Guest Column: Trued could save us over one million dollars

By: Dawson Roebig
St Augustine, Florida

According to interviews from the St. Johns Supervisor of Elections Office and elections experts, John Thrasher’s potential re-election may result in a special election that will cost citizens of District 6 over a million dollars; since on September 23rd, he was selected to be the next president of Florida State University.

The political community estimates that this special election will be incredibly costly for taxpayers in District 6. In a recent article published by the St. Augustine Record, St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections, Vicky Oakes, has estimated that a special election would cost over $330,000 for St. Johns County, alone.

“Thrasher’s political maneuver will not only hurt citizens financially, but it misleads voters,” Kathleen Trued, Thrasher’s opponent, told local Historic City News reporters about these recent developments. “If you are not going to serve the citizens your name should not be on the ballot.”

Regardless, Thrasher has decided to continue his run as a Republican candidate for State Senate until officially ratified by the Board of Governors. If Thrasher is elected and ratified as FSU President, he will not serve his term in the Florida Senate; requiring a special election.

Jerry Holland, an elections expert, reported staggering numbers for the entirety of District 6 in a story published by WJAX- TV (ActionNewsJax.Com) In the article, Mr. Holland stated, “I’ll tell you these special elections are very expensive.” He continued by offering his estimate, saying, “Four counties, other potential races, easily over a million dollars.”

Trued, who is running as a Democrat, told Historic City News editor Michael Gold that to her, it seems wrong for Thrasher to continue to seek office when he has no intention of ever serving.

“If I am elected as State Senator, I promise to serve a full term in office,” Trued added. “I will also work across party lines to tackle our most challenging problems.”

Dawson Roebig is the campaign manager for the Kathleen Trued for Florida State Senate District 6 campaign. The candidate has approved and paid for this message to be published.