Dennis Mulder (born July 8, 1978) is an American politician and former

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Deltona Deltona is a city in central Florida and the most populous city in Volusia County. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Monroe along the St. Johns River in central Florida. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 93,692. The cit ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Early life

Mulder was born in

Washington, North Carolina Washington is a city in Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States, located on the northern bank of the Pamlico River. The population was 9,744 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Beaufort County. It is commonly known as "Original Wa ...

on July 8, 1978. He was formerly a small business owner and founded the Deltona Tennis Association in 2000, before becoming mayor of Deltona.

Political career

In 2005, Mulder announced his candidacy to become the mayor of the city of Deltona to replace the incumbent mayor John Masiarcyzk, Sr., who was elected as Deltona's first mayor and was ineligible to seek reelection. He won the general election later that year by receiving 58.02% of the vote, and defeating City Commissioner Doug Horn, a resident of Deltona exactly twice Mulder's age, who received 41.98% of the vote. Muldar became the youngest elected official in the city’s history. He served as mayor from November 8, 2005, until November 2, 2010. In 2010, Dennis Mulder resigned from office, stating that he will not be seeking reelection. Former mayor John Masiarcyzk, Sr. ran, and defeated his opponent, then City Commissioner and Vice Mayor David Santiago, in the 2010 general election. In 2012, legislative districts were redrawn, and incumbent state representative

Dorothy Hukill Dorothy L. Hukill (September 20, 1946 – October 2, 2018) was an American politician who was a Republican member in the Florida Senate who represented parts of the Volusia County area from 2012 until her death in 2018. She represented the 14th d ...

was unable to seek re-election, creating an open seat in the 27th District, which stretches from Oak Hill to DeBary. Mulder announced that year that he would be running for that Florida House seat as the Democratic candidate. Mulder was to face off against the former

City Commissioner and Vice Mayor David Santiago, who was running as the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate. In August, he abruptly dropped out of the race, citing his son's deteriorating health. The

Volusia County Volusia County (, ) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an incr ...

Democratic Party was forced to find a replacement, eventually voting to nominate their Chairman, Phil Giorno, who previously served as a member of the Volusia County Council, over DeBary mayor Bob Garcia and former congressional candidate Nicholas Ruiz. Ultimately, Santiago was elected over Giorno, winning his first term in the legislature with 55% of the vote to Giorno's 45%. In 2016, Mulder was looked at as one of the four possible candidates to run for mayor of

DeBary, Florida DeBary is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States, on the eastern shore of the St. Johns River near Lake Monroe. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 20,696. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Orm ...

in the special election to replace the incumbent mayor Clint P. Johnson who was being ousted from office by the city council. He said it is on his mind but that he is "nowhere close to making any kind of decision." He later did not run for office in the special election, and former mayor Bob Garcia won the special election that year.

Personal life

He currently lives

Debary, Florida DeBary is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States, on the eastern shore of the St. Johns River near Lake Monroe. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 20,696. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Orm ...

with his wife Heather and his son Nicko.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mulder, Dennis Mayors of places in Florida 1950 births Businesspeople from Florida Living people People from Deltona, Florida People from Washington, North Carolina Mayors of Deltona, Florida