Longboat Mayor Jack Duncan won’t be out of commission long

Longboat Key Mayor Jack Duncan is on the road to recovery.

Duncan, 67, was hospitalized after a procedure for heart issues Friday.

His wife, Debbie Duncan, said the mayor gave instructions from his hospital bed: “Tell everyone I’m doing great.”

“We’re doing well,” she said. “He should be home in a couple of days.”

Duncan said she did not want to say much more.

“We’re kind of private people,” she said. “He’ll discuss it at some point.”

Vice Mayor Terry Gans will be in charge of the Longboat Key Town Commission while Duncan is out of commission. He said he may have to fill in for the mayor at the next meeting.

The Longboat Key Commission meets next at 7 p.m. Dec. 5.

Duncan, a retired marketing executive, moved to Longboat Key in 2002. He is term-limited and will end a six-year run on the town commission in March. He will be succeeded in the District 2 seat by George Spoll, who is unopposed on the official March 14 ballot.

Susan Phillips, assistant to Town Manager David Bullock, said doctors indicated a full recovery is expected.

Her statement Friday was optimistic.

"When I spoke with the mayor, he was upbeat, positive and confident the treatment would be successful,” Phillips said. “It's needed and he's going to be better for it."