MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – Several high-profile seats will be decided on Tuesday, Aug. 20, in Marion County.
Among those important positions that will be determined by the electorate include the Sheriff’s race, Marion County Commission Seat District 1, both universal primary contests, and Marion County Public School Board District 1, which is nonpartisan.
Marion County Commission District 3 is subject to a Republican primary election, with the winner going on to face a write-in candidate in the November general election.
|ELECTION RESOURCE: A guide to voting in the Florida primary in August
According to the Marion County Supervisor of Elections, there are 257,727 registered voters in the county. The election supervisor’s office says 129,020 are registered Republicans, 68,499 are registered Democrats and 60,208 are registered as “other.”
Early voting ends Saturday at 6 p.m. Already, more than 10% of eligible voters have cast ballots for the primary.
Marion County Commission District 1
In the Marion County Commission District 1 contest, incumbent Craig Curry will face real estate agent and Belleview-raised Sarah Almeida Dennis.
Craig Curry
Growth remains a concern for residents, Marion County’s exponential increase in population has changed the complexion of the landscape. There’ve been interactive meetings with the community in the county’s different quadrants, said Curry.
‘It’s time now to reevaluate our comprehensive plan and look and see where growth is going and where it shouldn’t grow,” said Curry. “And then also, reevaluate our urban growth boundary.”
“Infrastructure and additional roadways,” said Curry. “We were only growing at about one percent prior to the pandemic, and then after the pandemic, that went to 3 to 4 percent a year. It takes a lot longer to build a road than it does to get financing for it, than it does for someone to move into Marion County.”
Curry has also been working diligently for the past few years on the Litter Task Force, which has been uncovering and prosecuting large dumping cases.
“It’s really paying dividends,” said Curry. “For once, we have all the entities involved in that effort on the same page. For example, all of the law enforcement agencies, the municipalities in the county and the forestry service, and the game and fish commission. We’ve been seeing tons of garbage dumped in the national forest, even in the local communities.”
A former mayor of the City of Ocala and Marion County Commission chairman, Curry has spent a lot of this time working on veterans’ issues, and with the Marion County Memorial Honor Guard.
“There are questions as to why the county is trying to push 20 years rather than another four years when it comes to the one cent sales tax,” said Curry. “But many of the infrastructure projects that would use the tax as a funding mechanism are long-term initiatives and would put the county in much better funding positions, potentially allowing the county to do bonding projects providing a longer-term income stream from the tax.”
Sarah Almeida Dennis
Land Management ordinances and planning and zoning issues continue be a source of frustration from some in the county. Land preservation and conservation remain a priority for many says Sarah Almeida Dennis, who’s running for Marion County Commission district 1 against the incumbent Craig Curry, in the universal primary.
“Zoning codes were established to protect the landowners as well as surrounding residents,” said Almeida Dennis “The preservation of these zoning codes should support responsible growth and a high-quality lifestyle for our families and communities. We are only stewards of our land during our lifetime need to look ahead to what we are developing and creating for our children and following generations.”
Marion County’s exponential growth continues to be the issue that has been on the forefront of most people’s minds.
“I’m a lifelong resident of Marion County. It is my home and the home of my family,” said Almeida Dennis. “I am concerned about what seems to be unchecked growth that is stretching our infrastructure to the limits and is impacting the quality of our lifestyle.”
Almeida’s strong connection to her neighbors, being a Marion County native and understanding the importance of communicating with people not only in her district but countywide, have given her greater perspective.
“I want to represent the people of our county by listening to their concerns and being their voice at the county level,” said Almeida Dennis. “I offer a fresh perspective and want to represent the families and citizens of our community. I will be out in the community, involved in community events and affairs, accessible to listen to citizens’ concerns and ideas so that I represent the people, that my voice becomes their voice and attention is brought to the issues they feel are important.”
Marion County Commission District 3
The Republican primary for Marion County Commission District 3 has the incumbent Matt McClain facing off against political newcomer David Blackwell.
