Doreen DiPolito Announces Run for Clearwater City Council
Clearwater City Councilwoman Doreen DiPolito will run for Clearwater City Council Seat 2, the seat she currently holds. DiPolito has been a Clearwater resident since 1972 and in February of 2012, she ran unopposed for Clearwater City Council after John Doran was termed out from the position.
“I am so honored to have the support of the citizens and the community behind me,” says DiPolito. “It has been a privilege to support the community for the past four years, and hope to do so for four more.”
DiPolito served as Vice Mayor in 2014. Clearwater’s Vice Mayor position is a rotating appointment, with each City Council member holding the position for a year. Currently, the Vice Mayor position is held by Jay Polglaze, who will be running for Clearwater City Council Seat 3.
DiPolito has been the President and Owner of Clearwater-based business D-Mar General Contracting and Development since 2001. She has been involved with the family-owned business since 1984. D-Mar General Contracting and Development was established in 1972 and under DiPolito’s guidance, the company has expanded to include commercial development, construction management, large scale interior build-outs and site development.
DiPolito has been a Florida State Certified General Contractor since 2006, and is a graduate of the Associate of Arts program at St. Petersburg College in Engineering. DiPolito graduated from Clearwater High School and is a Leadership of Pinellas Alumni (2007).
In addition to serving on City Council, DiPolito gives back to her community by actively supporting local non-profits. DiPolito put her construction experience to use by participating in Habitat for Humanity as part of Hammer & Heels and helped build a new home for a woman and young child. DiPolito is a Rotarian of the Rotary Club of Clearwater.
DiPolito is active in the Women on the Way Program, Women’s Business Enterprise National (WBENC) Council, and a member of the National Association of Professional & Executive Women (NAPW). DiPolito is a founding member of AchieveHERs, which was established by the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce to provide camaraderie, support, networking opportunities and valuable new insights to women in business.
DiPolito frequently travels to Washington D.C. and Tallahassee for matters concerning city and county economic improvements. DiPolito is a member of the Board of Directors for the Tampa Bay Transportation Management Area Leadership Group (TMA), the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA), the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), and the Pinellas Planning Organization (PPO).
Additionally, DiPolito spends time with her two grown daughters. Both daughters live and work locally, with one serving as a product designer for a local architecture company and one working in marketing for Centre Club in Tampa.
As the only female Clearwater City Council member, DiPolito is a big supporter of women in government and would like to see more women run for elected office. DiPolito, who received first-hand experience receiving gender bias during her work in the construction industry, says this experience taught her to be tough and to not back down when faced with a challenge. DiPolito notes that while it may feel as if women must prove their strength in order to get their ideas across and to be taken seriously, this should not discourage women from getting involved in local government.
The Clearwater City Council consists of the Mayor, the Vice-Mayor and three Councilmembers. All elected officials serve a four-year term. Per the Clearwater City Council website, the responsibility of the entity is “to set policies and make decisions concerning many different aspects of local government — such as tax rates, annexations, property code variances, and large contract awards.” (1) Clearwater City Council meetings take place the first and third Thursdays of each month at City Hall.
The election for Clearwater City Council Seats 1, 2 and 3 will take place on March 15, 2016.
- “Clearwater City Council”; MyClearwater.com. myclearwater.com/gov/city_
council/
