Business revitalization and economic development focus of Jason McGuirk's platform
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Jason McGuirk, owner of the Dairy Queen on U.S. 1 and chairman of the planning and zoning board, is running for the zone 3 seat on the New Smyrna Beach City Commission in the 2012 elections. That seat is held by Jim Hathaway, who is seeking the district 3 seat on the Volusia County Council.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- With business revitalization and economic development at the forefront of his thoughts for improving the quality of life in New Smyrna Beach, Jason McGuirk, owner of the Dairy Queen on U.S. 1, is running for city commission.
As a business owner and chairman of the New Smyrna Beach , McGuirk is intimately familiar with this beachside community's landscape and tourism offerings where family life is paramount and providing economic opportunities are essential.
“I believe in seeking all sensible opportunities to improve the city, while protecting what makes the community so special to us, said McGuirk, 38 and married with two small children.
McGuirk is also the third generation operator of the New Smyrna Beach Dairy Queen, a local landmark in the community since McGuirk’s grandmother, Mary McGuirk, built it in 1953.
NSBNews.net file photo / Jason and Jesses McGuirk and their children participate in the 2010 Relay for Life cancer fundraiser at Riverside Park in New Smyrna Beach.
McGuirk spent summers working in the store as a boy, as have generations of New Smyrna Beach teenagers.
“I love this community and want to serve those who made the city what it is today, so future generations can appreciate it,” McGuirk told NSBNews.net.
McGuirk is no stranger to municipal government, now in his fourth year on the planning board, having risen to the chairmanship. He is a former chairman of the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s citizen advisory committee and also served on Volusia County’s beach policy advisory board and on the Volusia Forever Board.
McGuirk's election platform focuses on five critical needs:
* Revitalize the city's business districts, in particular blighted areas of U.S. 1, which is the city's main north-south artery;
* Stimulate economic development with an emphasis on value-added jobs;
* Protect and enhance the community's beaches, waterways and natural areas;
* Advocate transparency in local government with an open door policy.
* Conserve and protect the uniqueness that makes New Smyrna Beach special.
The final point is particularly endearing to McGuirk, who was born in Miami and chose to live in New Smyrna Beach after graduating high school. He attributes his passion for the community to his family’s roots in the area stemming from when his grandparents built a motel in Edgewater in 1947.
A contractor who helped build the motel also built and lived in the home where McGuirk and his family live today. And the site contractor who completed the recent renovation on the Dairy Queen is the nephew of the contractor who built the Dairy Queen.
“The connections between the generations are heartwarming," McGuirk said. "It helps remind me of the great contributions our citizens have made, and continue to make to improve this special community."
FAST FACTS
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Jason McGuirk earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of West Florida after receiving an associate of arts degree from Daytona Beach Community College.
He and his wife, Jesse McGuirk (Baumline), are the proud parents of two children, Truman, 3, and Isla Brie, 1 ½.