Two more Sumter County Commission incumbents have turned to a Tallahassee consulting firm for re-election help.
Commissioners Al Butler and Don Burgess have joined fellow Commissioner Steve Printz in turning to the Tallahassee political consulting firm of ’96 Consulting as the trio are less than a month from a primary election in which they are all facing aggressive opponents.
Their challengers, like many Sumter County residents, were outraged by last year’s 25 percent tax hike unanimously approved by the Sumter Commission. Printz made the motion for the tax increase.
The trio is spending in excess of $6,000 with the Tallahassee consulting firm which appears to specialize in direct mail campaigns. They are also investing in signage, which is being purchased through out-of-county companies in Leesburg and Ocala.
Burgess, Butler and Printz have leveraged their close connection with the Developer of The Villages to raise campaign cash, having raked in more than $180,000 in contributions from companies known for their contractural business ties to the Morse family.