Three area lawyers are in a hot race to unseat an incumbent judge who is fighting to keep her job. The Aug. 26 race will be determined in part by voters in Sumter, Lake and Marion counties.
The League of Women Voters of the Tri-County Area hosted a judicial meet and greet Saturday afternoon at the Leesburg Public Library. All four judicial candidates for 5th Judicial Circuit Court Group C were present.
Voters will see this non-partisan race on their primary ballots. If none of the four candidates receives more than 50 percent of the vote on Aug. 26, the top two finishers will face each other in November.
The judgeship is based in Inverness and handles predominantly family law cases.
Incumbent Judge Sandy K. Kautz drew a trio of challengers after a Judicial Qualifications Commission investigation recommendation she be  reprimanded by the Florida Supreme Court for inappropriate behavior.
The voters of Sumter, Lake and Marion counties will see four names on the ballot:
• Denise A. Dymond Lyn
• Mary B. Hatcher
• Sandy K. Kautz
• Bo Samargya
The four are competing for a six-year term that pays an annual salary of $146,080.
Kautz was criticized for advocating on behalf of her sister in a domestic violence case. In addition, the Judicial Qualifications Commission has criticized Kautz for expressing anger and frustration in court. She was elected to the seat in 2008 and had previously served as an assistant prosecutor.
Here’s a quick look at the other candidates:
• Denise A. Dymond Lyn runs a law practice in Inverness. She attended law school at the University of Florida. This is her third run for the circuit judgeship.
• Mary B. Hatcher, who attended Stetson University College of Law, started a law practice in Bushnell in 1999. She also spent six years as a senior attorney for the Florida Department of Children and Families.
• Bo Samargya practices in Ocala. He ran for 5th Judicial Circuit public defender against Mike Graves most recently.
In addition to voters in Sumter, Lake and Marion counties, voters in Citrus and Hernando counties will be casting ballots in this race.
You can learn more about the candidates — and candidates in many other races — by consulting the LWV’s online voter’s guide at the link below:
http://lwvtri.org/files/2014_primary_election_voter_guide_2_.docx_to_delete_5th_dca_candidates.pdf
