Commissioner Thaxton To Run For Supervisor Of Elections

The Supervisor of Elections race is going to be quite the attention getter this year as County Commissioner Jon Thaxton announced he will challenge incumbent Kathy Dent for the job.

Thaxton announced his decision Friday on his Facebook page he's using to help his campaign:

"After much thought, I have decided to continue my service to the public sector. I believe that the office of Supervisor of Elections is where my skills and experience are most appropriate. As a County Commissioner I have been able to bridge many gaps and bring multiple factions together in a common vision. This took a lot of hard work, a willingness to listen to all sides, the conviction to make tough decisions, and the leadership skills to maintain a positive course. 

Policy decisions are a critical component of the Supervisor of Elections position. I have built a reputation of making studied policy decisions that are fair, accountable, and transparent. I look forward to bringing this reputation to the office of Supervisor of Elections, but I need your continued support."

Thaxton, of Osprey, could no longer run for county commissioner for a fourth term after the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the county has the right to . Thaxton has spent 12 years in office as county commissioner.

Perhaps as a preview to his candidacy, Thaxton engaged with Dent face-to-face at a tense May 22 county commission meeting complaining that he couldn't find his polling place in the and was worried the county could be investigated by the Department of Justice if Dent's office botched the job. Both Dent, a Sarasota resident, and Thaxton are Republicans.

Dent said she will place faith in the voters for who's best for office, SRQ magazine reported:

"I have faith in the voters of Sarasota County to make the right choice," she said. "I have devoted 12 years of my life to this job. I ran for it not as a politician but because I feel strongly about elections." 

How do the two measure up? Thaxton declined to talk about policy differences, SRQ magazine reported, but there are differences in fundraising so far, and in repuations, The Herald-Tribune reports:

"Thaxton has built a reputation as a commissioner for being personally likeable and willing to hear all sides, earning him grudging respect from even his detractors. But his insistence on environmental protections has vexed some deep-pocketed, powerful local developers who may waiver on helping him finance this new campaign.

Also, there are still some who blame him for the county’s purchasing scandal, which led to the ouster of the county administrator and other top officials. Thaxton has denounced that criticism, saying he was thwarted from doing more to prevent the scandal by the former administrator and by a lack of support from the other commissioners.

Dent, first elected in 2000, has her own history to contend with. Problems with a 2006 congressional race made the county a national symbol for problems with touch-screen voting systems. She was sued over that race, with 18,000 touch-screen undervotes in a race won by about 400 votes."

In fundraising, Thaxton has raised $70,000, according to filing records, while Dent has raised $1,000, according to filing records. However, Dent has not organized major fundraisers, The Herald-Tribune reports, and Thaxton must notify donors that they are entitled to a partial refund because he spent money on his upcoming election before the Supreme Court said he could no longer run for commissioner.

Longboat Key resident Victoria Ann Brill is running as a non-partisan write-in candidate as well.

Brill is the daughter of the Republican Party of Sarasota County's finance director Jack Brill, The Herald Tribune reports, which reports that Brill's candidacy is probably a commonly used ploy:

"Using write-in candidates or what are essentially sham candidates from different parties to close primary elections has long been embraced by local GOP leaders and in other elections across Florida.

In Florida, voters can only cast a ballot in the primary election for a candidate whose registration is different from their own — like a Democrat voting for a Republican — if all the candidates in a race belong to the same party.

Some state watchdog groups call closing primaries an exploitation of a loophole in the law that can lead to less moderate candidates. Such practices once spurred a lawsuit in Sarasota County."

The Republican primary is Aug. 14.

Candidates for local offices are qualified by the Supervisor of Elections from noon June 4 to noon June 8.