Mike Wright
It wasn’t even close, and Holly Davis isn’t going anywhere.
The first-term Commissioner easily defeated no-party upstart Paul Grogan to win re-election to Citrus County Commission, District 5.
Grogan, who aligned himself with John Labriola, a defeated Inverness City Council candidate known for his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, rarely campaigned and never said why he was running against Davis.
Davis won with 76% of the vote.
Davis posted a thank you on her Facebook page.
“It’s been an honor to serve you these last four years, and am grateful for the opportunity to continue,” she said.
This wasn’t even a contest on paper. Davis had $85,000 in collections; nearly all of Grogan’s $5,189 came from his own pocket, and his biggest expense was the $2,929 ballot qualifying fee.
Plus, no no-party candidate had finished with more than 41% in a Citrus County race. Most received 20-30%.
Yet, many wondered whether an upset in the August Primary would carry over to District 5 in the General Election.
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, a merchant marine captain who spends eight months a year at sea, didn’t campaign 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 didn’t make a single campaign move.
Grogan didn’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.”
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 a 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.
2 comments
Paul John Reinhardt
November 6, 2024 at 3:50 pm
Mr. Schoors please provide me with your employment contract with this authors contract with Florida Politics. He is confusing the marketplace soliciting advertising from Candidates as a Blogger offering no Press Identification as anything else. You stated you employ only journalists writing articles yet Mike Wright is clearly retired as a journalist and hides your employment situation. He is not a reporter. He prides himself to be a fanciful Hit Man slanting articles for publication not only to a webpage operating in Interstate Commerce but recirculates blogger material into a fake attempt to recapture his bygone title of Journalist even though his material is offered in such commercial venues as a local Citrus County glorified coupon cutter advertising venue called Hometown Citrus as well. In fact his blog was started with the aid of the local big wigs at the Chamber of Commerce. His logo was provided by Citrus County Commissioner Holly Leigh Davis in a clear conflict of interest. In fact Mike Wright provided big play to her his whole career offering exclusive coverage at her home with other officials floating this state’s Sunshine Laws. I sought clarification from Mike Wright but he refuses to reveal who he is working for. I am trying to ascertain his commercial interests in trying to mask a coupon book as News. An official from Hometown Citrus is his buddy and refuses to provide any information as to his misleading behavior in the marketplace. I require to examine his contract with you for my required good faith pre suit investigation as to my targeting by rival competitors in the marketplace. Please provide me specifically if Mike Wright signed a no compete clause in his contract with Florida Politics and his role with your entity. You specifically said to me I should write this request to you on this platform. It has been screenshotted because this author has been known to block and erase any of my efforts to competently investigate my case for my legal counsel.
Paul John Reinhardt
November 6, 2024 at 4:53 pm
Peter Schorsch:
Excuse me I mistyped your name above. I haven’t dealt with ethnic names in later years. I’m in the land of Anglo Saxon based names lol. My posting on here complies with the request you made of me in our email discussion
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