The incumbents are back.
Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano and City Councilman Jay Musleh easily won their respective races on Sept. 16 and will remain at City Hall.
Marciano got 3,204 votes, or a little more than 84% of the total. His challenger, Arbor Feliciano, got 609 votes.
In the race for City Council District 3, Musleh received nearly 53% of the vote, or 1,992 votes. Coming in second was Mark William Clark with 1,006 votes (nearly 27%) and coming in third was TamBoura Jenkins (780 votes/almost 21%.)
The races were nonpartisan. The election was only for registered voters who live within the city limits of Ocala.
Council members serve four-year terms and are paid $200 per month. The mayor serves a two-year term with a salary of $550 per month.
Council meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of every month at 4 p.m. at City Hall.
The qualifying period
In July, multiple candidates, including the ones who wound up competing on Sept. 16, submitted their paperwork.
When the qualifying period ended, elections officials said none of the candidates had fulfilled all the requirements to qualify for a ballot spot.
Another qualifying period was set and the five qualified.
At the end of this campaign, the candidates raised a total of $58,077.46. Musleh amassed the biggest war chest at $25,675. Next was Marciano with $19,250, followed by Clark with $10,891.
Reactions from the mayor’s race
Marciano said by phone he’s grateful that the voters decided to send him back to office. The mayor said while he “got a lot done,” he firmly believes he can accomplish more.
He said he’s looking forward to doing more as he understands the position more.
The mayor ran for office the first time in 2023 and was unopposed.
Feliciano said the result wasn’t what he expected, but nevertheless he appreciates everyone who voted for him.
Calling it a learning experience, the 20-year-old, who was the youngest candidate in the field, said he’s “looking forward to serving the community in the future.”
Comments from District 3 candidates
Musleh, who has been in office for 12 years, said in a separate interview with the Star-Banner he’s always pleased to win and respects the voters.
The longtime city councilman said running for office is “a humbling process,” and the process is both physically and mentally exhausting. He said he looks forward to another four years.
Clark congratulated Musleh. He said while he’s little disappointed with outcome, he would like to see more people excercise their rights to vote.
“I would like to see more people come out and vote because local elections have more impact than other elections,” he said.
According to the Supervisor of Elections office, of the 33,301 eligible registered voters, only 3,849, or 11.56%, voted in the election.
As for Jenkins: He said that while “it didn’t work out the way I wanted to, I’m proud to be a part of the process.”
He said he made “a lot of contact and friends, and I thank God for that.”
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Incumbents Ben Marciano and Jay Musleh easily win re-election in Ocala city races
Reporting by Austin L. Miller, Ocala Star-Banner / Ocala Star-Banner
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
