Sam Wilson and Mark Bunker will face off Nov. 3 for Clearwater City Council Seat 5, a race shaped by debate over the Church of Scientology's downtown footprint.

Wilson, district director for U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, led the Aug. 18 primary with 10,798 votes, or 48.98%. Bunker, a former council member and vocal Scientology critic, finished second with 7,706 votes, or 34.96%. Kevin R.T. Laughlin, chair of the Clearwater Marine Advisory Board, finished third with 16.06% and was eliminated, according to WTSP.

Neither candidate cleared 50%, triggering the city's new runoff ordinance for the first time. Under the old rules, a candidate could win without majority support. Bunker lost his seat in 2024 to firefighter Ryan Cotton, who won with 42% of the vote, according to Florida Politics.

The seat is open because incumbent Lina Teixeira chose not to seek reelection. All Clearwater council seats are elected at large and pay $45,000 a year.

Wilson holds a wide fundraising and endorsement edge

Wilson entered the runoff with a significant fundraising advantage. He raised more than $36,000 to his campaign account and nearly $27,000 through an affiliated political committee, for roughly $63,000 total, Florida Politics reported. Bunker raised just over $9,000.

Wilson's endorsement list includes Luna, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, all Republican members of the Pinellas County Commission, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector and former Mayor Frank Hibbard.

Bunker won his first council race in 2020 with support from actress Leah Remini, who left the Church of Scientology in 2013. He first came to Clearwater in 2000 to work for the Lisa McPherson Trust, a group that sought to expose what it called deceptive practices within the church.

Scientology's downtown expansion looms over the race

The runoff comes as Clearwater grapples with a series of decisions involving the Church of Scientology's downtown presence. The council voted 3-2 to vacate a portion of South Garden Avenue so the church could build its planned L. Ron Hubbard Hall, an all-glass auditorium and plaza.

That vote drew organized pushback. Save the Garden, a citizens' group, collected more than 7,300 signatures to trigger a review of the decision, surpassing the 7,067 required, according to Tampa Bay 28. The group is also pursuing a second petition that would require voter approval for future city street or land transfers downtown. Brooks Gibbs, Save the Garden's campaign director, told Tampa Bay 28 that public energy behind the voter-approval measure is "at an all-time high."

During the primary, Wilson pointed out that Bunker, while on the council, was part of a unanimous 2021 vote supporting a church request for a portion of public right of way on North Osceola Avenue. Bunker posted a 12 1/2-minute YouTube video in response, the Tampa Bay Times reported June 25.

The Scientology question has reached beyond the Seat 5 race. Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala texted Council Member Mike Mannino on June 18, hours before the South Garden Avenue vote, urging a delay. "Well when developers read in the wall street journal that our city council is owned lock stock and barrel by L Ron Hubbard I am sure it will," Latvala wrote, according to the Times.

No word from the church as more votes loom

No public response from the Church of Scientology regarding the Seat 5 race or the petition drive appears in available records.

The council has scheduled discussion of an ordinance to vacate Laura Street, Grove Street and an alleyway for its Sept. 17 meeting.