TEMPLE TERRACE — Two newcomers are headed to the Temple Terrace City Council, replacing decades of experience just as the city prepares for some of its toughest financial decisions in years.
Karen Michalski, a chemist and longtime environmental activist, and Amber Treat, a small-business owner making her first run for public office, won two of the three available seats in the Nov. 3 election.
Incumbent Alison Fernandez led the five-candidate field with 4,828 votes (28.49%) to win her fourth four-year term. Michalski finished second with 4,270 votes (25.20%), followed by Treat with 3,282 (19.37%).
Ryan Gessman (2,611) and Eugene Papantoniou (1,953) rounded out the field.
Voter turnout in Temple Terrace was 16,994
Michalski and Treat will replace James Chambers and Gil Schisler, who were term-limited and have decades of civic service.
That’s a lot of experience walking out the door in December.
Ross acknowledges that losing Chambers and Schisler means losing considerable institutional knowledge. But he said that isn’t always a bad thing.
“Sometimes having some fresh eyes on it is a good thing,” he said. “And sometimes being here for a long time, you can’t see some things that you might see if you weren’t so immersed in it.”
For Treat, Chambers and Schisler leaving was the impetus for getting into the race, but not just because seats were open.
She had gotten to know Chambers and Schisler through her community involvement, particularly Chambers through their work at Woodmont, and worried about losing two people she considered deeply committed to Temple Terrace.
Then she looked at who was running to replace them and didn’t see anyone.
After talking it over with several people, including her husband, she jumped in.
“I do really respect James and Gil,” she said, and she wanted candidates “that cared about the city.”
Treat operates a Mary Kay cosmetics business and has a background in sales, bookkeeping and working for small businesses. She also is involved in community organizations.
She acknowledges there is plenty to learn but is ready for the challenge.
“I like doing research,” she said.
Michalski, meanwhile, arrives with a different kind of experience.
After losing to current council member Erik Kravets by just 197 votes in 2024, she returned for another try, better prepared for the demands of campaigning.
A chemist by profession, Michalski has spent roughly 20 years as an activist with the Sierra Club, attending county commission, planning and zoning meetings and advocating on environmental and land-use issues.
She believes that background will serve her well on a council that regularly wrestles with development, zoning and the city’s comprehensive plan, and she hopes to encourage more productive discussions.
“I want to bring good discussion,” she said. “There always should be grace, and there always should be respect.”
Both newcomers will have plenty to discuss right away.
The passage of Amendment 3, which expands property tax exemptions for homeowners, is expected to eventually cost Temple Terrace approximately 20% of its property tax revenue, which could have a large effect on city services.
At the Oct. 13 candidate forum, all five candidates said in an effort to offset the loss of property tax revenue, they would consider raising the millage rate, most calling it a last resort. Michalski said she would avoid cutting services and instead raise fees.
“The city will have to make some tough decisions,” Treat said.
Both women said they are already preparing for their December swearing-in, studying past council meetings and looking to Chambers and Schisler for guidance.
They’ll join Ross, who has 10 years of council and mayoral experience, Fernandez, who has served 12 years, and Kravets, who is halfway through his first term.
And while neither newcomer has served on the council, both have experience on the city’s Board of Adjustment.
Treat’s election night was anything but ordinary. A family emergency had her driving to Gainesville, so she said she followed the results through text messages from Kravets and an AI agent she had set up for updates.
The next morning, she received an email from the city about scheduling her orientation.
That’s when it started feeling real.
“OK, now it’s on,” she said.