Vote Byerly, Roy in August 26 primary election

Vote Byerly, Roy in August 26 primary election
Scott Camil
July 2008

We have 2 candidates running for re-election whose service exemplifies what it means to be a public servant. These crucial races will be on the primary ballot on August 26.

Both County Commissioner Mike Byerly and School Board member Eileen Roy have served us well and deserve our support for re-election.

During his eight years on the Commission, Mike has been the consistent friend of the environment.

He is also the commissioner who puts the best interest of the community first. Mike researches every issue thoroughly and is extremely well-informed. His demeanor is always respectful. Mike is a straight shooter.

Eileen Roy has been the only voice of reason on the School Board for the last 4 years. She has been treated very disrespectfully by the gang of three. Just as the power players skipped over Penny Wheat's turn to be chair when she was a County Commissioner to try to diminish her voice, so have the School Board's power players skipped over Eileen Roy's turn to be chair. Eileen has been the sole voice for teachers, school concurrency, impact fees and energy efficiency. She voted against the spending of 2.5 million dollars for land speculation to buy the Diamond Sports Park. I salute Eileen's willingness to serve in light of the mean-spiritedness and lack of civility that she has received from the three power brokers on the board.

I ask for your vote for these two outstanding public servants on August 26th, Mike Byerly and Eileen Roy.

Much at stake in Aug. 26 primary
Joe Courter

There is a lot at stake in the August 26th primary election in Alachua County. Two of our best representatives Eileen Roy and Mike Byerly will face stiff and well funded opposition. We agree whole heartedly with Scott Camil's article above.

There is a judges race for County Judge group 2 which has five candidates. This position requires a person with empathy, patience and real world experience. From meeting them, and talking to a number of people in the legal profession, we are split between Rhonda Stroman and Lorraine Sherman. Both women are the kind of grassroots people we need in that position, and we hope one can make it through to the probable run-off in November. Check them out at www.rhondaforjudge.com and www.shermanforjudge.com

We do prefer Barbara Sharpe for the other School Board position. She been there before, and is likely to be an ally of Eileen Roy, something that the current office holder has not been. She's a bright and energetic woman with a long history in our community.

We are making no endorsements in the Sheriffs race or Property Appraiser race. Unusually, our objections to the incumbents are minor, and our impression of the challengers generally favorable.

There will be three locations for early voting, starting on August 11th thru August 24th; The Millhopper and Tower Rd Branch libraries, and the County Administration Building downtown. Voting for all precincts can be done at the location of your choice during this period. The hours are 9am to 5pm Monday thru Friday, Saturday will be 9am to 1pm the first Saturday (the16th), and 9am to 5pm the 23rd. The one Sunday (the17th) will be from 1pm to 5pm. The actual election day is Tuesday, August 26th.

The deadline to register to vote in this election is July 28th. If you are unregistered, or registered elsewhere, or need to correct your registration, please do it before then. And if you are a student, or somebody who won't be here long (or think you won't; this town can prove you wrong) , please participate in the local electoral process. You are representing future residents, future students, who will live with the policies created by these office-holders. As a voter, your voice is never bigger than when voting in local elections. Working in a campaign as a voluteer increases that voice, and you meet some good folks, too.

There will be candidate forums you can attend, two are co-hosted by the fine folks at the League of Women Voters:

The first forum is Saturday August 9th at the Savannah Grande, 401 N. Main St. from 11am to 2pm, which will feature the Judge, Sheriff and Property Appraiser races.

The second features the School Board races, that will be Thursday, August 14th from 6-8pm at the Gainesville High School Auditorium.

There may be others, too, keep your eyes open. Go meet the candidates, the supporters, and join the process.

You can also go by the Democratic Party headquarters and Obama for President headquarters. They are in neighboring offices at 901 NW 8th Ave.