DeLand, FL – A policy change made during Thursday’s Volusia County Council meeting could lead to more county workers running for elected office.
Council members approved a new ordinance tweaking the county’s “Resign To Run” policy so that Volusia employees can run for an open seat without having to give up their job first.
The ordinance originally passed by a 5-2 vote during the morning session. District 4’s Doug Daniels and District 5’s Fred Lowry were the “no” votes.
An amendment proposed by Daniels during the afternoon session passed by a 6-1 vote. County employees can now run for any public office without having to resign. Lowry was the only “no” vote.
Prior to this, anyone who wanted to run for any elected office in Volusia was barred from having other county employment during the campaign. Any employee that runs for office can’t campaign while on the clock and has to take a 15-day leave of absence just before Election Day.
During an interview on Tuesday’s Marc Bernier Show on WNDB, Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson pushed for the VCC to approve the new ordinance, saying that it would encourage more of his high-ranking deputies to run for Sheriff this November.
Johnson – who retired briefly as a lieutenant from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office in 1998 before running for Sheriff and winning the first of 4 straight terms in 2000 – says it’s not right that internal employees face that kind of restriction when the seat is coming open, especially since it gives outsiders an advantage.
Johnson announced earlier this month that he wouldn’t run for Sheriff again. Current Volusia County Property Appraiser Morgan Gilreath announced his retirement last May and Supervisor of Elections Ann McFall also won’t be on the ballot again this November due to term limits.
Copyright 2016 Southern Stone Communications.