Dunedin Re-Elects Julie Ward Bujalski To Third Term As Mayor

DUNEDIN, FL — A campaign that began with six candidates in June ended Tuesday with the re-election of the current mayor of Dunedin for a third term.

Julie Ward Bujalski, 54, handily won the race and another term as mayor of Dunedin after receiving 54.94 percent of the vote to Dunedin City Commission member Heather Gracy's 45.06 percent. Bujalski received 12,275 votes and Gracy 10,069 votes.

Although she had the incumbent's advantage, she wasn't a shoo-in for re-election. After four candidates were eliminated in the primary, Bujalski faced tough competition from Heather Gracy, 49, a member of the city commission since 2012 who'd been appointed vice mayor twice.

But Bujalski, a resident of Dunedin for 50 years, had the endorsements of four previous mayors as well as Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long.

She also had an impressive list of accomplishments dating from 2006 when she was first elected to the Dunedin City Commission.

During her tenure as mayor, Dunedin was named the first Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot. An initiative of the international nonprofit environmental group, Mission Blue, Hope Spots are ecosystems that have been identified as critical to protecting the ocean. There are more than 100 designated "Hope Spots" around the world where researchers and scientists study the species, habitats and environmental threats in the hopes of putting new policies in place to reverse damage and maintain the health of the world's oceans.

The city was also named Florida's first Trail Town for its efforts to incorporate the Pinellas Trail into the city while improving the city's walkability and completing the Lari White Music Pavilion along the trail next to the Dunedin History Museum.

The Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail is a walking, biking and jogging trail that runs from St. Petersburg in south Pinellas to Tarpon Springs in north Pinellas and connects with the Suncoast Trail in Pasco County.

Since her election to the city commission and subsequently as mayor, the city reached an agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays that allowed Dunedin Stadium to be renovated for the team's spring training games and built a new spring training facility for the team.

The commission initiated a city gateway project; added downtown parking; approved plans to build a new city hall; made road enhancements to streets like Skinner Boulevard; added landscaping, decorative street lighting and decorative signage; encouraged public art projects including murals, painted crosswalks, bike racks, bus stops, gateways and sculptures; introduced a downtown farmers market; introduced the Jolley Trolley and the Dunedin Ferry to move people from parking areas to Main Street for festivals, downtown dining and shopping, and the beach; added a band stage and made other improvement to Pioneer and Edgewater parks; and became the county's first golf cart friendly community.

The commission also approved community redevelopment projects including sprucing up downtown buildings; developed a downtown waterfront corridor plan; and approved new developments including the Gramercy Court Townhomes, Artisan Apartment Homes, the Court Yard on Main, Beyond the Wall Bed & Breakfast, the Casa Viejo and Victoria Place developments.

As mayor, Bujalski also won favor from the residents by championing caps on building heights, advocating more affordable housing in the city and preserving green space including the expansion of Hammock Park. She's also in favor of using state grant funds and Pennies for Pinellas sale taxes to purchase the 44 acres of endangered scrub land that belonged to longtime philanthropist Gladys Douglas-Hackworth. Douglas-Hackworth died in June and left the property in a trust, which recently considered selling it to Pulte Homes for residential development.

"We have to balance issues like over-development, traffic and housing costs," she said. "These efforts will safeguard our quality of life for the diverse resident base that makes Dunedin so unique."

Since the coronavirus pandemic was declared, Bujalski said fiscal responsibility is more critical than ever.

"We must be fiscally responsible while moving forward to meet our residents' needs," she said, adding that she was the only member of the commission who voted against paid parking.

She said making wise use of tax funds is especially important with so many small business owners still struggling with the repercussions of the pandemic.

She said the city has put together a recovery task force that includes business owners to discuss how to help businesses recover and hired a consultant to help Dunedin businesses navigate the federal funding requirements for grants and loans.

In addition to re-electing Bujalski, Dunedin returned former City Commissioner John Tornga to the commission.

Tornga received 11,339 (53.04 percent) votes to opponent Mike Quill's 10,039 (46.96 percent) votes.

Prior to serving on the city commission, Tornga served as chairman of the Board of Finance and the Waterfront Task Force, on the Community Redevelopment Agency, the Marina Advisory Committee and the city's Safety Committee.

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