Mike Wright
If ever there was a no-brainer race, this is it.
Or so it seems.
Republican Commissioner Holly Davis, completing her first term in office, goes up against Paul Grogan, a no-party candidate who spends eight months of the year at sea as a merchant marine.
Davis has $85,000 in collections, including some of Citrus County’s biggest political contributors.
Grogan has $5,189 in collections and all but $318 is his money. His biggest expense: a $2,929 ballot qualifying fee.
He isn’t campaigning in any traditional sense. Grogan did not participate in the Citrus County Chronicle’s election events, nor did he provide the newspaper any campaign information.
Grogan is a prolific Facebook hound, often posting dozens of times in a single day. The posts rarely get any traction.
Other than some yard signs scattered about and $1,000 in radio ads, Grogan hasn’t made a single campaign move.
And no no-party voter has finished with more than 41% in a Citrus County race. Most receive 20-30%.
In most elections, Grogan’s efforts might be dismissed as an attention-getter, but not a serious campaigner. Not this year. Not after what happened in the Primary.
District 3 Commissioner Ruthie Davis Schlabach also thought she had an easy re-election path only to lose to Janet Barek, a cantankerous 74-year-old Citrus Springs woman who is a regular attendee at County Commission meetings.
One significant difference: Barek campaigned vigorously, showing up whenever candidates were invited.
Grogan doesn’t seem to have any specific platform. On his website, it reads: “He hopes to support responsible development and local autonomy in Citrus County, and additionally give back to his community and the world via this position, and through Rotary.”
Under the “endorsements” tab, it reads: “Paul M. Grogan has received support from a diverse group of leaders and advocates across his jurisdiction. These endorsements reflect his commitment to equality, justice and compassion, as well as his ability to build coalitions and effectively advocate for his constituents.”
Not a single name is mentioned.
The District 5 race was headed for a Republican Primary until Davis’ opponent, Jesse Rumson — known as “sedition panda” for wearing a giant bear costume head during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot — lost his ballot spot over a paperwork snafu.
Davis backers say Grogan was a plant designed to close the Primary to Republican voters only. They pointed out that Grogan did the same thing in 2022, running as an no-party candidate in County Commission District 2, closing the Primary to non-Republicans. He openly supported the Republican Primary winner, Diana Finegan, who easily won the General Election.
Davis, who is completing her year as Chair, is best known for being the architect behind the county’s first strategic plan. She also interacts frequently with citizens.
“You may not like my answers sometimes — all too often I’m as frustrated as you but it’s the legal reality of the situation — but you will always get the straight truth from me as to what we can accomplish together,” she said.
Despite the large financial advantage, Davis has spent only about $28,000 — a third of her contributor tally. She was still fundraising two weeks ago.
