John’s Life Defined by Service  

For four decades, John Masiarczyk has been a respected figure in Deltona public life.  As a civic and business leader, as a mentor and benefactor, as our first mayor, as a museum founder and curator of Deltona’s history – John’s devotion to this city and its residents is without parallel. While his distinguished service and accomplishment on behalf of Deltona are well documented, his personal story is known only to a few. John rarely talks about himself except in terms of his ideas and hopes for Deltona. But his story begins, as with so many of our residents, far from this city of lakes. 

The Early Years  

John grew up in Detroit where he learned the two guiding principles for his life: 

Whatever you do, give it 100 percent and from the fruits of your hard work, always save a portion for lean times. He was a teen when his parents moved the family to Walled Lake, a major regional entertainment center, about 25 miles from Detroit. There he met and for a while lived with Red and Cleo Kramer, whose strong work ethic, frugality and deep generosity to their community would inspire and further shape his values. “They were two of the greatest people I have ever known,” he says. John worked weekdays in Red’s steel factory and assisted the couple on weekends at “The Casino,” a former Big Band-era music/dance hall they bought in the early 1960’s. The Kramer’s decided to showcase rock and roll groups and little known local talent. Little did they know they were helping launch the performing careers of Motown greats. John, while helping to clean or set up before openings, often bantered with the singers and musicians, and got to know many of them before they became legends: Stevie Wonder, The Four Seasons, The Supremes and James Brown, to name a few. John saw talent and perseverance rewarded with success. The world seemed a place of boundless opportunity. “The only limits in a person’s life are those you place upon yourself”, John says!  

By mid-decade the Kramer’s had sold “The Casino.” The Vietnam War was escalating. John sensed opportunity in the United States Navy and enlisted. There, he says, he was “fortunate to once again work with great people who brought out the best in me.” The Navy stationed him in Sanford, Florida, where he soon heard about the good bass fishing to be found just across the St. Johns River in Deltona’s natural lakes.  An avid angler, he spent many off-duty hours plying those waters and developed an appreciation for the unique community being built in the scrub land among those lakes. When he completed his Naval Service John chose to make Deltona his permanent home. He went to work for the Neisners corporation for a few years and then the U.S. Postal Service. 

Settled in Deltona 

As a new resident, John soon found camaraderie with fellow anglers and their families in the Sportsmen’s Club, among them many of Deltona’s earliest residents. And he discovered something more – community service. Each year the club sponsored a fishing tournament for local children. John, whom the old timers had begun to call “the young pup,” jumped right into the volunteer work and found it especially satisfying. Married with young children entering public schools, he also soon found himself involved in PTA, Little League, Scouting and civic causes.  

“Each of these experiences made me want to make Deltona a better place for all of our residents,” John says. 

Those experiences also provided him the privilege of knowing and working with most of Deltona’s true pioneers: Lefty Vann (Vann Park), Dean Howland, our Volunteer Fire Dept. Chief (Howland Blvd.), Wes Crile (Volusia County Parks & Rec. (Wes Crile Park), Dewey Boster, (Dewey Boster Park and Soccer Complex), Katherine Shea and Charles True (Ball fields named in their honor at DuPont Lakes Park).  “I admired their passion for this community and its residents,” John says, “and have tried to follow their example.” 

As more families moved to Deltona, the need for both a high school and a local hospital became paramount. John worked closely with Dr. Clyde and Mary  

Meade and others in successful campaigns for both. “I learned from each of these early Deltona visionaries that involvement isn’t just belonging to a club or organization, it’s getting your hands dirty in the dugouts, attending meetings but more importantly listening to what is being said, researching the needs and getting results.  If we agree to disagree and respect one another, we can achieve much in the public’s best interest.” 

During those years, while advancing in postal service management, John recognized a need for quality child day care services for young working parents who were moving into Deltona in rapidly increasing numbers. He established and gradually expanded day care centers in the community to meet that need. As a civic-minded business and family man, his involvement in community life grew. Other citizens in Deltona recognized his leadership abilities and commitment and encouraged his entry into local government service. 

 Into Local Government 

Volusia County governed Deltona through a Municipal Service District from the 1970’s until our city incorporation in 1995. The County Council appointed an MSD advisory board to recommend actions related to the community’s governance, such as budgeting and spending for police protection, street repairs, parks and other services. John initially served as chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee, where he soon earned the revered moniker “Mr. Parks” for winning key commitments from the County Council and negotiating special local capital funding to establish and improve Deltona’s parks. He was persistent in that effort to bring a higher quality of life to Deltonans of all ages. 

After serving in most appointed positions through the MSD board in the 1980s, he was chosen as chairman. “I once again worked with fine people who had similar goals to improve our community,” John says, “and learned a great deal during this period that has helped form my current ideas of the role of an elected official.”   

Deltona had two failed attempts at incorporation but on the third attempt in 1995 our community became a full fledge city.  John worked hard for each of these attempts.  In 1995, voters of the newly incorporated city elected John by an overwhelming margin to represent them as Deltona’s first Mayor. He and the first City Commission hired key staff and worked with them to carry out the plans promised to voters in the Incorporation Feasibility Study and City Charter. They set Deltona on a course of fiscal responsibility while improving municipal services throughout the city and Deltona’s relationships with county, other city and regional government entities. Voters approved, returning John to the Mayor’s seat for 10 years until term limits required him to step aside. But the return to private life didn’t end John’s involvement on behalf of Deltona. He set to work with local Veterans to give our city a beautiful Veterans Park and Museum that is now enjoyed by all ages. 

“Throughout the years I have belonged to many service clubs and organizations affecting not only our youngest residents but also our seniors,” John says. “I have worked hard, listened, learned from each experience, given back to my community, and hopefully improved our residents’ quality of life.” 

Return to Service 

John Masiarczyk has come far – in life and in his service to Deltona. He is again eligible under the City Charter to seek another term as Mayor. He wants the job because he knows civic involvement is the responsibility of each of us. And because he knows the value of participation and knowledge gained through experience. A student of history, he knows that we must understand and value the past in order to move forward. With that understanding, one knows what has been tried, the hard questions to ask and how to work with others for good results.  John is no longer the “young pup,” but his enthusiasm, energy and passion for serving Deltona have not waned. He has the experience, the time, proven abilities, and desire to make Deltona an even better place to live, work, raise a family and retire.  

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 Political advertisement paid for and approved by John Masiarczyk for Mayor, City of Deltona