City qualifies seven candidates in special election

File photo: Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox looks over Primary Election results as they come into the Marion County Election Center in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2020.

The city of Ocala announced today that it qualified seven candidates in a special election.

Incumbent, Benjamin Marciano and Zackary Feliciano will be on the ballot for City Mayor.

Incumbent, Jay A. Musleh, will face challengers Mark W. Clark and TamBoura Jenkins for City Council District 3.

Incumbents Barry M. Mansfield and James P. Hilty received no challengers and have won their respective district 1 and 5 seats.

“I’ll continue putting Ocala first,” Mansfield said by phone.

“I’m grateful for the trust the people have placed with me,” he added.

“I look forward to continuing my service to the city and county residents through the committees I work on,” Hilty said.

As for the hiccups in qualifying candidates that led to this special election, “I am looking at this as a learning experience, not just for Ocala, but possibly the whole state,” Hilty offered.

City elections are nonpartisan races.

The special election will be held on Sept. 13.