REDINGTON BEACH – Three candidates are seeking two seats on the Town Commission in the town election set Tuesday, March 9 .
Tom Dorgan, Poul Madsen and David Will recently answered some questions.
Tom Dorgan
Dorgan, 58, has been married 10 years and a resident of Redington Beach for five years. He is from Seattle originally where he completed the auto body technician program at a vocational college after graduating from high school. Dorgan is a computer programmer who enjoys tennis and golf. He’s active with the Santa’s Angels Charity and has been on the town’s finance committee for three years.
How would Dorgan’s past experience benefit the average citizen of Redington Beach?
“I have had extensive experience in business and civic affairs,” Dorgan said. “This enables me to better understand the needs and financial resources and how to balance them. Having spent time on boards and committees and been in management roles, I have learned to see other viewpoints and work toward a solution that incorporates as many (as possible).”
How would Dorgan improve Redington Beach?
“In order to keep Redington Beach on a firm financial footing it is important to analyze needs and available resources,” he said. “We have to find a way to maximize benefits at the same time minimizing cost. This needs to be done while recognizing that different parts of our community have different priorities. Redington Beach has found a way in the last few years to find peace and move forward with a spirit of community. I want to help foster and promote this spirit of cooperation.”
Poul Madsen
Madsen, 67, has been married 40 years. He and his wife Carol have two children and four grandchildren.
Madsen was born on a farm in Denmark and came to the United States in 1968. He was educated as a master chef in Denmark.
He has lived in Redington Beach for over 30 years, owned restaurants in Pinellas County and a sausage manufacturing facility in Tampa. He enjoys world travel and playing bridge. He is on the town park board and was the treasurer of the Florida restaurant association for ten years, Madsen said.
How would Madsen’s past experience benefit the average citizen of Redington Beach?
“I am used to supervising 50 employees,” he said. “I walk the town six days a week. I am an active attendee of town meetings and I serve on the park board.”
How would Madsen improve Redington Beach?
“The town is actually running very smoothly under Mayor Nick Simons,” he said. “I would like to update the town’s infrastructure. We need paving of the town roads, a new seawall on the causeway, and the undergrounding of utilities.”
David Will
Will, 41, is single and has a son in the ninth-grade. Will was born in Chicago, moved to Florida in 1989 and settled in town in 1992. He has been captain of the Holiday Boat Parade for the last 10 years. He’s in his second term on the town Board of Adjustments and has been an active member of the property owner’s association. He’s a member of the American Legion Post 273. Will worked for the Pinellas County Schools for a decade and now owns his own small business.
How would Will’s past experience benefit the average citizen of Redington Beach?
“I’m every man. I moved here when I was 23 years old so now in my 40s I have the advantage of having lived through multiple life stages and changes here,” he said. “I’m the average working guy, raising my boy, connecting with neighbors, enjoying our little piece of paradise. I’m approachable, interested and involved.”
How would Will improve Redington Beach?
“I’d like to revisit with people the reasons that brought them here and work to maintain those qualities in our town,” he said. “I’d like to help more folks get involved and encourage people to take a stake in this great community. I think that would knit our community closer together and it would be an even better place to live.”
