A former city commissioner and mayoral candidate in Daytona Beach, Florida was among nine men arrested Nov. 1 and charged with lewd behavior in a shopping mall restroom in the Florida resort city.

Mike Shallow, who served as a city commissioner from 1999-2003 and nearly won the mayor’s office in 2003, was arrested in the sting by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office in a second-floor Sears restroom.

Deputies said the men charged in the sting communicated their desire to engage in sexual activity in a variety of ways.

“Most everything that’s occurring is non-verbal,” Sgt. Jeff Hoffman told the Daytona News-Journal.

Like other officials running for posts in Daytona Beach city elections, Shallow was not identified by political party. He has a history, however, of supporting Republican candidates, online sources reported following his arrest.

—Gary Barlow