Four Candidates, Three Seats, One Strange Ballot: Fort Myers Beach Votes Tuesday
Only one candidate can lose the Fort Myers Beach Town Council race — and one name on the ballot, withdrawn incumbent John McLean, cannot win at all: votes cast for him will not count, the Lee County elections office says.
Fort Myers Beach — Tuesday's Town Council election on Fort Myers Beach has an unusual shape: four candidates are running for three seats, which means only one of them will lose — and a fifth name on the ballot is not really running at all.
The four candidates for the nonpartisan, townwide seats are Rebecca Link, 66, the lone incumbent seeking reelection, whose company handles project management services; Tom Brady, 74, an island resident since 2018 and a retired global technology executive and U.S. Army veteran; Anita Cereceda, 64, a longtime business owner and former mayor who was involved in the establishment of the town; and Edward J. Schoonover, 60, a property development coordinator with municipal government experience. The seats carry four-year terms and an annual salary of more than $17,000.
The ballot's complication is incumbent John McLean, 59. McLean withdrew from the race recently, saying in a statement provided to media that the decision reflected recent events in his life and whether he could fully commit the energy and effort the role requires over the next four years. But he withdrew too late to be removed from the ballot: his name will still appear, and votes cast for him will not count, according to the Lee County elections office. Fellow incumbent John King is also leaving the council, having chosen not to seek reelection.
Polls on Fort Myers Beach are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, and Election Day voters must vote at their assigned precinct. With three of the four active candidates guaranteed a seat, every vote on the island effectively decides a single question: which one of the four goes home.
