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Ronald Oakley

Political Agenda 12/11/2019

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Candidates are making plans known
A number of local candidates have filed paperwork to make it known they plan to seek office.

Here is an early look at candidates and the offices they’re seeking listed on the Pasco County Supervision of Elections website.

• Property appraiser
Gary Joiner, Republican (Active Pre-filed)
Mike Wells, Republican (Active Pre-filed)

• Superintendent of Schools
Kurt S. Browning, Republican (Active Pre-filed)
David P. Laroche, Republican (Active Pre-filed)
Cynthia Thompson, Republican (Active Pre-filed)

• Supervisor of Elections
Brian E. Corley (Active Pre-filed)

• Pasco County Commission, District 1
Ronald E. Oakley, Republican (Active, Pre-filed)

• Pasco County Commission, District 3
Samantha A. Lindsey, No Party Affiliation (Active Pre-filed)
Kathryn Starkey, Republican (Active Pre-filed)

• Pasco County Commission, District 5
Brandi Geoit, Democrat (Active Pre-filed)
Jack Mariano, Republican (Active Pre-filed)

• Pasco County School Board
Colleen Beaudoin, No Party Affiliation (Active Pre-filed)

Wesley Chapel Republican Club
The Wesley Chapel Republican Club will meet on Dec. 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Wesley Chapel Toyota, 5300 Eagleston Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

The guest speaker for this meeting will be Dr. William Urban, author of “Trojan Horses of Islamic Supremacy.”

The meeting includes networking, coffee and dessert. New members and guests are welcome.

For more information, contact Peter Cracchiolo at (813) 360-9813.

Published December 11, 2019

Moore raises $34K in two weeks, but is it too much?

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A huge $22,500 haul from developers and real estate professionals over the last two weeks has given Pasco County Commission candidate Mike Moore his best fundraising week of the campaign, raising a whopping $34,250.

It easily dwarfed the $600 his Democratic opponent Erika Remsberg raised during the same period, bringing Moore’s total for the campaign over $166,000.

However, more than 65 percent of that total came from individuals and companies involved in real estate, development and related industries — something that made Moore a target during his primary campaign from opponents who said they refused to take any money from companies who might be looking for a vote on the commission.

Moore also has paid out more than $123,000 — outspending Remsberg 19-to-1.

Since Remsberg entered the race in February, Moore has received $65,203 — or 57 percent — of his funds from donors inside Pasco County, including 62 percent locally since the primary. However, he’s only spent 34 percent of that money inside the county he wants to represent, and just 10 percent since the primary. Since the end of August, Moore has spent a little less than $2,400 in Pasco out of more than $23,000 in total expenditures.

More than 77 percent of the money Remsberg raised has come from Pasco County since she entered the race, but also has struggled to keep those funds inside the county, spending 59 percent of it outside of the county. Her numbers have improved a little bit since the primary, now spending 43 percent — or a little more than $650 — to Pasco businesses.

Moore has raised the most money since Ronald Oakley’s failed attempt to unseat Ted Schrader in the 2012 commissioner race brought in just under $243,000. He’s closing in on John Nicolette, who collected $170,500 to battle Schrader in 2008, and passed Michael Cox, who raised $162,600 against Henry Wilson Jr. in 2010.

However, despite all that money raised, Moore may not necessarily want to be included in that elite club: Oakley, Nicolette and Cox all lost to candidates who raised less than they did. Schrader had two of those wins, but Wilson’s in 2010 was significant, because he had raised just $8,700 — just 5 percent of Cox’s total.

Remsberg so far has raised just 5 percent of Moore’s total.

Voters will make the final decision between the two on Nov. 4, with the winner set to replace the retiring Pat Mulieri.

Wells comes out swinging in commissioner race

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Pasco County Commissioner Henry Wilson has been raising money for his re-election campaign since last July, and has amassed a respectable $19,000 through the end of March.

Mike Wells Jr.
Mike Wells Jr.

But now Wilson will have to go into full fundraising mode because his new challenger, Mike Wells Jr., isn’t holding back. Wells, the son of Pasco County property appraiser Mike Wells Sr., has already out-raised Wilson — in a single month.

Wells collected $20,700 in April, according to election campaign documents filed with the county, the largest single-month total of any county commission candidate so far this year. In fact, Wells’ haul was the most in a single month by any candidate in any commission election since the race between Ted Schrader and Ronald Oakley two years ago where both candidates combined to raise nearly $345,000.

A good portion of Wells’ early donations — nearly $6,800 — have come from property developers and those involved in real estate, primarily in the New Port Richey area. However, he also received a $2,000 boost from Waste Aid Systems in Land O’ Lakes, including from its vice president, Thomas Peterson.

Wells has spent less than $400 in his first month, meaning he comes into May with more than $20,000 on-hand.

Wilson has yet to file his financials for April, but raised $1,900 in March. He has not spent much as well, with nearly $18,000 in the bank through the end of March.

But who has the most money may not be the final decider in this race, if the past has anything to say about it. Wilson raised just $8,700 in his first bid for county commission in 2010, and beat incumbent Michael Cox, who raised more than $162,000.

Barring anyone else jumping into the race, voters will decide between Wells and Wilson in an open primary Aug. 26.