Don’t let the term “primary” fool you. In the Florida Keys this year, most political races will be decided in the Aug. 18 primary, and one need not be a registered Republican or Democrat to vote in the countywide elections for school board, county commission, mosquito control and judges. (See page 4 for details on the Key West races, and page 28 for a rundown of the uncontested races that were decided on June 12.)

Hometown, a countywide, nonprofit voter education group, drew nearly 200 interested voters to its June 12 Meet the Candidates event at Tennessee Williams Theatre in Key West, where each candidate had three minutes to speak. 

Here is a rundown of the countywide races and candidates who attended the Hometown event.

County Commission, District 2

Business owner George Lopez is challenging incumbent County Commissioner Michelle Lincoln for the District 2 seat that Lincoln has held for eight years. 

County commissioners and candidates must live in the district they seek to represent, but are elected by all voters in Monroe County, no matter where the voter lives. 

George Lopez

“My platform is basically affordability, transparency and accountability,” Lopez told the Hometown audience. “I’ll push for policies that put full-time, permanent residents first. I support Governor DeSantis’ tax relief proposal….” Lopez criticized plans by the College of the Florida Keys to install a career training center on Big Pine Key’s abandoned prison property that would enable residents to obtain a commercial driving license (CDL) without having to travel to the mainland.

“Why are we putting a CDL on Big Pine Key?” Lopez said. “There’s two on the mainland. Drive three hours and get it.”

Michelle Lincoln 

Seeking her third term, Lincoln emphasized the importance of local businesses, their workers and families as the backbone of the community.

“As a county commission, we’ve supported our parks, beaches and libraries so our families have a good quality of life. I am very proud of the work our county commission has done. We had the lowest millage rate in the state last year and we lowered our budget by over $40 million without jeopardizing the services that are so important to our families and residents,” she said, “This is my full-time job. I work every single day and I answer my phone on weekends. You all are my boss and I ask that you hire me for another four years.”

School board, District 1

All five school board members are elected by all voters in the county.

In District 1, retired superintendent Theresa Axford is challenging incumbent school board member, attorney and Key West native Darren Horan, who is seeking his second term. Axford did not attend the Hometown event due to her granddaughter’s graduation.

Darren Horan

Horan said he believes in Superintendent Ed Tierney. “I want to support him and his vision,” Horan said. “The second reason I’m running is because it only costs a million dollars a year to feed all our kids breakfast and lunch. Our inmates get three square meals a day, but our kids don’t,” he said. “I will figure out a way to make sure our kids are fed at no cost to them and no cost to you.”

School board, District 5

Chelyn Shaw is challenging incumbent Sue Woltanski for the District 5 school board seat in the Upper Keys. 

Chelyn Shaw

“I’m running because I believe parents, students, teachers and taxpayers should have a seat at the table, and I don’t feel that they do right now. … My priorities are parents, students, teachers and accountability,” said Shaw, a 22-year Key Largo resident who said she has taught Sunday school and scuba diving for 30 years. She criticized the policy that limits public comments to three minutes per person per topic at school board meetings. 

“I want to bring accountability and communication back and I want a merit-based pay for teachers,” she said.

Sue Woltanski

“I am a public education advocate and my goal is simple — to ensure every child can attend a safe and high-quality public school,” said Woltanski, a retired pediatrician seeking her third and final term on the school board. She echoed Horan’s support of Tierney.

“Our graduation rates are up. Our absenteeism is down and our students now have more access to the arts, field trips, advanced academics and to career and technical programs,” she said. “Our teachers are among the highest paid in the state; our vacancies are low and we’re preparing to break ground on innovative housing for our teachers.”

Woltanski said she’d like to see students “spend more time actively engaged in learning and less time on screens and I think students should spend less time preparing for standardized tests and more time preparing for life.”

Stay tuned to the Keys Weekly in the coming weeks for information about the U.S. House, mosquito control and judicial races.