A couple of reasons come to mind. My margin of defeat was the lowest of any Commission race this cycle. I received more votes than for any Commission District in a prior cycle, despite being outspent more than two-to-one, thanks to my opponent's out-of-town business money. I was the grassroots candidate, not my opponent. That grassroots work led me to understand the City's problems from the City's perspective, as well as that of business owners and ordinary citizens.

Unlike my opponent, I ran an issues-centered campaign, avoiding cheap pandering. That gave me the opportunity to learn the details of City government in a way that few candidates here have ever done. I spent a great deal of time researching the issues from multiple perspectives. Information wants to be used, Ms. White. That's why I'm sharing it with you here, not any ambition on my part. I assure you that if I were motivated by ambition, I would not have run for City Commission. Commission is about service, not power or career.

Further, no one named Mary White is a registered voter in Deltona, so Ms. White either does not care enough about City government to vote, doesn't live here, or doesn't exist.