Three Candidates Join City Commission Race
Genece Minshew and Joyce Tuten have filed as candidates for the Fernandina Beach city commission election.
Minshew, who is running for a third time, is seeking Seat 2 held by Vice Mayor David Sturges. He is seeking re-election.
Tuten filed for Seat 1 held by Mayor Bradley Bean, who is also seeking re-election.
As it currently stands, with two candidates for Seat 1 and Seat 2, that election will be in November.
The race for Seat 3, held by Commissioner Chip Ross now has three candidates with Christy Kelly filing last week. She will face former city commissioner Tim Poynter and Tony Morris. Ross is termed out and cannot seek re-election to the city commission.
With three candidates for Seat 3, that election will be in August. If a candidate fails to get 50% or more of the vote, then the top two candidates advance to a runoff in November.
Minshew is a retired BellSouth executive with more than 35 years of experience in all phases of Customer Operations, Customer Relationship Management, Product Management, and Field Operations.
Minshew served on the city's Planning Advisory Board and she is the former president of Fernandina Beach Pride.
"We need a City Commission that is responsive to the people of Fernandina Beach and not simply to developers, contractors, or any organization whose single-minded goal is to make money, never mind the safety and quality of life of our individual citizens," Minshew said in announcing her run for office. "I promise to be fair, honest and ethical with every action and decision that I make as a City Commissioner. Equally important, I will be a good and attentive listener."
In 2020, Minshew faced Sturges in a runoff for Seat 2 and narrowly lost by 40 votes out of 3,402 votes cast.
She ran again in 2022 for Seat 5 and lost to Darron Ayscue in a runoff by 211 votes out of 4,415 cast. That election saw involvement from the Republican Party that provided funding to Ayscue's efforts. The campaign also was marred by personal attacks on Minshew for her role as president of Fernandina Beach Pride.
City Commission seats are non partisan positions.
"Over the past two years, countless people have asked me to run and I have consistently said No. What changed my mind? I do not believe that an incumbent or any candidate should run unopposed, especially in an election as important as the one for our City Commission. I believe voters should have a choice," she said.
Tuten is a retired AP Environmental Science teacher and a NOAA Climate Steward Educator. She was a member of the Middletown, Maryland Sustainability Committee, when she was awarded the 2020 Individual Frederick County Sustainability Award for her community work. Joyce is pursuing her Florida Master Naturalist designation. Tuten is a local activist for quality of life issues in Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island. She often speaks at city commission meetings regarding local issues.
She has voiced opposition to the construction of townhouses on the Tringali property and RYAM's current efforts to build a bioethanol plant at its current facility.
She is also an officer for Conserve Nassau.
"Our City needs a new direction with a voice for the citizens. We want to preserve our sense of place. Our forests, wetlands and seashore, together with our historic district and working waterfront are the reason for it all. It’s why the tourists come, why our citizens stay and why so many want to make Fernandina their forever home," Tuten said. "We don’t want more density. We don’t want historic homes torn down. We want livability. We want the citizens to be front of mind when decisions are made. Fernandina has to come first - not the developers, not the political machines - but the people! Fernandina is a world class tourist destination and we the people benefit from amenities that those tourist dollars bring. But our City Commissioners are leading us down the same path that has destroyed far too many Florida communities. Solutions exist that benefit both nature and our economy. We deserve a new path that preserves the very things that make our island home so special. Now and for generations to come."
In the Seat 3 race, Kelly did not respond to The Observer requesting comment on why she is seeking a city commission seat. Kelly also did not provide any background information on why she feels she is qualified for the city commission.
