City of Brooksville: Wever holds off Burnett to keep seat

BROOKSVILLE -- Mayor Ernie Wever retained his seat on the Brooksville City Council on Tuesday, defeating challenger Frankie Burnett by about 7 percent of the vote.

Neither candidate was available for comment.

In the campaign, Wever, 77, pointed to the achievements of the council since he was elected in 1994. Brooksville has built a new sewage treatment plant, expanded its utility system and embarked on an aggressive annexation program.

Burnett agreed the current council has improved the city, but needed new leadership, especially minority leadership. But Burnett, president of the Hernando County Chapter of the NAACP, said he would not just represent African-Americans.

He wanted to end substandard housing throughout the city, he said. He also planned to pursue some of the same goals as Wever, including the annexation of 1,600 acres south of the city owned by a Jacksonville developer. This would increase the size of the city about 50 percent and eventually double Brooksville's population.

Wever said earlier that, if elected, he would push to continue the city's expansion. He favors hiring a consultant to identify the best areas to annex and to further expand the city's utility system to serve customers outside the city's current borders.

Two other council members who were up for re-election this year, Joe Johnston III and Mary Staib, were unopposed. They have both begun serving their new terms.