included Pastor Charles Silano, Wilhemina Anderson, Lovie Haley, Dr. Trish Giaccone, and Ryan Anderson. The forum’s moderator was Brie Cunniff, the Chair of the Candidate Forum Committee.
“This forum is designed to give voters an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates and make informed decisions ahead of the election,” Scherr said. “Our panel reflects the broad perspectives of our community and will ask thoughtful questions rooted in the issues that matter most to Flagler County residents.”
The evening began with introductory remarks from Flagler Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart and Flagler Tiger Bay Club First VP Marc Dwyer. An invocation was delivered by Flagler Tiger Bay Club Board member Diane Vidal, and Scherr led the attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Each of the 13 attending candidates were given 90 seconds to introduce themselves. Several appeared to use the opportunity to shake the first-time jitters; only County Commissioner Leann Pennington and Palm Coast City Council member Theresa Carli Pontieri were current elected officials as of Thursday evening.
After their introductions, each candidate got three questions tailored specifically to them. Once the panel went down the line three times, the candidates were given the chance to make a closing statement.
Tackling the Issues
The other 11 candidates had an important directive Thursday: make a first impression with voters who likely didn’t know much about them. They were given the chance to do so by weighing in on some of the most pressing issues facing Flagler County today: accelerated growth, conservation, budget priorities, and infrastructure among others.
If any one issue lingered large over the event it was a 2026 ballot amendment which would greatly reduce local property taxes across Florida. If approved by voters, this would drastically decrease revenue for city and county governments while providing a substantial tax break for homeowners. Elected officials in the near future may be forced to make sweeping budget cuts and decide what expenditures and services can be lived without.
Community Engagement
The forum was live-streamed by WNZF, with local media partners sharing the video on their own platforms. No questions were taken on-site from the audience, but Scherr said the panel’s questions were sourced from members of the community.
“It was really awesome to see a lot of passionate people running for these positions,” said attendee Vincent Amore, a Flagler Tiger Bay Club member. “There were a few new names there that I was like, ‘Wow, they have some really great points’. There was a lot of great feedback from newer residents. If there was anything that was surprising to me it was just how knowledgeable our newer movers are to this area.”
Candidates in Attendance
- Flagler County Commission District 2
- Greg Feldman (R)
- Theresa Carli Pontieri (R)
- Raymond Royer (I)
- Flagler County Commission District 4
- Denise ‘Woody’ Calderwood (Write-In)
- Anna Jones (R)
- Leann Pennington (R)
- Palm Coast City Council District 2
- Antonio ‘Tony’ Amaral Jr.
- Jeani Duarte
- Jimmy Hengy
- Palm Coast City Council District 4
- Dylana ‘Dee’ Galery
- John Kvederis
- Ramon Marrero
- Darlene Shelley
Of the four races represented, only one has an incumbent candidate; Leann Pennington is running for re-election to the County Commission in District 4. County Commission District 2 candidate Theresa Carli Pontieri currently holds office on the Palm Coast City Council, but is not an incumbent to the seat she’s running for.
Flagler County Commission
Another returning candidate was Denise ‘Woody’ Calderwood, making her latest in multiple bids for the County Commission. Calderwood entered as a write-in candidate, meaning her name will not appear on the August 18 primary ballot.
As the first candidate not filed as a Republican, Calderwood’s bid closed the District 4 County Commission race to registered Republican voters only. Had there been only Republican candidates filed, the primary would’ve been open to all Flagler County residents regardless of affiliation. Republican voters will choose between Pennington and Anna Jones, and then the winner will face a blank line symbolizing Calderwood’s bid in November.
The District 2 County Commission race will also be a closed primary, due to the entry of Independent candidate Raymond Royer. The same process will apply to this race as District 4; registered Republicans will choose between Pontieri and Greg Feldman, with the winner facing Royer in November. Unlike Calderwood, Royer’s name will appear on the ballot.
Palm Coast City Council
For the Palm Coast City Council races, all seven candidates are first-time campaigners. Palm Coast’s elections are non-partisan, so although candidates may make their party affiliations known they will not run or serve as members of their chosen party.
District 2 is currently represented by Theresa Carli Pontieri, who’s running for County Commission. That race drew three candidates: Tony Amaral Jr., Jeani Duarte, and Jimmy Hengy.
The District 4 seat is held by Charles Gambaro, who has chosen to run for U.S. Congress. That race has drawn four candidates: Dylana ‘Dee’ Galery, John Kvederis, Ramon Marrero, and Darlene Shelley.
