Volusia County Council, At-Large (runoff)
Volusia County Council members set the county budget and millage, adopt land-use rules and oversee county services; the council is nonpartisan. Term: 4 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
Runoff per WNDB News Daytona Beach; official results at (not readable).
Candidates
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Nancy Miller
Advanced to the November runoff for the at-large seat (Barry Powell eliminated).
Michael Poniatowski
Poniatowski is a former firefighter and former police officer who describes himself as an efficiency expert in running large organizations and teams. He advanced to the November 3, 2026 runoff for the Volusia County Council at-large seat. His campaign focuses on property-tax reform, limiting up-zoning and sprawl, prot…
Side-by-side on the major issues
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | Nancy Miller Nonpartisan | Michael Poniatowski Nonpartisan |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Mixed / neutral· stated position Her campaign site says she would keep taxes and fees as low as responsibly possible and control government costs, while also protecting essential services and reducing expenses; it cites Daytona Beach Shores becoming debt-free during her tenure. | Leans agree· stated position He says he would cut government spending while maintaining public safety and infrastructure, and pairs that with support for property-tax reform. |
| Property taxesFlorida should eliminate or sharply reduce homestead property taxes, even if local governments must cut services or find other revenue. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position In the News 6 voter guide he said he supports property-tax reform, citing polling showing a strong majority of voters want some form of it, and committed to identifying cuts to make county government leaner. |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | Leans agree· stated position Flooding and stormwater are her lead issue. She would move stormwater projects from planning into funded construction, use engineering data on water flow before spending, pursue state and federal funding, and create a countywide stormwater resilience dashboard. | Strongly agrees· stated position He names aquifer protection and wetlands preservation as his top environmental priorities and strongly opposes large hyperscale data centers over their water use and emissions, arguing they bring few jobs. |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | Leans agree· stated position Her campaign site calls for a public county development dashboard tracking proposed development in unincorporated Volusia, earlier notice to residents of significant zoning changes, greater scrutiny and a supermajority vote when upzoning significantly increases density, and a focus on redeveloping vacant property. | Strongly agrees· stated position He says he would require low-impact development, prevent sprawl and heavily limit up-zoning, and emphasizes preserving green space and protecting wetlands. |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | Leans agree· stated position Her campaign site says she would support law enforcement with adequate staffing, training, equipment and resources and backs professional, well-trained first responders. She does not address criminal penalties or rehabilitation programs. | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
Nancy MillerMichael PoniatowskiHow the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree), Teacher and staff pay (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree), Library and classroom materials (agree), School safety approach (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Nancy Miller | not enough data | not enough data |
| Michael Poniatowski | not enough data | not enough data |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Nancy Miller
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Michael Poniatowski
- Data centers — Spoke in favor of the county's data-center ban at the Oct. 6 council meeting and, in the News 6 guide, said hyperscale data centers should not be built in Volusia.