Scientology critic Mark Bunker running for Clearwater City Council again
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Former Clearwater City Council member Mark Bunker is making another bid for the dais.
Bunker filed for City Council Seat 5, now held by Lina Teixeira, who is not seeking reelection.
Sam Wilson, the district director for U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, has also filed for Seat 5.
Voters elected Bunker in 2020 for Seat 2 on the council after he made concerns about the Church of Scientology’s influence in the city central to his platform — something he said he plans to do again.
“Somebody has to go in there and do something about Scientology,” Bunker, 69, told the Tampa Bay Times earlier this year.
Before Bunker entered Clearwater politics, politicians for decades largely avoided speaking about the church. But Scientology became a point of debate among candidates during Bunker’s reelection campaign for City Council, which he lost to Ryan Cotton in 2024.
Scientology and Clearwater leadership have had years of conflict, starting in 1975 when the church first came to the city under a false name. Companies with ties to the church have snapped up prime real estate in the city’s downtown, making it difficult for the city to develop Clearwater’s center.
Bunker has been a vocal opponent of Scientology for more than two decades. When he served on the council previously, he would bring up allegations of fraud and human trafficking within the church during City Council meetings.
“The primary thing that makes me different from other candidates, or other people who sit on the council, is I’m not afraid to say the word Scientology,” Bunker said. “When I was on the council, we took some big steps to redevelop downtown in spite of Scientology.”
Bunker, a Democrat, wrote in an email in February that he “has been proud to have the support from people on all sides who believe we need to stand up to Scientology.”
Bunker said he was involved in other major initiatives while on the council, including establishing the North Greenwood Community Redevelopment Area, increasing safety measures on crash-prone Drew Street and approving accessory dwelling units, which can offer affordable housing.
“People are terribly concerned about how much it costs to live here,” he said.
Clearwater City Council members are elected at-large and represent the entire city.
Bianca Latvala, a digital marketer who is married to a Pinellas County Commissioner, has filed for Seat 4. Term-limited City Council member David Allbritton holds that seat.
The election for City Council Seats 4 and 5 is Aug. 18.
Content retrieved from: https://www.tampabay.com/news/clearwater/2026/03/05/clearwater-city-council-elections-church-of-scientology-mark-bunker/.
