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Politics

Burgess re-elected by a wide margin

By MINDY RUBENSTEIN
Published April 11, 2007

ZEPHYRHILLS - Danny Burgess now has two wins under his belt. The youngest person ever elected to the City Council, he took some time warming up during his first two years.

But the incumbent coasted into his second term Tuesday with about 82 percent of the 700-plus votes cast for City Council Seat 5, according to the unofficial final tallies on the county's Web site.

Despite rainy weather, turnout hovered around 9 percent.

Burgess said the result is "more humbling than winning the first time around. That's the people telling you that they approve of what you've done."

His opponent, Richard Kaeberlein, 34, spent the day in the rain campaigning along with his family. He took the loss in good spirits and said he plans to stay involved.

"I'll be back next year," Kaeberlein said. "This won't be the last you see of me."

A native of Tampa who moved five years ago to Zephyrhills, Kaeberlein had never attended a City Council meeting or voted in a city election before deciding to run for office.

"I was part of the problem for so long," he said.

He plans to join a committee, get other people more involved and might run for office again.

Burgess, 20, is a junior at the University of South Florida, majoring in political science.

He plans to continue making his voice heard during council meetings, not letting his age be an intimidating factor like it was during the start of his first term.

Over the past few months he's formulated a plan to help curb crime.

"Neighbors don't know each other anymore," he said.

His idea includes appointing city residents as liaisons to the council, helping to serve as a conduit between people and their government.

Burgess also plans to continue keeping tabs on the city's growth issues. While the building boom has slowed considerably, he still worries about the traffic implications of excessive development.

"The public is not happy with what's going on with the growth," said Burgess, citing the Zephyr Lakes development behind Gore's Dairy as an example.

Burgess was busy Tuesday night preparing for a celebration in his Silverado home with family and friends.

"I have a lot of people to thank," he said.

[Last modified April 11, 2007, 08:34:54]