VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Port Orange City Council member has announced a 2022 bid for an expected open seat on the Volusia County Council.

Chase Tramont filed paperwork last week to run for the eastside District 2 seat on the Volusia County Council.

District 2 Voluisa County Council member Billie Wheeler, a strong Tramont supporter, confirmed to Spectrum News 13 on Saturday that she is not seeking re-election next year for District 2.

Wheeler praised Tramont, a long-time church friend, saying he has the "character, fairness, high values, compassion, desire and business qualities that I would like to see as my District Representative."

He filed for the seat on Wednesday, April 14, a move that allows him to raise and spend campaign funds for the nonpartisan race, records show. That makes him the first such candidate for any Volusia County Council seat in 2022.

Tramont, first elected to the Port Orange City Council in 2016, told Spectrum News 13 about his priorities on Monday.

"There are a lot of issues facing this county: Economic development, conservation, clean water supply, infrastructure, public safety, etc. I intend to address these issues as well as champion those that are most important to the residents of District 2,"  Tramont said in an email.

"Apprenticeship programs and education for the incarcerated population will be another point of focus for me. There have been a lot strides made with regard to criminal justice reform at the federal level to reduce the recidivism rates in our prison system. I believe there are steps we can take to address this at the local level as well," he continued.

A father of four, Tramont is the business development manager for DME Delivers in Daytona Beach, a firm that offers direct marketing and other services. He's a board member for First Step Shelter, a Daytona Beach nonprofit that helps the homeless.

An ordained minister, Tramont served as a pastor for 10 years before becoming an educator, teaching American history and coaching basketball at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange.

"This will be a new challenge for our family and yet a new opportunity to make government work better for the people it serves, using financial prudence and promoting both a vibrant economy and environmentally-sound policies that meet the needs of our current and future generations of Volusians," he wrote in a recent Facebook post.

The district includes Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach Shores, Daytona Beach, South Daytona, Port Orange, and parts of unincorporated Volusia County, including Wilbur-by-the-Sea.

Wheeler intends to serve the remainder of her term, which runs through Dec. 31, 2022.

By then, the former Daytona Beach Shores city council member will have served six years on the County Council.

Wheeler, who was re-elected to the District 2 seat in November 2020, began thinking about political retirement last year.

“I pretty much decided over the summer with lots of time to think with COVID and having just gotten off two years of campaigning for the 2020 election, then realizing I would need to ramp up again for (the) final two,” Wheeler told Spectrum News 13 in an email.

She also wants to help care for a grandson born in October with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a life-threatening birth defect.

The defect targets the diaphragm, the muscle separating the abdomen from the chest, according to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

Abdominal organs can move into the chest through diaphragm holes. That interferes with lung development, causing labored breathing.

Learning about her grandson's condition "finalized my decision" to retire from politics, Wheeler noted. 

She said her public service will continue even after political career ends.

As for Tramont, he pledged a clean campaign.

"As with everything we do as a family, we pray for wisdom and discernment throughout this campaign and that God will provide the people to be a part of this journey," he said on Facebook. "My campaign will be run in the same manner in which I serve as an elected official. We will be positive and attentive to the needs of all residents and business owners. We are not here to make an argument, we are here to make a difference. God bless you all and I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail."

Candidates have more than a year to launch 2022 campaigns.

Council candidate qualifying is from noon June 13 to noon June 17, 2022.

The District 2 winner will get a two-year term that begins Jan. 1, 2023.