David Blackwell
Blackwell believes the area has been neglected by the Marion County Commission. After having several conversations with his wife, he says he felt the need to do something. He says his wife made the suggestion that he run.
The biggest issue I can see now from living in District 3 for seven years, the infrastructure is bad, our roads are terrible, they’re overcrowded, I live in the Shores and the crime out here is bad,” said Blackwell. “It’s unsafe. There are no streetlights. There are hardly any sidewalks. There are hardly any mom-and-pop businesses. We have a lot of car washes and gas stations, but there aren’t a whole lot of mom-and-pop sit down restaurants. You can’t get those in place until you get the safety under control.”
Blackwell believes that growth within the county should be limited or completely halted until the infrastructure projects are able to catch up with all of the expansion.
“The roads are full of potholes and the traffic is way out of control,” said Blackwell. “I don’t see the point of bringing in more development when the roads can’t handle what already here. The schools can’t handle it. We’re over capacity.”
Matt McClain
Marion County and Ocala continue to be a preferred destination for people relocating, whether it be for job opportunities, a place to retire, or for those looking for a better-quality life. McClain was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in September 2023 to fill the seat that was vacated in May 2023 by Jeff Gold.
“Generally speaking, growth is a good thing for a community,” said McClain. “We don’t necessarily want to stifle that, but it presents some challenges for local government, which means making sure that we have good plans in place, or where that growth and development is going to go, and then how are we going to get infrastructure and public services to these people quickly.”
Infrastructure issues are also a priority and go hand-in-hand with the growth variable, with some residents voicing their concern about the length of time some of the projects will take.
“We have to get road projects done and fast track those,” said McClain. “Everybody’s feeling the squeeze of traffic congestion. Infrastructure and public safety are always the first two priorities of local government. I think those are the biggest issues that are county has right now.”
The one cent sales tax is dedicated to infrastructure and public safety and has played a role as a fundraising mechanism for those two components for the past eight years.
“The county commission has done a good job with those funds, and it has become a major funding source for those types of projects,” said McClain. “The one cent sales tax is one of the only revenue sources that visitors pay, visitors pay 30 percent of that sales tax. This is one of the only ways that we can collect from these people who are here visiting because they’re using our roads, and they’re using our fire and ambulance services. They’re using our hospitals. They’re using all these things, and somehow, we have to be able to get to where they can pay for it, and this one of the ways that local government does that.”
|ELECTION RESOURCE: Sample ballot for Marion County
Marion County School Board District 1
The Marion County School Board District 1 race has the incumbent Allison Campbell squaring off with Beth McCall, who had previously served on the school board in District 2. She resigned her post because of family health concerns, and moving from District 2 to District 1.
Allison B. Campbell
Marion County Public Schools continues to contend with issues that are prevalent nationwide when it comes to school systems, having enough teachers and being able to retain them.
“We were short about 80 teachers (the first day of school),” said Campbell. “That’s a better number than we’ve had. Last year, the number hovered over 100. We are filling some of those vacancies, but we continue to struggle in that area, with teacher recruitment and retention as well.”
Student attendance continues to be another area that remains a challenge, said Campbell.
“Transportation continues to be a struggle for us, the first week of school,” said Campbell. “We’re hopeful that’s going to get worked out. As long as we keep students at the focus of what we’re trying to do. We’ll be able to increase attendance and accountability. We’ll also be able to increase our budgeting specifically for students’ success.”
Her long-term concerns include public school facilities, in particular portable buildings. She says many of them are older, and they were initially supposed to be temporary solutions that have become permanent classrooms.
“There are so many facilities that need upgrades, replacements and refurbishments, that we haven’t been able to do, so we’re hopeful that we’re going to be able to address that, with some of our new capital funding sources,” said Campbell.
The incumbent’s motto is to affect change, and that’s what Campbell says she has focused on. She says the improvements that have been made in the course of her last four years of serving on the board have been in tandem with her fellow school board members, and also with the leadership of the superintendent.
