Judge Paul Militello easily retained his seat on the Sumter County bench by defeating attorney Ed Lynum in Tuesday’s Primary Election.
Militello, who has held the seat since being appointed by Gov. Rick Scott in 2016 to replace the retiring Judge Thomas Skidmore, received 20,610 votes (55.85 percent), while Lynum, whose father was once served as chief of police in Wildwood, tallied 11,555 votes (31.31 percent).
Militello carried 24 of the 26 Sumter County precincts, including all of the ones in The Villages. The only precincts where Lynum gathered more votes were in Wildwood and Royal.
Militello, 53, recently held two meet-and-greets in The Villages to speak with voters. The first was at Belle Glade Country Club, followed by a similar gathering at Evans Prairie Country Club. And he also took part in a recent forum sponsored by The Villages/Tri-County Chapter of the League of Women Voters.
Militello drew a large crowd at the Evans Prairie event and said he “was humbled” that so many people wanted to speak with him.
“I’ve enjoyed getting out and meeting people, because I get to meet folks that I don’t normally see in the courthouse or in my courtroom,” Militello said. “And I’m not the most extroverted person, so this has been really good.”
Militello added that he believes it’s important to meet and talk with area residents.
“They should meet the person who works for them,” he said. “I want to get out and let people be able to ask me questions and talk to me.”
Militello said many of those in attendance at Evans Prairie had promised to vote for him. And he offered his thoughts on why he believed he should retain his seat on the bench.
“I follow the law. I swore an oath to defend the Constitution,” he said. “I’m not in the courtroom to make law. I’m there to basically follow the law that’s in the books.”
As for how he has run and will continue to run his courtroom, Militello said it’s about being fair and showing respect for everyone involved.
“The judge is like an umpire in a baseball game. You’ve got to call balls and strikes,” he said. “Part of it is listening to both sides – giving both sides an opportunity to be heard.”
