County Council At-Large: Nancy Miller and Mike Poniatowski Square Off Nov. 3

Voters countywide will choose between a sitting mayor and a career public safety professional for the Volusia County Council at-large seat on Nov. 3. Neither won a majority in the August primary, so the top two finishers advance.

This is part of The Volusia Voice's series profiling each County Council race. Each profile features every candidate in the race. The race is nonpartisan, and every registered Volusia voter can vote in it.

Nancy Miller

Miller has served as mayor of Daytona Beach Shores since 2018. In the primary, unofficial results reported by The Ballot Brief showed her with 41.6% of the vote, or 41,515 votes.

According to her listing on VOTE411, her priorities include reviewing municipal budgets for efficiencies before upcoming property tax measures, advancing flooding and stormwater projects with grant funding, and strengthening collaboration among the county's 16 municipalities. Campaign finance figures reported by The Ballot Brief show about $136,421 raised.

Mike Poniatowski

Poniatowski has spent more than four decades in Volusia County public safety as a firefighter, deputy sheriff, paramedic, flight medic and ambulance operations director. He had 39.1% in the primary, or 39,038 votes, in the unofficial results.

His platform, according to his campaign website, centers on property tax reform and budget discipline, relief for elderly homeowners and first-time buyers, and comprehensive stormwater management. Reported fundraising is about $41,525.

Where they overlap and differ

Both candidates name stormwater and flooding as a priority, and both say they want to address property taxes and the budget. The difference is mostly in background and approach: Miller points to municipal government experience and working across Volusia's cities, while Poniatowski points to public safety experience and a push for new structures such as a stormwater authority. Miller has raised more than three times as much as Poniatowski, based on the figures above.

Third candidate

Barry Powell, who ran on flood risk assessment, housing affordability and fiscal accountability, was eliminated in the primary.

What the seat is

The at-large seat is elected countywide and sits on the seven-member council that sets the county budget and property tax rate and makes land use decisions in unincorporated areas.

How to vote

Early voting runs Oct. 19 to 31, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at eight sites countywide. Election Day is Nov. 3. Primary results and fundraising totals are unofficial or change as filings come in. Voters can check the Supervisor of Elections website for current figures.

The Volusia Voice will continue the series with each county race.