Marathon voters re-elect 2 City Council incumbents, add 1 new member

Marathon voters re-elected two sitting Council members and replaced a third Tuesday.

With all five of the city’s precincts reporting, incumbents G. Lynn Landry and Robyn Still took enough votes to secure another three years on the five-seat panel, which dictates local policies for the city of roughly 10,100 residents.

Landry received 16% of the vote, while Still took 17%.

Challenger Debra Struyf will also be heading to City Hall after outpacing now-outgoing Council member Jeff Smith with 21% of the vote.

Smith took 15% of the vote, while challengers Gerrit Hale, William Perry and Greg Robinson took between 6% and 15.4%.

Marathon sits east of Big Pine Key and west of Key Colony Beach about an hour’s drive from Key West. It stretches across several islands, including Vaca Key, Fat Deer Key and Grassy Key, forming the principal municipality in the Middle Keys.

Residents are predominantly non-Hispanic White (59%) or Hispanic (33%), with just 4% identifying as Black and 3% claiming two or more racial backgrounds, according to Census data. The city’s median age is 46, and the median household income is $80,556. About 11.5% of the population lives below the poverty line.

The race was at large, with each voter able to cast up to three votes, one for each seat up for grabs.

In answers to a questionnaire from the Florida Keys Free Press, Landry said city services had improved thanks to fees on vacation rentals, while taxes remained level. He also touted revived affordable housing funds from the state and an increase to the city’s first-time homebuyers’ program.

“We have moved forward on many capital projects (and filled) and adjusted staff positions to better serve the community, (including fully staffing the) fire department (for the) first time in seven years,” Landry wrote in his candidate’s statement on the Monroe Supervisor of Elections website. “I believe there is unfinished business to complete.”

Smith talked of tightening restrictions on blanket purchase agreements, settling a lawsuit Marathon closed out in 2023 with Friends of the Lower Keys over clean water issues in the city, and adhering to state changes governing the expansion of workforce housing.

Still pointed to several of the same accomplishments as her peers, including the creation of a new Public Information Officer position to improve transparency and resident-government relations.

Hale said in his candidate statement that his experience in economics, business and strategic planning would be an asset at City Hall, and noted recognition he’s received for his volunteer work.

He and his wife bought their home “sight unseen after falling in love with the community” in 2021 during the pandemic and became full-time residents in 2023.

Perry, a Keys native, told the Keys Free Press he was displeased with the city’s direction, particularly with regard to development.

“Some people say you should build in Marathon until you can’t build anymore, then sell your house and move away,” he said. “Those people just wanna make money.”

Robinson, a health care technology executive, described himself as a “proven public sector reformer.”

He vowed, if elected, to focus on affordable housing, resilient infrastructure and “policies that strengthen quality of life.”

Struyf, a more than 45-year resident, local business owner and volunteer, promised to bring more “transparency and accountability” to City Hall.

“I’m not against growth or vacation rentals but we need to manage them responsibly,” she said in a statement. “I promise to be a clear, compassionate voice for Marathon’s residents; preserve our sense of community and ensure our children can enjoy the same island we love for generations.”