Dunedin election
By Times Staff Writer
Published March 9, 2006
The Dunedin City Commission seat came open when Commissioner Bob Hackworth decided to run for mayor. The open seat has two years remaining. Commissioners are paid $8,000 a year. The election is March 14.
DUNEDIN MAYORTHE JOB
Dunedin's mayor presides over City Commission meetings, serves a three-year term and is paid $10,000 a year.
BOB HACKWORTH
AGE: 50
POSITION: Partner with father in H&H Publishing Co.
BACKGROUND: Born in Fort Ord, Calif., Hackworth graduated from Dunedin High School in 1973 and the University of Florida in 1978. He has lived in Dunedin for 36 years. He was first elected to the commission in 2002 and re-elected in 2005. He has been married to his wife Gwynne for 25 years, and they have two children, ages 8 and 5.
JOHN T. CONWAY
AGE: 60
POSITION: Writer/retired from construction business
BACKGROUND: He was born in Lynwood, Calif., but moved to Hollywood, Fla., when he was 8. He graduated from McArthur High School in 1964. After he was discharged from the U.S. Navy he launched the first of several construction companies in 1973. He retired from the last one, Philcon Services Inc., in 1997. He moved to Dunedin nine years ago. Divorced, he has two grown daughters and a 14-year-old son he homeschools.
RON BARNETTE
AGE: 63
POSITION: Professor emeritus of philosophy, Valdosta State University.
BACKGROUND: Born in Compton, Calif., Barnette attended high School in Ukiah, Calif. He received an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Long Beach State University and a doctorate from the University of California, Irvine. He began teaching at Valdosta in 1972 and spent 30 years as a professor and administrator. He bought a home in Dunedin in 1999 and moved there fulltime in 2002. He and his wife, Candy McKibben Barnette, have a grown son and daughter.
JULIE WARD BUJALSKI
AGE: 40
POSITION: Economic forecaster, planner and product developer for BMR Holdings LLC.
BACKGROUND: She moved to Dunedin from Washington, D.C., as a young child and attended Dunedin Elementary, Dunedin Highland Middle and Dunedin High. She received a general equivalency diploma and graduated from ITT Technical Institute in 1986. She has spent 20 years with the same company. She is married to Tom Bujalski and has a 7-year-old son.
JOHN RICHARD ESPEY
AGE: 67
POSITION: Retired.
BACKGROUND: Born in Indiana, Espey came to Dunedin in 1951. He graduated from Clearwater High School in 1963; Florida State University in 1961; and the University of Florida in 1967. He taught at Largo and Dunedin high schools. Married to Martha Espey for 45 years, Espey has two grown daughters. Espey spent 12 years on the Pinellas County School Board between 1978 and 1992. He has also worked as a Realtor and appraiser.
MICHAEL R. HENKEL
AGE: 38
POSITION: Manager at Nature's Food Patch in Clearwater.
BACKGROUND: He was born in St. Charles, Ill., and raised on Clearwater Beach. After attending Clearwater High School, he graduated from Florida State University in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in political science and a minor in urban planning. He has taken two separate nine-day courses at Earthaven Learning Center in North Carolina, which teaches sustainable living techniques such as how to design homes that are in harmony with nature. Has lived in Dunedin for 12 years and has a 12-year-old son.
NANCY McINTYRE
AGE: 56
POSITION: Museum consultant.
BACKGROUND: Born in St. Petersburg, she attended Notre Dame Academy for Girls. She received a bachelor's of science in arts education and community arts development from Florida State University in 1971 and a master's in arts management from the University of South Florida in 1986. She served as the executive director of the Dunedin Fine Arts Center from 1985 to 2005. She is single but has been engaged for 23 years.
THOMAS J. OSBORNE JR.
AGE: 83
POSITION: Retired attorney and private investor.
BACKGROUND: Born in Newark, N.J., he served on the City Council of Roseland, N.J. in the late 1950s. Has lived in Dunedin for 16 years and he previously served five years as a city commissioner. He and his wife, Edwina, have five grown children.
MIKE WALLACE
AGE: 48
POSITION: Owner of Payless Carpet Cleaning.
BACKGROUND: He was born in Tampa. Because of dyslexia, he studied into his 30s until he received his general equivalency diploma. He has operated his current company for eight years but has been in the business for 20. He has lived in Dunedin for nine years and is married to Susan C. Wallace. He has a grown son and grown daughter, who recently received her medical degree.