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Sorting them out

Fire board candidates may represent a small pool of last names but they present a broad expanse of opinions.

LEALMAN - Voters in the Lealman Special Fire Control District will have to pay close attention to the ballot this year.

Not only do they have eight candidates in three races with varying stances to choose from, but several of those candidates share last names even though none are related and they're not in the same races:

Incumbent Linda Campbell is running for re-election to Seat 1. Vivian Diane Campbell is a first-timer running for Seat 5, now held by William Adams.

William Adams in the Seat 3 race is not related to newcomer Julie A. Adams, who is challenging incumbent Mike Brophy.

Thus, a voter cannot simply decide to vote for a "Campbell" or an "Adams." The voter must know which Campbell and which Adams in which race.

Voters could also forgo the confusion and choose among other candidates who do not have repetitive names: William Kent Litton and Bob Shaffer, both first-time campaigners running for Seat 1, or Marion Boyle, another newcomer, running for Seat 5.

Now for the issues facing this board.

The Lealman Special Fire Control district covers about 8 square miles of unincorporated Pinellas County. The district stretches between Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg from just east of Interstate 275 to Park Street on both sides of Kenneth City. Fire commissioners oversee the Lealman Fire Department, which delivers fire and emergency medical services to the area's approximately 42,400 residents. The district also contracts with Kenneth City to provide services to that town's approximately 4,500 residents. Fire commissioners have to attend at least one meeting and one workshop a month as well as two budget meetings every year. Some of those budget sessions may coincide with regular meetings. Commissioners are also responsible for the district's overall $5-million budget and 50 employees. Commissioners serve four-year terms. They receive $500 per month salary and a badge. They run districtwide for numbered seats.