State and national politics may be cut-throat, but in The Villages it’s downright polite.
Candidates in contested races for Community Development District and Amenity Authority Committee seats presented their cases Tuesday night to about 300 members of the Property Owners Association at Laurel Manor Recreation Center.
And none had a bad word to say about an opponent.
The harshest criticism may have come from Frank Kirschenheiter, who is running against Lowell Barker for the Lady Lake seat on the Amenity Authority Committee.
Kirschenheiter called Barker a “nice guy,” noting that he’s been endorsed by both the POA and the Villages Homeowners Association.
“He’s too nice to ask the tough questions,” Kirschenheiter said.
While they refused to criticize their opponents, the Developer became a foil for some.
“I have no ties to the Developer,” said Peter Pittsburgh, who is running against Clyde Long in CDD 1. “Trust me. No ties.”
In CDD District 6, Russ D’emidio also said he has no ties to the Developer while opponent Donna Kempa stressed the importance of independence.
“I believe there needs to be independence from the Developer on the board,” she said. “But there is not a single day that my husband and I don’t thank the Developer.”
Tom Fetherling, a candidate for the Amenity Authority Committee District 1 against Carl Bell said he will represent Villagers, not the Developer.
The candidates also talked about how their life experiences prepared them to be effective.
Victor Ray, who is running for Seat 3 in CDD District 8 against Dick Wedding, said he is a former Roman Catholic priest who went into the electronics business. Wedding headed several commercial baking firms.
Incumbents like Long cited some of their accomplishments, like getting a bridge to solve a traffic problem near a Morse Boulevard postal station.
Other candidates at the meeting included Marty Rothard, Joseph Schlosser, Ellen Cora, Gerald Knoll, Carol Reichel, Dennis Broedlin, Ann Forrestor, Ray Banks and Duane Johnson.
