Amenity Authority Committee incumbent Ann Forrester has harnessed possibly her most vulnerable issue this election and turned it into a strength.
The AAC for nearly a year wrestled with the fate of the old El Santiago Club restaurant building. In several raucous meetings, residents angrily demanded that a restaurant be returned to the building that sat vacant for nearly two years.
But AAC members ultimately concluded that the business climate wouldn’t favor a restaurant there. So they voted to put a sorely needed full-service recreation center in that location.
Rather than run away from that painful memory, Forrester has tackled it head on.
At Thursday’s League of Women Voters’ candidate meet-and-greet, Forrester set up her El Santiago “dog and pony show.”
It shows the architect’s drawings for the planned recreation center and the layout of the building.
“I set this up at the postal stations,” Forrester said. “I want people to know exactly what they are getting.”
And when they see it, she said, they like it.
She faces a challenge from Marty Rothbard who formerly served on AAC. Rothard did not run four years ago. (It was initially reported by Villages-News that Forrester beat Rothbard four years ago, but Forrester contacted Villages-News.com to set the record straight.)
The AAC and Community Development District contests are unique. There are no large advertising budgets. Candidates do things the old-fashioned way. They talk to constituents.
Incumbent CDD 5 Supervisor Jerry Knoll is focusing on a tried-and-true strategy of talking to residents at postal stations. He has already done this at the postal stations at Winifred, Belvedere, Bonnybrook, Ashland, Lynnhaven, Bridgeport at Lake Miona, Liberty Park, Poinciana and Sunset Pointe.
“Now I am on Round 2,” he said.
His opponent, Carolyn Reichel is trying to make contact with people at their homes.
“If I see people out, I got up and say hello,” she said.
Of course, an undertone in the election is the influence of the Villages Homeowners Association and the Property Owners Association.
You can read about the VHA endorsements at the link below:
http://villages-news.com/villages-homeowners-association-unveils-aac-cdd-endorsements/
You can read about the POA endorsements at the link below:
http://villages-news.com/aac-candidate-lowell-barker-picks-endorsement-poa/
Some candidates, like CDD 1 incumbents Clyde Long and Ellen Cora scored endorsements from both associations.
Of course, having ties to churches or social groups can be beneficial to candidates.
CDD 6 incumbent Russ D’Emidio belongs to the Loud Boys which will be hosting one of the largest blood drives in the area on Saturday. (You can read about that event at this link http://villages-news.com/bobby-villela-loud-boys-remember-late-friend-blood-drive/.)
His opponent Donna Kempa features a compelling companion in her campaign literature, her dog Parson. He is a retired guide dog.
“Everybody loves him,” she said.
The League of Women Voters of the Villages/Tri-County Area has an extensive voters guide. It features the candidates for AAC and CDDs.
You can access the voters guide at the link below:
