Robert Bender wins Republican primary, will face Democratic challenger Myra Van Hoose

Kamal Morgan, Pensacola News Journal

August 24, 2022 at 1:20 PM·3 min read

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Bender will run unopposed in the November election.

Robert Bender won out against Republican challenger Stan McDaniels in the Republican primary and will face a Democratic challenger to the District 4 Escambia County Commission seat in November.

By 9:16 p.m. Tuesday, Bender had captured over half of all possible votes with 6,991 votes to McDaniels' 1,904 votes, with 19 of the 19 precincts reported.

Democratic candidate Myra Van Hoose ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and will face Bender in the Nov. 8 general election.

Race preview: Escambia Commission District 4 race pits Robert Bender against newcomer Stan McDaniels

Meet Bender: Robert Bender: Candidate, Escambia County Commissioner, District 4

Meet Van Hoose: Myra J. Van Hoose: Candidate, Escambia County Commissioner District 4

Bender has occupied the seat since 2018 when he took over from current Mayor Grover Robinson IV.

In his first term, one of Bender's biggest moves was to push the Pensacola Beach toll to a fully electronic system. Bender said the move has cut down on a lot of the traffic problems at Pensacola Beach.

"We've made great strides in four years in putting over 10% more traffic through than we would on our busiest days and greatly reduced the amount of time it takes to gets there," Bender said. "So I think it gives everybody a more enjoyable day on the beach, but it's also working with the city of Gulf Breeze making it better for them where (the traffic) doesn't shut down their city."

Bender plans to focus next on improving parking on the beach.

McDaniels was a newcomer to politics and said he ran to combat what he sees as corruption in Escambia County government.

"Growing up, I got to see the product of all the corruption that has gone on in this town for such a long time," McDaniels said. "And I'm tired of seeing it all happen."

Candidates' priorities for Escambia County

Bender's top priorities for Escambia County are to work to improve the Public Safety Department, improve stormwater and drainage, infrastructure and continue to bring more jobs to the county, he told the News Journal prior to the primary election.

Bender said he wants to improve public safety by continuing to invest in personnel and equipment that allows the county to respond at the level of service residents expect. He intends to prioritize EMS, fire, sheriff, lifeguard and corrections needs, which Bender says are the primary functions of local government.

State Rep. Michelle Salzman poses for a photo Tuesday with Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender, who won the Republican primary for his seat on the commission.

Van Hoose, a former CPA and interim director at Achieve Escambia, listed her top priorities as safety, infrastructure and quality of life in a News Journal questionnaire.

In terms of addressing safety, she said she would work with the sheriff’s office and first responders to ensure we have competitive wages, adequate staffing levels and necessary technology.

For infrastructure, she said she wants to develop a specific, comprehensive plan using civil engineers to ensure the community has adequate flood and pollutant control, as well as implement traffic controls plan already sitting on county shelves.

And finally, Van Hoose said she would take a data-driven approach to the county budget, staffing and ordinances, as well as work with the community to promote high quality economic development and education.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Bender wins GOP primary for Escambia County Commission District 4 seat

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Candidates' priorities for Escambia County

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