“A lot of the same ideas we share,” said Campbell.
Campbell says she takes a proactive and hands-on approach to addressing the school system’s needs.
“I went to all 10 District 1 schools yesterday (Aug. 12, 2024), visited three schools today (Aug. 13, 2024) and will be visiting more schools tomorrow,” said Campbell. “Each one of those has given me different insights on things that can be improved in our processes. Some of them are things we can address in the next couple of weeks and some of them are things we may need to address in the long-term.”
Beth McCall
The area’s smart growth and the collective efforts of Marion County, the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Partnership (CEP) and City of Ocala who’ve worked together to diversify the economy have been positive for the community, said McCall. But communicating clearly and empathetically are critical components in the relationship between the entities says McCall.
McCall has worked with the Ocala/Marion County CEP the past couple of years. She left her position in December 2023 to concentrate on her campaign. During that time, she says she has worked with the career technical education department and with the business community which gave the students the opportunity to engage with industry experts.
“I’m pleased with the growth that’s come in, and the different industries. But with that, comes the need for new schools. We need to replace Lake Weir Middle School,” said McCall. “How do we ensure that our kids are in quality educational facilities. We need to work really hard with the city and the county to make sure that happens. But having open lines of communication with the city and county is imperative to being sure that we have a seat at the table to talk about the growth.”
The challenge of retaining teachers, reducing attrition and turnover rates, and finding ways to stabilize those rates is a focus for McCall.
“I’d like for us to be able to keep more of our teachers in the classroom,” said McCall. “I plan on doing a deep dive when I’m on the board to look to see what’s causing them to leave. Is it lack of support? Is it lack of resources in their classroom? How do we create that positive culture where they want to thrive and stay?”
|ELECTION RESOURCE: What to expect in Florida’s state primaries on Tuesday
Marion County Sheriff
In the Marion County sheriff’s contest, incumbent Billy Woods faces opposition in the universal primary from Milton Simmons Busby Jr. who has a military and law enforcement background. He retired as a military police colonel. He served as a state trooper and holds a Ph.D. in Education.
Milton Simmons Busby Jr.
Creating understanding through active listening and engaging the community to find out what their concerns are and what needs they believe should be addressed as priorities is something Milton Simmons Busby Jr. plans to do if elected.
“We need to have a community advisory committee, that’s the key,” said Busby Jr.
While on the campaign trail, he says he’s asked prospective voters the same question.
“How is the $197 million in the sheriff’s budget being spent,” said Busby Jr. “No one has been able to answer that question. Then I ask them a second question, have your sheriff services improved, stayed the same or have they gotten worse? That dictates how you’re going to vote, and that’s pretty easy.”
He believes areas like Reddick, Silver Springs Shores and the Ocala National Forest are underserved and in need of the sheriff’s services the most.
“Those people need help. Those people need assistance. Those people need traffic control. Those people need law enforcement. They need deterrence. They’re in need of a lot of things,” he said.
There’s a passion that’s palpable in Busby’s voice, one that’s firm and disciplined. He says that was honed from his years in the military, which provided him with a number of invaluable lessons.
“I had to get 2,711 petitions signed in order to get on the ballot,” said Busby Jr. “I learned in the military that you always have to have an end game. So, the end game was either you pay $12,000 or you get 2,711 petitions signed. I drew out $12,000 from my personal account and put it in my campaign account. That was my end game, if I couldn’t get my petitions signed, I was going to run regardless.”
Billy Woods
Marion County native Billy Woods, a 35-year veteran of law enforcement, is seeking a third term as Marion County Sheriff. He has served in leadership roles throughout his career.
Woods has launched multiple initiatives to keep the community safe during a period of unprecedented growth in the county.
352today reached out to Sheriff Woods for this article. He didn’t respond to multiple requests for an interview by publication time. If he responds, we’ll update the article to add his comments.
|MORE ELECTION NEWS: Two husbands and wives running for two races in Reddick election