Lucile Casey will try for the commission a second time. No Democrats have filed papers in the race for Barbara Sheen Todd's spot.
By MICHAEL SANDLER
Published February 21, 2004
CLEARWATER - Lucile Casey took a wallop in her first run for Pinellas County Commission. Now she wants another shot.
Casey, a Realtor and former Pinellas School Board member, filed papers this month to challenge for the at-large seat soon to be vacated by Barbara Sheen Todd.
She has begun collecting signatures on a petition, rather than paying the filing fee of approximately $6,000. She'll need nearly 6,000 signatures to qualify.
"This is an open seat, so that usually attracts more people," said Casey, 62, who challenged Commissioner Karen Seel for a single-district seat on the commission in 2000 and lost with less than 34 percent of the vote.
"There's no incumbent we have to deal with," Casey said. "I've wanted this job for a while."
Casey is the fourth Republican vying to replace Todd in what is likely to be the most competitive local race this fall.
Redington Shores Mayor J.J. Beyrouti, Safety Harbor Commissioner Neil Brickfield and Ronnie Duncan, a major Republican fundraiser and chairman of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, have all been campaigning for months.
The race has no Democratic candidate in sight.
Republicans "just keep falling out of the trees," said Kevin Jensen, chair of the Pinellas Democratic Executive Committee. He said he doesn't foresee a Democratic challenger on the horizon in this race, but the party intends to focus on other elections.
"Just because we don't have all the seats covered, doesn't mean we are not in the game," Jensen said.
Todd, who announced this week she will not run for the U.S. Senate, has said she does not intend to seek another term on the County Commission.
Three other incumbents are up for re-election. Commissioners Bob Stewart, Ken Welch and Seel all intend to run and are currently unopposed.
Casey lives in Del Oro Groves, one of a handful of communities in the flight path of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport. If elected, she said she would push to hold off expanding the airport until agreements are in place that protect residents in the flight path from increased noise and low-flying planes.
"I think we should do that before we add more planes," Casey said. Casey served two terms on the School Board before losing a bid for re-election in the Republican primary in 1998.
After her unsuccessful County Commission bid two years later, she tried for a seat on the Clearwater City Commission but lost to Bill Jonson in a four-way race. She raised more than $8,600, significantly less than what Jonson raised.
Successful County Commission candidates traditionally raise more than $100,000.
So far, Duncan and Beyrouti have each raised more than $42,000, according to campaign reports. Brickfield has raised more than $21,000.
"I welcome all new competitors," Brickfield said, "although I am curious what she is going to offer this time that the voters haven't already rejected three times in the past."
The deadline for filing is July 16. The primary is Aug. 31, and the general election is Nov. 2.
