Launch early campaigns for constitutional office
Nearly 17 months before 2012 General Election a pair of Key West public servants have publicly announced their intention to run for Monroe County Supervisor of Elections. Harry Sawyer, who has held the office since 1988, has stated that he does not plan to seek a seventh term.
His deputy supervisor, Rosalyn Joyce Griffin is a democrat who has been with Monroe County’s Supervisor of Elections since Wm. Freeman was in charge of the office 27 years ago and hopes to replace her boss when the constitutional officers take office in January 2013.
She would face any democratic challengers in the August 2012 primary election before taking on the republican candidate in November.
This past Wednesday afternoon, Key West Commissioner Barry Gibson made his candidacy official when he filed his paperwork at the elections office.
Gibson moved to the Keys nearly 30 years ago and began his professional career as a teller with Marine Bank. By the time he purchased Shades of Key West, Gibson had achieved the title of Monroe County President for First Union Bank.
“I respect the democratic process and understand its importance,” said Gibson. In 2007, Gibson won a runoff after a single vote forced a runoff and says his platform will center on increasing voter registration and ensuring the office runs efficiently as budgets grow increasingly tighter.
Griffin said her campaign will focus on maintaining the stringent standards set by her predecessors and integrating new technologies.
“We are going to have to replace the touch screen and find a machine that still maintains the integrity and secrecy for a disabled voter,” she said. “That is our constitutional rights – to vote in secrecy.”
