3 candidates file paperwork ahead of fall election for vice mayor’s vacant seat
Three candidates have taken the first steps toward entering November’s election for the vacant Coral Springs commission seat 3 previously held by Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer.
Sgt. Bill Capplis of the Coral Springs Police Department, cloud DevOps engineer Erick Nyatenya and Adeline Darius have filed the first financial documents necessary for beginning the campaign.
The first step is submitting the DS-DE 9 designating a campaign treasurer and a depository account.
In addition to elections for the mayor, commission seat 2 and commission seat 4 in November, the city will also hold an election for commission seat 3, a position occupied by Metayer until her death.
Because Metayer was elected in 2024 to her second four-year term, whoever is elected this fall will only serve out the remaining two years of the term before another election is held for the seat.
Police say Metayer was shot and killed by her husband, Stephen Bowen, at their Coral Springs home April 1. Bowen has pleaded not guilty to premeditated murder and tampering with evidence charges.
The official campaign qualifying period is June 8 to June 12, which is when candidates must have submitted all their forms, fees, candidate oaths and statements of financial interests.
The current commissioners must still contend with whether to appoint someone to fill Metayer’s vacant seat until the November election. They indicated they were open to selecting a former commissioner who wouldn’t run in the fall election, but they’re not required to fill the seat and may choose not to if the right person doesn’t come forward.
No one will take over the title of vice mayor, a one-year honor appointed to a sitting commissioner, until after the election is held, out of respect for Metayer, the city shared.
Capplis, who’s been with the police department for 26 years, told the Coral Springs News that his time with the community involvement unit and other divisions have brought him in contact with the late vice mayor. He said she showed up the most to outreach events and developed a rapport with his unit.
He’s due to retire in September but said he’s not done serving the city. Seeing the impact the vice mayor had on those she worked with inspired him to take the initiative to run, he said.
According to Nyatenya’s campaign website, he hopes to bring his software and IT background to make data-informed decisions.
“Erick is running for City Commissioner, Seat 3 because the decisions made at City Hall affect everyday life in this city: how long you sit in traffic, whether the business district is growing or stagnating and whether the city is spending your tax dollars wisely,” his website reads.
The municipal election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Stay tuned for interviews with the candidates.