Jon Kueny will run for County Commission. His entrance guarantees a general election under the universal primary.
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published May 5, 2004
NEW PORT RICHEY - Jon Kueny, chairman of the local Libertarian Party, plans to run for the District 3 Pasco County Commission seat held by Ann Hildebrand. Voters just won't see his name on the ballot.
Kueny, 65, has filed to run as a write-in candidate, which means he won't have to gather 2,312 petition signatures or pay a $4,249 filing fee to run for office. The trade-off: He won't be on the ballot, so voters will have to type his name on the touch screen machines if they want to vote for him.
"I'm the first to admit a write-in candidate doesn't stand much of a chance, but somebody's got to have a voice out there," said Kueny, a retired building supply salesman. "This is the way I can do it, because I don't have the big bucks other people have."
Although Kueny said this was not his motive, his entry also helps ensure the Aug. 31 GOP primary - perhaps the most competitive leg of this race - will be decided by Republican voters alone.
Florida has a universal primary system that determines who gets to vote when. If all candidates are members of the same party, then all voters weigh in during the primary. Otherwise, primaries are restricted to party members, and a general election is held in November.
So far Hildebrand, a Republican seeking her sixth term, has drawn three GOP challengers: David Abremski, Scott Factor and George McKinley. If they were her only opponents, the primary would be open to all voters.
But Kueny and Democrat Keith Waldron also are running, meaning the seat will be decided in the Nov. 2 general election - so only Republicans will get to vote in the GOP primary. Although Waldron still has to gather the petition signatures to qualify for a place on the ballot, however, Kueny has filed all the necessary paperwork to be a write-in candidate.
"That was not a real big factor" in his decision to run as a write-in candidate, Kueny said. "I did want to do what I could . . . to energize the Libertarian Party some . . . and this was one way of doing that."
Kueny grew up on an Iowa hog and dairy farm and served eight years in the Army, including one year in Vietnam. He later became a Green Beret.
After moving to Florida, Kueny designed his own ergonomic wheelbarrow and worked for several home improvement stores. Now he works part time as a maintenance man at Beall's Outlet and tutors fourth-graders in reading and math.
He belonged to the Citizens Against the Penny for Pasco, a group that opposed the 1-cent-on-the-dollar sales tax hike approved by voters March 9 for school and county projects. He said Tuesday that he would have supported a half-cent for schools but did not believe the county needed extra dollars for road projects, conservation land or public safety equipment.
"I think there is waste somewhere, or inefficiency, which equates to the same thing," Kueny said. "I want to be in a better position to keep an eye on that."
Commissioners are elected countywide, although they must live in the district they represent. The term lasts four years and the job pays $70,821 this year.
- Bridget Hall Grumet covers Pasco County government. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is hall@sptimes.com
