City Council narrows District 3 applicants to three finalists; final appointment scheduled for next meeting

Palm Coast City Council members used a multi-round ballot at their April 8 workshop to pare 10 applicants for the District 3 council vacancy to three finalists, who will return for the council’s appointment vote at the next scheduled meeting.

The nut graf: The council followed a staggered tally process to narrow the field and selected finalists by vote during the workshop; the city clerk tallied ballots and published round results on the record.

City Clerk Allison Johnson administered the ballot process. In the first round several applicants received multiple votes and five candidates tied with two votes each. After two additional tally rounds, the council selected David Sullivan, Dave Ferguson and Candace Stevens as the top three finalists who will appear for public consideration and a formal appointment vote at the next meeting.

Johnson read the round results aloud during the workshop. The transcript shows an initial five-way tie among candidates who each received two votes; later rounds produced the two leading vote-getters (Ferguson and Sullivan) and, in the final round, Stevens as the third finalist. The clerk said two other applicants — Michael Flanagan and Jean Perez — had each received one vote in the first round and were eliminated.

Ending: City staff told the three finalists they will receive the agenda backup and may meet with staff ahead of the appointment vote. The appointment process will follow the usual public-meeting format: discussion on the dais, public comment and a recorded council motion and vote.