Candidates weigh runs in 3 towns

Three east Pasco municipalities are headed toward the spring election season this year with seats up for grabs, including at least one seat being vacated by an incumbent.

Municipal elections are scheduled for April 8, but qualifying begins early next month.

Three Zephyrhills City Council seats are up for election, and two seats on the San Antonio City Commission are up.

In St. Leo, two seats on the Town Commission are up, and Commissioner Brent Sutton said Monday he will not be seeking re-election, leaving that seat open just as a wave of newcomers -- and potential new voters and candidates -- have moved into the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club community.

Last year, Lake Jovita resident John Fantone fell seven votes short of ousting longtime incumbent Richard Christmas. About 40 homes have been built in the development inside the town limits. Most of the development is in the unincorporated county.

Sutton, who has sat on the commission since 1997 said Monday that his job has changed since Tennessee-based Helena Chemical acquired the Lykes Agrisales company where he works.

The new job will require too much travel to allow time for Town Commission duties, he said.

"It has been an honor and a great learning experience for me to serve as a St. Leo town commissioner," Sutton said.

Also in St. Leo, Mayor Janis Klingle's seat is up for election. She said she is leaning toward seeking re-election.

In San Antonio, the terms are up for City Commissioners Sharon Madden and Dennis Phillips.

Madden said she is deeply involved in city parks renovations and plans to run again so she can continue the work. Phillips said he hasn't decided for sure but is fairly certain he will make another run.

In San Antonio and St. Leo, the two-year seats are unpaid, and no filing fee is required. San Antonio requires the signatures of six registered city voters.

In both municipalities, candidates run as a group, with the top finishers named to the available seats.

In Zephyrhills, seats held by council members Clyde Bracknell, Cathi Compton and Mike Bussell are up for election. Bracknell has already picked up qualifying papers, and Compton said she will run again. Bussell said he was undecided.

Zephyrhills council members are paid $4,800 a year for the two-year term. Candidates must declare which seat they are seeking, but all elections are at large. Qualifying requires the signatures of 25 registered city voters and $51.

Qualifying papers in all three elections are available at the respective city or town halls and must be turned in between noon Feb. 11 and noon Feb. 18.

-- Staff writer Molly Moorhead contributed to this report.

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