Scientology Critic Issues Warning After Losing His Reelection

Mark Bunker, a major critic of the Church of Scientology, lost his City Council reelection bid in Clearwater, Florida, a major hub for the church, and he's worried what it means for the church's influence.

Bunker, a Democrat, on Tuesday lost to Republican firefighter Ryan Cotton in a tight race that came down to less than 700 votes, according to unofficial results. Bunker made Scientology a focal point of his first campaign in 2020 and continued to speak out and take a firm stance against the church while his challengers took a more measured approach.

Without him on the board, Bunker told Newsweek he's concerned there will be "no one on the council willing to take on Scientology."

"Thinking this organization is just like any other church is a grave mistake," Bunker said.

Clearwater became a significant hub for Scientology in the 1970s when it bought the Fort Harrison Hotel and unveiled plans to establish a spiritual headquarters. The church continued to purchase more property in the downtown Clearwater area and in three years, the church and its supporters spent $103 million expanding their reach, according to the Times.

The increasing number of purchases and Scientology's impact on the community have raised concerns among residents and local officials, including Bunker.

"There are a lot of people who think I talk too much about Scientology," Bunker said in January, according to the Times. "But frankly I think we should all be talking about Scientology. They have held our downtown hostage."

Bunker moved to Clearwater to work for the Lisa McPherson Trust, which sought to expose abusive practices of the church. Bunker's 2020 City Council run garnered him the support of actor Leah Remini, who left the church in 2013 and has spent the years since leveling allegations of abusive practices against it. Bunker this year garnered support from Aaron Smith-Levin, a former Scientology member who runs a YouTube channel about his life growing up in the church.

Bunker's election to the Clearwater City Council in 2020 was seen as a pivotal moment to challenge the church's influence in local governance and to advocate for greater transparency and accountability.

Scientology attorney Gary Soter told the Times there was nothing "unnatural" about Scientologists wanting to live in the same city that serves as their spiritual headquarters. He added that the church was unaware of the "significant number" of properties owned by Scientologists in Clearwater.

Bunker hasn't been shy about criticizing the church during City Council meetings and reached out to the FBI about the property purchases. He accused Scientology leader David Miscavige of trying to "sabotage" downtown, according to the Times.

"Any statement that the Church is 'hampering' or 'sabotaging' downtown is false," Scientology spokesperson Ben Shaw told the news outlet.

Newsweek reached out to the Church of Scientology, Mark Bunker and Ryan Cotton via email on Tuesday night but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Cotton hasn't directly addressed the issue of Scientology purchasing vast amounts of real estate in Clearwater. During a February 7 forum, he said he would treat Scientology like "any other organization." He plans to work with the church when possible and "work around them if you can't," to revitalize downtown.

"Clearwater has a tremendous amount of potential. We are a great city for families to live and business to grow," Cotton told Newsweek.

Bunker told Newsweek that he thinks Cotton will do a "fine job" but his approach to Scientology is "exactly what Scientology wants."

"[Scientology leader David Miscavige] is holding our downtown hostage. We can give him what he wants but once we do, he will stab us in the back again. I argued Miscavige has to come through first before we sell him that property but I am now out of the way," Bunker said.

The Pinellas County GOP campaigned heavily for Cotton and the Democrat Party backed Bunker in the election. It's unclear how much Scientology played a role in the campaign, but Bunker accused the church of attempting to halt his reelection. He accused church members of stealing his campaign signs because he's an outspoken critic.

"Scientology called in all the Clearwater members to tell them how crucial it was to defeat me. They had enough members here now to do that," Bunker told Newsweek.

Cotton credited his team with his victory. He told Newsweek that he and his volunteers reached out to 8,000 voters directly and attending every event he was invited to "made the difference" in the election."

Update 03/20/24, 06:59 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from Mark Bunker.

Update 03/20/24, 05:05 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from Ryan Cotton.