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Mark Meister is making his first run for elected office. He lives at Meadowlea on the River in DeBary.

Meister has been disabled since 2003. He is a single parent of a Daytona State College freshman.

Meister was a non-emergency transport driver and a supervisor for a company that worked with VOTRAN and Medicaid. He was in charge of evacuating East Coast nursing homes to Seminole and Marion counties in preparation for Hurricane Floyd. In addition, he previously worked as a site supervisor for a demolition company.

Meister graduated from Chambersburg Area Senior High School in Chambersburg, Pa., where he was a member of the football team and the glee club. He once sang for First Lady Rosalynn Carter at the Washington Cathedral.

He has served the community in several capacities. He currently serves on the city's Economic and Development Advisory Committee, and formerly worked on a committee to clean DeBary Bayou that was chaired by U.S. Rep. John Mica.

Meister has served as a spokesman for the Meadowlea on the River in development matters, and has participated on committees and in workshops with regard to the commuter rail station planned in DeBary.

Meister is a 25-year member of Port Orange Presbyterian Church, and a member of the Meadowlea Neighborhood Watch.

Choose whether you agree or disagree on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being "Strongly Agree" and 1 being "Strongly Disagree." Add a 1 sentence comment to clarify your stance with the readers.

Growth should be encouraged for the progress of DeBary.

4 — Comment: We must achieve smart growth in commercial and light industrial to offset the high property taxes that are citizens are paying.

DeBary needs to collect more tax dollars from its residents and businesses to deal with stormwater.

(NO SELECTION MADE) — Comment: It depends on the plan in which the current City Council wants to adapt. If they decide to go with the 46 million dollar project that will encompass all of Debary, then most certainly we would be forced to adopt more taxes.

A carefully planned gambling business could enhance DeBary's economy.

(NO SELECTION MADE) — Comment: I cannot answer this question because I currently do not have all the facts to construct an opinion.

Accomplishment of which you are most proud: I was the supervisor of the evacuation of nursing homes on east Volusia County in anticipation of Hurricane Floyd. We were able to move 12 nursing homes to other facilities in Seminole and Marion Counties within 44 hours.

Public-service goal you have yet to achieve: Debary City Council is my one and only goal in Public Service.

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