In a second bid for office, Jared Leone beat opponent Bianca Latvala for Seat 4 on the City Council. The race for Seat 5 is heading to a runoff.
The race between Latvala and Leone was close. Leone earned more than 53% of the vote, while Latvala netted nearly 47%.
Latvala is married to Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala, whose family has long been influential in the state and local Republican Party. She reported nearly $80,000 in campaign donations, in addition to $19,000 from a political committee.
Leone, a freelance journalist and president of the Clearwater Neighborhoods Coalition, raised more than $13,000 and had support from a Miami-based political committee that formed in July and has spent more than $90,000 on campaign efforts since.
The race for Seat 5 had three candidates: Sam Wilson, the district director for U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna; Mark Bunker, a former City Council member and vocal critic of the Church of Scientology; and Kevin R. T. Laughlin, a local business owner and chairperson of the Clearwater Marine Advisory Board.
Wilson received the most votes at 48.98%, with Bunker following at 34.96%. Laughlin received 16.06%. Wilson outraised both opponents, receiving more than $38,000 in donations. And a political committee he is the chairperson of has raised more than $26,000 since last year.
Since no one received 50% of the vote, Bunker will face Wilson in the Nov. 3 general election.
The current City Council wrapped up some of the major issues during this campaign season, including approval of a new service contract with Duke Energy and letting the Church of Scientology develop a portion of public roadway downtown for an event hall.
Clearwater City Council does not have districts, so members represent the entire city. The election is nonpartisan, and City Council members make $45,000 annually.
