Deb Butterfield, who is running for Sumter County Commissioner District 1, shares her candidate profile:
I am Deb Butterfield, a lifelong, fiscally conservative Republican.
I am originally from Valparaiso Indiana where I was elected to the City Council, served on the Plan Commission and Park Boards as well as many other community boards. I served on the regional board of, and was later appointed by the Indiana Governor to serve on the State’s Ivy Tech Community College Board of Trustees. I was the President & CEO of two chambers of commerce in Indiana, which included economic development and public policy responsibilities.
In 2008, I started my own successful marketing and communications company and have worked with clients ranging from not-for-profits, business, and government.
In 2012 I came to the Villages when I purchased a small retail business in Colony Plaza, which I sold in 2016. After I sold the business, I became the independent editor and writer for the monthly POA Bulletin, a publication whose mission is to inform residential property owners with factual information about issues relevant to their property values and quality of life. This is a contracted role and I have no voting or board privileges with the POA.
From 2018-2022 I was the full-time caregiver for my mother, who had Parkinson’s disease. After her passing in 2022 I realized I once again had the time and the desire to serve my community in a broader sense by running for Sumter County Commissioner.
I did not come out of retirement to run for Commissioner. Nor was I recruited and funded with tens of thousands of dollars by the Villages Developer and his associated construction and contractor businesses. I do not rest on the laurels of my past. I feel called to community service and I have the experience, the knowledge, and the energy. I consider myself a public servant, not a politician.
I decided to run, because finally, in the last four years, I believe the county is back on the right track. Sumter County residents remember when, in 2019, the County Commissioners raised property taxes 25%. Now, just four years later, not only has the increase in the millage rate been erased, for the second year in a row, Sumter County residents will enjoy its lowest millage rate ever.
I think we all want a Sumter County where everyone can reach their fullest potential. People and businesses that can flourish and enjoy the very special quality of life that exists in all parts of our county – The Villages, the rural landscape, the lakes, the small-town, as some call it, “old Florida” aesthetic; a place that is safe; a place with high quality services provided in a fiscally efficient manner.
I have been immersed in local government issues in The Villages and Sumter County for eight years. I have attended hundreds of Villages District and Sumter County Commission meetings in that time, and I have been challenged to research and understand the issues in order to write articles that provide facts to the residents.
Over the last several years I have gone to county commission meetings and workshops. I attended every meeting of the Ad Hoc committee that ultimately led to the separation of the Sumter County and Villages Public Safety departments. I rarely miss a meeting of the new Villages Public Safety Department Dependent District, over which the Commissioners maintain budget approval. Since I filed to run, I have attended city council meetings in Bushnell, Webster, and Coleman. I have met with residents from Lake Panasoffkee recently about an issue of concern to them.
Being a commissioner requires someone who has the strength and integrity to do the right thing and to tell the truth, even when it is not popular. I’ve learned the challenges and the attributes.
I have put in the time, and I am ready to hit the ground running on
Day 1.
My pledge to all citizens of Sumter County is that I will:
- Work to keep taxes low.
- Work with and listen to every citizen.
- Balance the interests of residents and business.
- And make decisions that will maintain a high quality of life for everyone.
I stand by my principals of Fairness, Integrity and Truth. And I respectfully ask for your vote on August 20.
-Deb Butterfield
