Crowded ballot awaits Hernando County voters

To date, 26 people have decided they want to run for elected office in Hernando County.

For whatever reason, presidential election years tend to attract more candidates, Supervisor of Elections Annie Williams said.

"Every year during a presidential race, it seems that more people tend to have an interest in running for office," Williams said.

Williams said some may be tempted to run because voter turnout is typically higher than in gubernatorial election years.

She said it may also be reflective of the overall mood of the people. The economy is bad, and people are upset with the status quo and believe they can make a difference, she said.

"There's a lot going on economically," she said. "People are in tune with government now, and they want to make a change."

And this election is drawing more people who have never run for political office.

"They're coming from all walks of life," she said. "Everyone wants to get involved, and this is their way of getting involved."

Tanya Marsh and Greg Sheldon, running for county commissioner, are two examples.

Marsh advertises at the corner of State Road 50 and Mariner Boulevard by using roller skates and inviting sales and smiles. Sheldon is a local building contractor who told Hernando Today many people don't see the county headed in the right direction. He believes that is the reason for so many candidate filings.

Unlike national elections, where the amount of money spent seems to influence voters, local elections are a different animal.

A candidate here does not have to spend huge amounts of money, Williams said. In fact, Williams — who is in her third term — said she spent very little on her first and third elections. She ran unopposed for her second term.

As crowded as the candidate field is now, it is bound to get even larger.

People have until noon May 7 to turn in the required 1,231 valid petitions if they choose to run that way.

If they want to pay a qualifying fee, they have until noon June 8.

In District 1, three people are challenging incumbent Republican Jeff Stabins for county commissioner: Republicans Michael Burmann and Regina Werder-McGuire, and independent Joseph Swilley.

Incumbent Republican John Druzbick has three challengers in the District 3 race: Marsh and Sheldon, running with no party affiliation, and Republican political activist Jason Sager.

District 5 has incumbent Republican Jim Adkins facing Republicans Michael Barsanti and Paul Douglas.

This year's election is unusual because, for the first time in recent memory, all five elected constitutional officers will be up for election for the first time.

Joining Williams in announcing they would not seek re-election were Tax Collector Juanita Sikes, Circuit Court Clerk Karen Nicolai and Property Appraiser Alvin Mazourek.

Sheriff Al Nienhuis was appointed to fill a vacancy and has been at his post since January 2011. He will seek the office for the first time as part of the normal election process.

The elections supervisor post has drawn the most interest, attracting five candidates.

Nienhuis has two challengers.

The clerk of the court, property appraiser and tax collector posts have so far drawn one candidate apiece.

There are two school board races this year. In District 2, Matthew Foreman, who was appointed to fill a vacancy, will be running for the first time and is currently unopposed. Three people are vying for the District 4 school board post. Incumbent James Yant has not indicated whether he will run for re-election.

To view all local races and see who is running, visit the Hernando County Supervisor of Elections website at http://www.hernandovotes.com/.