HOLMES BEACH – Mayor Judy Titsworth will have another two-year term in office, but it remains to be seen if Commissioners Kim Rash and Pat Morton will join her for two more years on the dais.
Both Rash and Morton qualified to run for re-election in 2020, but this year they’ll face challengers Jayne Christenson and former Commissioner Rick Hurst in the Nov. 3 election.
With no one else throwing their hat into the ring for the mayor’s position, Titsworth is automatically reelected for her second term as mayor. She will officially be sworn in again in November with the two commissioners-elect during the city commission’s annual organizational meeting once the election results are certified.
Rash is campaigning for his second term in office, having been first elected in 2018. Morton was first elected to the city commission in 2003 and is seeking his 10th term in office, having served eight two-year terms and one one-year term in 2017.
Running for a potential first term on the dais is Holmes Beach resident Jayne Christenson. Throughout the years, Christenson has served on various city committees including the planning commission and parking committee. If elected, this will be her first time as one of the city’s commissioners.
This year’s surprise entry into the commissioner’s race is former city commissioner Rick Hurst. Hurst is a Holmes Beach resident and also is one of the owners of the Freckled Fin, a local restaurant and live music hotspot.
After losing his spot on the dais in 2019 to Commissioner Terry Schaefer, Hurst took a year off from local politics, resurfacing recently on social media protesting the city’s new parking regulations. If elected, this would be Hurst’s second term as a commissioner.
In the commissioner race, the top two vote-getters will take the two available commission seats.
The 2020 general election is Nov. 3.
