BREAKING NEWS: McNesby, Gindl, Whitehead Out
August 26, 2008
Ron McNesby has lost his bid to be Escambia County Sheriff, Pete Gindl is off the school board, and Mike Whitehead is headed home.
In the Republican Primary Tuesday, McNesby was beat 56.7% percent to 43.3% by David Morgan. Morgan will face Larry Scapecchi in November. Scapecchi beat Samuel Lucas 65.4% to 34.6% for the Democratic nod.
Pete Gindl finished third in the school board race with 23.9% of the vote. Bill Slayton had 35.2% of the vote, and Tom Harrell had 30.8%.
Former District 5 Commissioner Wilson Robertson crushed incumbent Mike Whitehead Tuesday night. Robertson garnered 80.8% of the vote to Whiteheads 19.2%.
BREAKING NEWS: District 5 Commission: White Vs. Barnett
August 26, 2008
In Escambia County’s closest race Tuesday, Jim Barnett received 51.4% of the Democratic vote to John Hartman’s 48.6%. That equated to a 94 vote margin for Barnett.
Barnett will face Republican Kevin White in November. White received 57.5 of the vote, followed by Packy Mitchell with 26.3%, Chris Washler with 8.5% and Randall McCrackin with 7.7%
That Name You’ve Seen On The Campaign Signs Might Not Be On Your Ballot Today
August 26, 2008
You’ve undoubtedly seen the names on the campaign signs along the highways of North Escambia. But you may not find those names on your ballot when you vote in today’s Primary Election.
That is because the August 26 election is a party primary election… registered Republicans vote for Republicans, registered Democrats vote for Democrats, and those with no party affiliation vote only in nonpartisan races.
If you are a registered voter in North Escambia that has not declared a party affiliation, you will get a nonpartisan ballot. That ballot will contain only the races for District 5 school board and ECUA District 5. All of the registered Republicans and Democrats will vote in those two races, but they will have additional candidates and races on their ballots.
Everybody in North Escambia will see the nonpartisan District 5 school board candidates…Peter R. Gingl, Sr., Tom Harrell, Bill Slayton and Robert (Mr. T) Tegenkamp. Everyone’s ballot will also contain the two ECUA District 5 candidates with Barry B. Tweedie and Larry Walker.
Democrats will find two candidates for sheriff on their ballots…Samuel E. Lucas, Sr. and Larry Scapecchi. Three Democratic candidates for school superintendent – Claudia Brown-Curry, Myra L. Simmons and Cary Stidham – will be on the ballot. There will be two candidates, Jim Barnett and John F. Hartman, on the Democratic District 5 primary ballot.
Republicans will choose between Ron McNesby and David Morgan for sheriff; Randall E. McCrackin, Packy Mitchell, Chris Washler and Kevin White for county commissioner; and Greg Evers or Ryan L. Gilbert for District 1’s state representative.
District 5 Republicans will also vote on a public defender, choosing between James Owens and Kelly Merritt Richards. Two party offices will also be filled with one committeeman and one committeewoman. Brandon Lind, Jacob Pawelski and Hosea D. Pittman are in the running for committeeman. Elizabeth S. Campbell, Judith Gafford-Fehl, Susan Moore and Jami Rapisarda are running for committeewoman.
For a sample Democratic District 5 ballot, click here.
For a sample Republican District 5 ballot, click here.
For a sample nonpartisan District 5 ballot, click here.
Election Results Tonight On NorthEscambia.com
August 26, 2008
Join NorthEscambia.com tonight for the most complete election coverage in North Escambia. We will post results after the polls close tonight, plus we will have candidate reactions and a live election blog.
Complete election coverage will updated on NorthEscambia.com all day today, and our complete results coverage begins as the polls close tonight.
Sample Ballots; What You Need To Know To Vote Today
August 26, 2008
Here’s what you need to know to vote in today’s Primary Election in Escambia County:
- Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- The Molino, Cantonment and Walnut Hill precincts moved, click here for more information.
- You must present photo and signature identification. Acceptable forms of identification are: Florida Driver’s License, Florida ID card issued by the Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles, U.S. Passport, Debit/Credit Card, Military ID, Student ID, Retirement Center ID, Neighborhood Association ID, and Public Assistance ID. If you fail to present proper identification at the polls, you must vote a provisional ballot.
