Collier County Commissioner Dan Kowal has won a second term with 70.7% of the vote while his challenger Daniel Zegarac took 29.3% of the vote.
Kowal had 8,953 votes to Zegarac’s 3,717 votes with 100% of the results in.
Kowal represents District 4 for parts of Naples and East Naples on the county board.
In a brief statement, Kowal said: “This win was for the people!”
Because no Democrat, write-in or other candidate qualified by the end of the qualifying period in June and there are no candidates for the race in the general election, it became an open primary so all voters in District 4 were able to cast ballots.
Kowal currently is chairman of the five-member board, a position that rotates year every January.
District 4 covers an area west of Interstate 75 south of Pine Ridge Road including the city of Naples and parts of East Naples.
After being elected to the commission in 2022, Kowal sponsored a resolution to oppose a Florida ballot measure in 2024 that would have legalized adult recreational use of marijuana.
He proposed an ordinance change in 2024 to remove fluoride being added in drinking water.
He voted in favor of a Costco in East Naples and against a 350-foot communications tower near the Big Cypress National Preserve in the Everglades.
Who ran against Kowal for Collier County commission?
Zegarac is a retired automotive executive who moved to Naples in 2021, according to his candidate biography.
From 2010 to 2013, he served on the Avon City Council in Ohio, including as president of the city council during a period of significant growth
He worked on major public-private partnerships, including the project that brought a Cleveland Clinic hospital to the community.
From 2020 and 2021, he served on the Willoughby Hills City Council.
What to know about Kowal
After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in December of 1989, Kowal started his career in civilian law enforcement
He served as a special agent in Washington D.C., with the U.S. Capitol Police’s Dignitary Protection unit.
He moved to Naples in March of 2003. He joined the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and served on the special enforcement team and aggressive criminal tactics team assigned to vice narcotics
Liz Freeman is a health care reporter. Reach her by emailing lfreeman@naplesnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Dan Kowal wins second term on Collier Commission
Reporting by Liz Freeman, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Liz Freeman, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
