NOTE: This story originally appeared on the Vox Populi website.
When Windermere’s qualifying period closed Friday at noon, three candidates had qualified to run for the three open seats on the town council.
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They include Loren “Andy” Williams for mayor and Brandi Haines and Catherine Tompkins Allen — who goes by CT — who both qualified for the town council.
Mayor Jim O’Brien announced Monday that he would not seek re-election.
With no challengers, Windermere will not hold an election on March 10. All three candidates will be seated on the council. The swearing-in ceremony will take place at the March town council meeting, according to Town Clerk Dorothy Burkhalter.
This is the fourth time in six years that Windermere did not field enough candidates to warrant a town council election. To qualify, candidates must be at least 18 years old and have lived in Windermere — or one of its annexed areas — for at least 12 months before running. They must also pay a $25 filing fee and collect 25 signatures that the Orange County Supervisor of Elections certify are registered voters of the town.
Council members and the mayor are not paid for their service.
Last year, saw five candidates turn out for three spots. Before that, there hadn’t been a contested race in the town since 2021 when four candidates vied for three open seats. In 2022, former Town Council Member Molly Rose was asked to come out of retirement to serve when Chris Sapp’s open seat drew no contenders.
Williams joined the council in 2018. This will be his fifth two-year term, his first as mayor. He has yet to face an opponent in an election cycle.
A fifth generation Windermere resident whose grandfather also served as mayor of the town, Williams is a realtor and commercial landlord. He co-founded the 22-year-old firm Lakeside Realty. His LinkedIn lists him as an “accredited luxury home specialist” and states that he’s closed “over $100 million in real estate transactions.”
Haines was appointed in 2023 to finish Rose’s term when she stepped down because she and her husband did not want to disclose their tax returns under the new financial reporting requirements. (A preliminary injunction filed the next year protected municipal-level officials who did not want to disclose their assets.) Haines was unopposed in her re-election in 2024.
This will be Allen’s first term on the council. She is perhaps best known for her organizing efforts around Windermere’s annual Wine & Dine events — recently taken over by the West Orange Foundation — and the town’s centennial celebration events. She is also a director of the Allen Family Foundation.