- You are not required to present your voter identification card in order to vote. The card does have helpful information on it, including your precinct number and location.
- To vote on a paper ballot, completely darken the oval to the left of the your choice.
- There is at least one touchscreen machine at each voting location. While primarily intended for persons will disabilities, any voter may choose to vote on the touchscreen. It has an audio ballot feature.
- You may vote if you are still in line at 7:00 p.m.
- You have the right to ask for assistance in voting.
- You can receive up to two replacement ballots if you make a mistake.
- If you registration or identity is questions, you have the right to cast a provisional ballot.
- You have the right to written instructions on how to vote, and, upon request, oral instructions by elections officers or any other person.
For a sample Democratic District 5 ballot, click here.
For a sample Republican District 5 ballot, click here.
For a sample nonpartisan District 5 ballot, click here.
Source: Escambia County Voter Guide. Click here to read the entire guide.
Need To Know More About District 5 Candidates Before You Vote?
August 26, 2008
Every District 5 candidate responded to a questionnaire that NorthEscambia.com emailed them last week, except for one school board candidate. You can learn more about each District 5 candiate by clicking on their names below.
School board candidate Robert Tegenkamp did not respond to the questions we emailed to the email address he listed with the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections.
District 5 Commission, Republicans:
District 5 Commission, Democrats:
District 5 School Board:
District 5 ECUA:
Precinct Locations Changes In Molino, Walnut Hill And Cantonment
August 26, 2008
The voting precincts in Molino and Quintette will be in a different location today, and Walnut Hill voters will vote in a local race for the first time in the new location for their precinct.
Voters in Molino will no longer be voting at the Molino Volunteer Fire Department.
Molino’s Precinct 19 has been moved from the fire department to the Barrineau Park Community Center (pictured left) at 6055 Barrineau Park School Road. The new polling location is about four miles from the fire department on Molino Road.
The change was made to better accommodate the large number of voters in the precinct, according the the office of David Stafford, Escambia elections supervisor. There are 3,372 voters in the precinct.
Precinct 36 will move from the Cantonment Fire Department to the Quintette Community Center. The move was made to better accomodate the growing number of voters in the district. There are 2,529 registered voters in the district, according to the Escambia Supervisor of Elections office.
Precinct 11, the Walnut Hill precinct, will once again vote at the Walnut Hill Community Center (pictured above) for the second time today. The precinct was moved from Ernest Ward Middle School early this year for the Presidential Primary. The Walnut Hill precinct has 1,284 registered voters.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today.
Each voter in the changed precincts was mailed a letter explaining the change and providing a map of the new location. Each voter in the three precincts also received a new voter registration card with the updated polling location.
Voters with questions or who would like additional information should contact the Elections Office at 850-595-3900 or soe@EscambiaVotes.com, or visit www.EscambiaVotes.com
Flash Flood Watch Canceled
August 25, 2008
The remains of Tropical Depression Fay are finally moving away from the area. The National Weather Service has canceled a flash flood watch that was in effect for today.
There is still a 50 percent chance of rain for Primary Election Day Tuesday. Tonight’s rain chance drops to 20 percent, and the chance of rain is 40 percent by Wednesday. By the weekend, expect sunny skies and just a slight chance of rain.
Pictured above: The latest National Weather Service radar.
School As Usual On Monday
August 25, 2008
There will be school on Monday in Escambia County.
The Escambia County School District decided Sunday morning that all public schools in the county will be open on Monday. Byrneville Elementary, the only charter school in the area, will also be open on Monday.
School District officials monitored the rain situation and forecast for chances of flooding before making a final determination for school as usual Monday.
Century To Hold Two Public Meetings Monday
August 25, 2008
The Century Town Council will hold two public meetings back to back Monday morning.
The Century Town Council will hold a public hearing Monday 8:50 a.m. at Century Town Hall. The council will be discussing a Community Development Block Grant application workshop to be held in Tallahassee on August 26 and 27.
Afterwards, the Century Town Council will hold a budget workshop at 9:00 Monday morning at Century Tow Hall. The council members and the department supervisors will be meeting with Robert Hudson, the town’s accountant, to discuss the budget for each of their departments.
Both meetings will be open to the public.