2 seek mayor's seat

2 seek mayor's seat

Boles, Lennon vying for St. Augustine position

By KATI BEXLEY
kati.bexley@staugustine.com
Publication Date: 06/04/08

St. Augustine Mayor Joe Boles announced Tuesday he will run again for the position, and former City Commissioner Bill Lennon will also vie for the seat.

Boles currently holds seat five, a four-year term that expires in December. He is vacating the seat to move to seat three, which is the mayor's position.

In the past, a candidate had to win a commission seat and the mayoral position, which meant residents had to vote twice for the person.

The city changed it so that City Commission seat three is the mayor's seat and a two-year post, and residents only vote once.

Boles has served on the City Commission and as mayor for the last year and a half, and he said he wants to continue to oversee projects, including preventing panhandling in areas of downtown, creating a harbor management plan and installing new parking meters as a part of the city's parking and transportation plan.

Boles, 55, is a native of North Carolina and moved to St. Augustine in 1967. He has a law practice that specializes in estates and trust. He has three daughters and is engaged to Jane Masson.

"I have had a wonderful time being mayor," Boles said. "I think it's every local boy's dream to be mayor here. It's a great town."

Lennon says he "has a lot to offer the position" and wants to pursue projects such as lowering water bills. He believes water bills should be designated by the number of bathrooms each home has, so smaller homes pay less than the larger houses.

He also would like to work with the state to create a program that rewards renters for renovating their homes. Under the program, if renters put money into maintaining the house, then money could be deducted from their rent.

"There are a lot of things I feel I could do for the city," he said.

Lennon, 64, owned Bill Lennon Suzuki for years until he sold the business four months ago. Now he is semi-retired. He and his wife, Judy, have two sons.

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