Janelle Irwin Taylor
Hillsborough County Clerk of the Court Pat Frank officially announced Thursday that she would not seek re-election and that she wants Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller to be her successor.
“I said I wasn’t going to consider not running again if I couldn’t be certain that somebody would take my place who would do a good job in the Clerk’s office,” Frank said during a press conference in front of the Hillsborough County Center in downtown Tampa.
She called Miller a “perfect fit.”
“He is a person who has his head tied down, not up in the clouds,” Frank said. “He’s very realistic about what he can achieve and what he has to take a long term look at. He’s familiar with what the issues are that are still on the table.”
Frank applauded Miller’s experience and described it as not all that dissimilar to her own. Miller has served as a Tampa City Council member and as a lawmaker in the Florida House and Senate. Frank served as a Hillsborough County School Board member, in the House and Senate, and on the County Commission before becoming the Clerk 16 years ago.
Miller is now chair of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners but is not seeking re-election because of term limits.
Frank said she’s not retiring but didn’t elaborate on what her plans were for after her term ends in about a year and a half.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister also endorsed Miller Thursday.
Proud to join the Honorable Pat Frank for @HillsboroughFL Commissioner Les Miller’s announcement that he’s running for Hillsborough County Clerk of Court. Commissioner Miller brings a vast and diverse background of experience, making him the best person for the job. pic.twitter.com/zLoUZMdMiD
— Chad Chronister (@ChadChronister) May 2, 2019
“Commissioner Miller brings a vast and diverse background of experience, making him the best person for the job,” Chronister said.
Miller is the first Democrat to officially throw his name into the hat for Frank’s job, but more could follow suit. Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner is rumored to want to give it another go after losing to Frank in 2016. Hillsborough County School Board Member Cindy Stewart is also a potential candidate for the position.
Miller’s colleague on the commission, Republican Sandra Murman, has already announced she’s running. She has already raised nearly $200,000.
One comment
Andrew Jones
May 3, 2019 at 2:39 pm
Why would the Republican Sheriff endorse the Democratic candidate when there is already a filed Republican candidate in the same race that currently sits on the County Commission?
This sounds like an election set-up collusion scenario to fool the voters. This smells mighty funny. There should be some semblance of integrity in our elected officials or respect for our election process.
We’ve had enough of this none sense already.
Comments are closed.