A Villager has withdrawn from a Republican contest to oust an incumbent Sumter County commissioner.
Charles Kasner, of the Village of Dunedin, has withdrawn from the GOP contest against Sumter County Commission Chairman Steve Printz. Kasner’s departure leaves two other challengers in the race, Villagers Oren Miller and Daniel Myslakowski.
Kasner said he decided to withdraw from the primary field because it is too crowded.
“I have only one goal – to throw the bums out,” Kasner said of the commission incumbents, including Printz.
In an interview this past September, Kasner told Villages-News.com he had gotten into the race because he was “appalled” at the commission’s decision last year to raise property taxes by 25 percent.
He now feels a crowded field could tip the race to Printz.
Meanwhile, Myslakowski is trumpeting the fact he has collected 975 petition signatures that will put him on the ballot. The Village of Lake Deaton resident said he shook hands with about 1,500 voters in the process of collecting those signatures.
“The vast majority of people I spoke with are very upset with the 25 percent tax increase in Sumter County! They expressed to me that they feel The Villages is not what it was six years ago and since Gary Morse died things are heading in the wrong, negative direction. They feel the Developer’s kids are very greedy,” Myslakowski said.
Printz, along with Commission incumbents Al Butler and Don Burgess, are widely viewed as the Developer’s candidates.
The GOP primary will be held Aug. 18. The general election is set for Nov. 3.
