The little city by the river has a new mayor in town, but he’s no stranger to city politics.
Since moving to Port Richey in 1999, retired doctor Dale Massad has found himself in some sort of leadership position. He was appointed to city council in 2000 and when he ran for re-election, he tied.
“I ended up flipping a coin,” Massad said. “I lost it. Then I won the next one, lost the next, won the next, and the like.”
When he wasn’t serving on city council, Massad served on the Port Authority Board. He was chairman of the board before he ran for mayor a few weeks ago.
Massad won his seat in a special election. The previous mayor, Eloise Taylor, died in July during her tenure. Massad will finish out her term, which ends in April 2017.
Originally from Oklahoma, Massad’s first career was in medicine. He came to the Bay area in the 1970s and opened the first emergency walk-in clinic in Pinellas County, and then again in Pasco.
Now retired, Massad focused his energy on Port Richey. As mayor, he wants to look over the city’s budget and see if the money is used efficiently.
“I want to go through the budget line by line,” he said.
Massad also hopes to fix the city’s drainage problems that forced many out of their homes during the summer’s flooding. He also said the canals need dredging to keep them from drying up in the winter.
“I think it’s totally unfair that these people on these canals are paying for waterfront, but can’t navigate (it),” he said.
During his political career in Port Richey, Massad said he experienced division within city leaders. It’s gotten better with time, and he hopes to continue to bridge the gap.