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Hernando Today

Supervisor Of Elections Race Heats Up

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By LINNEA BROWN

Hernando Today

Published: October 14, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - The race for Hernando County Supervisor of elections is on, and sparks are flying.
Republican challenger Shirley Anderson, 50, has spent months targeting incumbent Democrat Annie Williams, 52, criticizing her handling of previous elections and spending too much on postage.
Local business owner Gus Guadagnino, 54, a former Republican, is running without party affiliation.
"I'm tired of the excuses and apathetic attitude that (Williams) displays," Anderson said.
Anderson, a Spring Hill resident who has worked for U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite as a district director since 2003, cited an incident in January, when Williams mailed out thousands of sample ballots at first-class postage rates instead of getting the discounted rate for nonprofit groups.
Anderson also brought up a more recent mistake, when 86 voters in the Spring Hill Fire Rescue District received the wrong absentee ballot.
But Williams, a Brooksville resident, says she still has more experience than either of her opponents, with more than 30 years in the local supervisor of elections
office. She took office in 2000, started working in the elections office when she was 17 and served as assistant supervisor of elections for seven years.
"They don't have the expertise I do," she said. "Neither of them has worked in the elections office."
Williams acknowledged the fire commission ballot mistake but said everyone makes them, pointing out a printing error in campaign mailings sent out by Anderson.
She countered that this year's primary election went smoothly. She conceded that the turnout for the August primary was low, but said that is historically typical in primary elections.
Guadagnino is owner of Joni Industries, a Brooksville company specializing in promotional products. He said voters should be concerned with favoritism when considering Anderson, who has been heavily backed by Brown-Waite.
However, he also criticized Williams' leadership and accountability, and questioned the job's $101,440 salary and structure of the office's $1 million budget. He said he has spent months trying to obtain the salaries and job descriptions of each of the 11 fulltime and five temporary employees at the local elections office, to no avail.
"In (William's) budget, she has $10,000 allocated for promoting. When you have 16 percent voter turnout, it should be $50,000, and promotion should take place year-round," Guadagnino said.
"It's a creampuff job because the government allows it to be a creampuff job," he continued. "(Williams) is a task person and not a leader. She will get more votes than she deserves because people don't know what she does, or what the potential of her job could be."
Anderson added that she is also concerned with personnel costs of the job, including up to 592 hours of allowable compensated absences in Williams' office.
"Sooner or later, it will be an issue in the budget," she said. "I think that's excessive."
All three candidates said they intend to focus on voter education, with a particular emphasis on targeting younger voters. Williams said her office is already involved with numerous programs with local students and young voters.
Anderson said she would implement programs designed to get even more recently-qualified student voters involved, conduct poll worker recruitment events and work to improve the office's Web site and visibility.
"I would be proactive, and show up to programs that this office is a part of," she said. "If people are educated, informed and excited, they'll show up to elections."
Anderson said she also has many other ideas to combat voter apathy, such as placing an "I voted" sticker inside each of the absentee ballot envelopes.
Guadagnino said he would like to get voters out "for the right reasons" and will focus on getting students involved early in mentoring and voter education programs — including debates, skits and dances — as well as heavy public promotion via radio and TV campaigns.
"When you have (this low) of a voter turnout, that's not the voice of the people. That's the voice of special interests," he said.

Reporter Linnea Brown can be reached at 352-544-5289 or lbrown@hernandotoday.com.

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