Meet the candidates for DeLand City Commission Seat 4: Troy A. Bradley and Daniel Reed

With DeLand City Commissioner Chris Cloudman in the running for mayor, a special election for his current seat is on the ballot.

In the race for Seat 4, residents have two newcomers from which to choose on Aug. 23: Troy A. Bradley and Daniel Reed.

Commissioners, who are elected citywide, serve four-year terms and receive an annual salary of $11,601 and change.

In addition to Cloudman, the mayoral race includes Buz Nesbit and Reggie Williams. If neither candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the two with the most votes head to a runoff in November.

Seat 4 candidates

Bradley, 58, is the pastor of Greater Union First Baptist Church in DeLand and works in education administration.

His top priorities include:

• Smart growth.
• Investing in the future of DeLand.
• Stewarding your tax dollars.

Reed, 48, is a small business owner, a member of the city's planning board and the current president of ACED (Arts, Cultural and Entertainment District) DeLand.

His top priorities include:

• Working families.
• Expanding housing opportunities.
• Responsible growth.

Candidates comment

The following questions were posed to each candidate with a request to limit responses to 100 words. Answers are presented as they were submitted, save for minor corrections to punctuation.

In your opinion, what is DeLand's most pressing issue, and what efforts would you make to address it?

Bradley: In my opinion, I believe we need to develop an affordable housing program, and also protect our ecosystem. DeLand has many treasures to offer but we must protect them. Our Downtown CRA and Spring Hill CRA are a vital part of DeLand's preservation efforts and taking advantage of these tax-savings programs while DeLand has them is vital.

Reed: DeLand is growing at an extraordinary rate and is experiencing a housing crunch. Together, we can steward the vision of DeLand 2050 and create new, expanded housing opportunities that will provide more housing units per acre than a traditional tract home and allow us to better conserve our natural resources. 

In your opinion, what is DeLand's best feature, and how can it be expanded on?

Bradley: DeLand's best feature is our small-town feel; we must protect our way of life here in DeLand.

Reed: DeLand's best feature is our small-town charm. We are one of the most sought-after cities in all of Florida with our historic downtown area, arts and business districts, and quaint neighborhoods. In order to protect our charm and expand upon it, we must restore and repurpose some of our older downtown buildings to ensure we can treasure them for years ahead, secure a residential population base in the downtown area to ensure its resilience, and leverage our heritage resources to expand upon tourism opportunities in DeLand. 

Why should someone choose you over your opponent?

Bradley: I am from this community, my family and way of life have been built around this community. I want to see DeLand continue to grow and prosper; however, I also want to ensure accountability takes place from the dais. I feel with my 30-plus years of experience in leadership positions and relationships with others around the community, I am the best fit for the position. 

Reed: As city commissioner, it would be my responsibility to lobby on behalf of all DeLand residents to our state and federal legislators for DeLand to be included in their budgets when making those decisions on where to best invest – we are all taxpayers and want to see our money working for us. If public investment falls short, it has been my experience that it would be best to work with the private sector. As a small business owner and public servant, I have the experience required to lead with the other elected members on the dais.