Nov. 7, 2017 Tavares, FL by Vance Jochim
Updated at 9pm to show link to final election results HERE. All incumbents except Keith Mullins in Clermont survived. Mullins was defeated by Heidi Brishke by just 30 points. None of the three identified Democrats cited below were elected. Note: Provisional ballots have not been posted yet, so I will update this tomorrow if anything changes.
Updated at 7:15 pm to add info on two Clermont candidates and a link to an Orlando Sentinel story.
I am a conservative Fiscal Watchdog blogger, mostly focused on Lake County, FL local government and politics.
I write about fiscal watchdog issues, but also problems caused when Rinos or Democrats run local government agencies.
So today, Nov. 7, 2017, is election day for five city councils in Lake County, FL.
HERE is a Daily Commercial article about today's five City Council elections. Little has been published about the candidates, and there are other City Council positions that were open but incumbents won because no one ran against them. However, the results of the elections could improve Democrat control of City Councils and perhaps even result in Lake's first Sanctuary City.
The Orlando Sentinel also just published a story recapping the same candidates HERE.
My issue is that Democrats are actively trying to take over cities in Lake County. Lake County has over 100,000 Republicans and over 70,000 Democrats, so the Democrats are running for "non-partisan" City Council, School District and other positions where conservatives don't easily know their political affiliation. Articles have also appeared saying this is a national initiative. So I reviewed the campaign folders of candidates in all cities except Mt. Dora. Here are my thoughts for conservatives:
Mt. Dora - I have met both candidates who are registered Republicans. Conservatives I know living in Mt. Dora favor retired General Jim Murray and he is more outgoing than Massey. Massey was abrupt and not specific when I talked to him.
Groveland - could be Lake's first sanctuary city: This city council is nuts and constantly at war. You can look it up, but these elections are critical in defining whether the City Council becomes conservative or radical liberals. I have been at their meetings and made videos of them. Columnist Lauren Ritchie has written about them. Conservative Michael Radzik is challenged by liberal James Smith, plus another vacant seat is sought by conservative Duane Mike Smith vs liberal challenger Chris Walker. It is a clear choice. Vote for the "Two Mike's" for conservatives, or the other two candidates for a clearly liberal viewpoint. The two races seem to be local businesses and conservatives pitted against liberal interests trying to take over the city. Groveland could be the first Lake County city to become a sanctuary city and focus on Democrat objectives. Smith even received a contribution from the "Greater Leesburg Democrats". Readers might be interested to know that the Lake County Republican Party does not contribute to primary candidates, but clearly Democrats do.
Mascotte: This is a tiny city. Incumbent Steve Sheffield is opposed by challenger Kenneth Huffstutler. Mascotte is one of the only Lake County cities where the City Council voted to allow applications to start a Medical Marijuana dispensary. I don't have enough info now on the candidates to take a position but I am sure Mascotte voters know.
Clermont: Incumbent City Councilman Ray Goodgame is challenged by clearly liberal Julie Santos. He received contributions from varied business interests (a good indicator of a rational candidate) while Santos went to Lake County Democrat run candidate training and received petition signatures from known Democrats. She self funded most of her $6200 campaign funds herself as of the last candidate report last month. Santos lists a PO box as her address, and a 407 area code phone number, and an employer in Orlando. But her voting address is what appears to be a vacant house on Google maps, thus residency should be reviewed if she wins. So, Goodgame is a known quantity and both candidates have about the same $6000 funding support as of the last financial report.
Also in Clermont, incumbent Keith Mullins is challenged by Heidi Brishke. I didn't find any details to recommend either candidate.
Minneola: City Council incumbent Joseph Saunders is opposed by Debbie Flinn and active Republican Pam Hull Barber. As of the latest Oct. financial reports, Saunders had raised $1920, Flinn $1575 and Barber $3960. I know and like Barber, but Minneola voters will have to choose between an incumbent and two challengers where I don't have enough information for further recommendations.
Conclusions:
If you are concerned about the stealth insertion of Democrats into "non-partisan" positions like City Councils, my review of candidate contribution records identified clear Democrats running in Groveland and Clermont races and you should vote accordingly. However, realistically, perhaps only 2% of my readers are in those two cities but you can inform those who do vote there.
This was a first run at evaluating Lake County, FL city council candidate conservative vs Democrat links, and it will be expanded next year to more clearly identify incumbent actions, voting records, contribution sources, etc.
It is time to prevent the types of dangers resulting from election of stealth Democrats in local "non-partisan" government. I and other conservatives are tired of being called names by liberal haters and we need to reduce their power and "Make America Great Again" at the local level. And, if you didn't read my factsheet, do so now:
https://tinyurl.com/DemocratCityDangers
Vance Jochim
FiscalRangers.com
