Lake Helen’s mayor unseated, voters vote down pay raise for New Smyrna Beach council in Volusia elections

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Cities and towns across Central Florida held elections on Tuesday, Nov. 4, including two Volusia County cities.

In Lake Helen, incumbents up for reelection both lost, including the mayor.

In New Smyrna Beach, voters rejected a majority of the seven proposed amendments to the city charter, including a pay raise for the mayor and the city council.

See the unofficial election returns on the Volusia County supervisor of elections website.

[WATCH: Lake Helen city commission approves motion to retain police department]

Lake Helen

Incumbent Mayor Vernon Burton lost reelection to challenger Roger Eckert, 49.34% to 50.66%.

In the Zone 3 commission race, incumbent Commissioner Lynda Donato lost to challenger Sean Abshire, 30.95% to 69.05%.

The Zone 1 commission seat was also up for election, but incumbent Commissioner Heather Rutledge was reelected without opposition.

All registered voters living in Lake Helen were eligible to vote in these elections. More information is on the Lake Helen website.

New Smyrna Beach

[WATCH: New Smyrna Beach firefighters to rally for higher pay]

The city of New Smyrna Beach asked voters to decide on seven charter amendments.

Only amendments 6 and 7 were approved by voters on Tuesday, all of the other amendments were rejected. The list is below. You can see the results on the supervisor of elections website.

1. REJECTED. Change the mayor’s term of office from two years to four years.
2. REJECTED. Declare a candidate for office the winner if they receive over 50% of votes in a primary election, allowing them to bypass a general election.
3. REJECTED. Make the city clerk a department head supervised by the city manager.
4. REJECTED. A salary increase for the city commission. This amendment would change how the salary is set.
   1. The mayor’s salary would increase from $28,081 to $50,545, making it 75% of what the Volusia County Council chair earns.
   2. Commissioner salaries would be adjusted from $21,060.75 to $37,909.35, which is 75% of what the mayor earns.
5. REJECTED. An amendment that would encourage historic preservation through incentives and voluntary programs, rather than through policies and ordinances.
6. APPROVED. A new section to the city charter that prioritizes the city’s commitment to cultural arts.
7. APPROVED. Require a formal city charter review at least once every 10 years if the city commission doesn’t call for one sooner.

More information is on the City of New Smyrna Beach website.