Candidate: Susan M. Coxwell

Citizens of the City of Mary Esther, I would like to introduce myself.  My name is Susan Coxwell and I am running for the office of Mary Esther City Council.  My husband, Kyle, and I have been residents of Mary Esther since 2006.  In 1973, my father was stationed at Eglin AFB with the AMMO squadron. I attended several elementary schools in Okaloosa County, Bruner Middle and graduated from Fort Walton Beach High School. Life took me away from Okaloosa County in 1993 and brought me back home in 2005.  In 2006, my husband and I decided to find a home in an established neighborhood.  Kyle has also lived in Okaloosa County since 1973.  His father worked for the Playground Daily News and his mother was an educator.  We found exactly what we were looking for in the Springdale neighborhood, right down the street from where he played baseball as a kid. We moved into our home and started a family.  Our daughter attended Mary Esther Elementary and is not in high school at Choctaw.  My adult daughter lives in Fort Walton Beach and my adult son lives in Tampa. In 2020, I retired from teaching and embarked on a career in the non-profit sector.  Planning and forward thinking are very important requirements in both careers and skills I utilized as a former councilwoman. During  the time of moving, becoming a parent and spouse; volunteering has been very important to me.  Opportunities like classroom parent, SAC President, team mother and dance parent come with becoming a mother of active children.  Outside of those activities, I have volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Children in Crisis, Opportunity Place, Trinity United Methodist Thanksgiving Meal, Wreaths Across America and the now closed Food for Vets Pantry.  Kyle and I have instilled in our daughter the importance of community stewardship, helping her organize fundraisers for organizations that she has a passion to help.  She has raised funds and items for Rescued Rescuers, SOCKS, PAWS, Healing Paws for Warriors, Children in Crisis, Trinity United Methodist Thanksgiving Meal. Her latest was a fundraiser she had for her former middle school band at Meigs. We take pride in our city as a family.  Mary Esther residents are very connected to the history of their city, and we want our daughter to feel the same way and know that she has a voice. We love living in Mary Esther and plan on it being our home forever.