While incumbents held on to their seats in two tight Mascotte races, both Clermont and Groveland will have new city council members after Tuesday’s municipal elections in Lake County.
Clermont City Council
Incumbent Tod Howard was defeated by challenger Bryan Bain for Seat 2 on the Clermont City Council, with Bain receiving 54% of the vote to 46% for Howard.
Bain is a licensed real estate agent and member of the city’s planning and zoning commission. He served as a city council member in Oshkosh, Wisconsin before moving to Clermont with his family in 2019.
While Seat 4 on the Clermont City Council was also up for grabs this year, incumbent Chandra Meyers did not receive an opponent and will be reelected.
Groveland City Council
Groveland residents Michael Jaycox (left) and Jim O’Neil (right) will be the final two candidates for the District 4 seat on the Groveland City Council after defeating incumbent councilwoman Judith Fike in the municipal primary election on Aug. 19, 2025. (Photos courtesy of Michael Jaycox and Jim O’Neil)
Michael Jaycox handily defeated Jim O’Neil for the District 4 seat on the Groveland City Council, receiving nearly 69% of the total votes cast. Of the 1,057 total votes, Jaycox received 727 to 330 votes cast for O’Neil.
Jaycox is an Air Force veteran and New York native who has lived within Groveland’s active adult community, Trilogy Orlando, since 2022.
Mascotte City Council
By a total of five votes, incumbent Robin Hughes has defeated former Mascotte mayor Barbara Krull for Seat 1 on the Mascotte City Council. Hughes received 191 votes while Krull received 186 votes.
The first Black woman elected to the Mascotte City Council, Hughes won her seat in 2022 after running unopposed. Krull served as mayor from 2015 to 2019.
In another tight race, incumbent Randy Brasher narrowly maintained his District 5 seat on the council by defeating challenger Sharee Hodge. Brasher received 193 votes, 11 more than the 182 votes cast for Hodge.
Brasher was elected to the city council in 2021 and had previously served as the city’s fire chief.
Montverde Town Council
Montverde Town Hall is pictured on Thursday, October 31, 2019.
There were four candidates, including incumbent council members Grant Roberts and Allan Hartle, vying for two spots on the Montverde Town Council.
Roberts and Bryan Rubio, who applied to fill an open seat on the town council earlier this year, defeated Hartle and Judy Ley, wife of former vice mayor Jim Ley, for the two seats.
Roberts received the most votes, with 427 of the 1,153 votes cast for the incumbent, representing 37% of the total vote share. Rubio received 28% of votes, while Hartle and Ley received 23% and 12%, respectively.
Appointed to the town council earlier this year to fill Ley’s open seat, Roberts was chosen over Rubio. Both will now represent Montverde as members of the town council for the next two years.
Tavares City Council
In a battle of two newcomers, Doug Keown defeated Lou Buigas for Seat 4 on Tavares City Council.
Keown received 1,319 votes, representing 63% of the total 2,071 votes cast. Buigas received 772 votes, equaling 37% share of the vote total.
Keown is a retired U.S. Naval Intelligence Officer and social work professional.
Contact me at twilkins@orlandosentinel.com or 407-754-4980.
