Dunedin Vice Mayor Bruce Livingston is eyeing the next step. According to the Tampa Bay Times, he is running for mayor. The 30-year resident made the decision early in order to get the election conversation started. That election is in November.
Livingston will host a campaign kickoff party at Bon Appetit in downtown Dunedin at 148 Marina Plaza. The March 7 event begins at 5:30 p.m. and runs through 7:30.
Livingston reportedly wants to run a more positive campaign citing a sense of frustration both locally and nationally over negative campaigning. More details about his campaign will be released at the kickoff party.
Livingston was elected to the Dunedin City Commission in 2014 after the sale of his dental equipment manufacturing business based in Clearwater. After hanging up his business owner cap, Livingston has worked with various nonprofits including the Clearwater Free Clinic, Salvation Army and a group he founded, the Community Dental Clinic.
“Given where we are today in Dunedin, the city needs another skill set,” he said, according to the Times. “What Dunedin needs now is a consensus builder and team approach.”
Livingston already has a campaign website setup, but it’s quite minimalist. It contains an option for voters to subscribe to updates via email and an opportunity to donate online.
Livingston’s Facebook page hasn’t been active since October, but it lists the candidate’s values as, “integrity, vision, commitment to service: Bruce Livingston embodies that rare combination of qualities essential for Dunedin’s future.”
Livingston will likely face current Dunedin Mayor and former City Commissioner Julie Ward Bujalski.
