Maitland mayoral race kicks off

A former mayor and a longtime city board member are facing off in the race to take Maitland soon-to-be open mayor’s seat in the upcoming municipal election on March 10.

After giving up his mayoral seat to run for Orange County Commission in 2011 and then taking nearly four years off the dais, Doug Kinson is throwing his name back in the ring to get his old title back this election season.

And after contemplating a run for office in Maitland during three different elections cycles, former Maitland Planning and Zoning Commission chairman Dale McDonald is officially facing off against Kinson looking to serve as an elected official for the first time.

The two are in a race to replace current mayor Howard Schieferdecker when his term expires April 13. Schieferdecker decided last month not to seek another term in office. Former councilwoman Linda Frosch also qualified to run for the mayor’s open seat, but said she withdrew her candidacy days after qualifying closed for personal reasons.

After watching from the sidelines for the past few years, Kinson said he realized that his experiences as a previous leader of the city could help move Maitland forward, which convinced him to give local government another go.

“I think Maitland is headed in the right direction. They’re serious about creating a downtown … I recognize this as a point in time where the city will be in need of an experienced leader,” Kinson said.

With 20 years of experience volunteering on city boards and campaigning for other Council candidates under his belt, McDonald said he felt this was finally the year his name should be the one he was advocating for on the ballot.

“I’ve been as intimately involved as you can be in the process without being on the dais,” McDonald said. “… Now I want to be a serious part of the discussion.”

The last day to register to vote for the March 10 election is Monday, Feb. 9.