Johnston, Romero pledge spirited campaign in mayor run-off election

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Key West Mayor hopeful Teri Johnston had more than a two-to-one advantage over her closest competitor, Margaret Romero, in the Aug. 28 primary election vote totals but Romero is promising a vigorous campaign going into November.

After a recount of Romero’s 1,338 votes the day after the primary – because she came in less than one-half of one percent above third place finisher George Bellenger – Monroe County Election Supervisor Joyce Griffin reported that the vote totals did not change, finalizing Romero’s second place results and pitting her against Johnston, a former Key West Commissioner and current member of the Monroe County Planning Commission.

With all precincts reporting, Johnston garnered 48.88 percent, or 3,077 votes. Romero came in at 21.25 percent, 1,338 votes. Bellenger received 20.81 percent, or 1,310 votes.

Romero, who did not run for a second term as city commissioner of District 5 in order to run for mayor, said her campaign is “really going to step it up” for the Nov. 6 general election. Without the time constraints of her former commission seat, Romero said she will be campaigning full time.

“The differences [between the two candidates] will start to show when we get much deeper into the [campaign issue] details, rather than at the high level where we were talking about concepts,” she said. “I have a much better handle on what can and cannot be done… We have some real financial issues in the city. We’re going to have to prioritize.”

Key West is still struggling to pay for the clean-up of the city after Hurricane Irma last year. The city spent $6.95 million and while the federal government has promised some of that recovery cost will be reimbursed, only about $2 million has been received thus far.

Johnston attributed her large vote margin to her campaign team, saying they were organized and “stayed with me the whole time.” She said she intends to run the exact same campaign going forward, focusing on issues that include how to increase affordable housing and improving the quality of life for residents while keeping local businesses strong at the same time.

Many residents have complained recently that the growth of the tourism industry has negatively impacted their lives by increasing traffic congestion, reducing available street parking and helping send real estate prices sky-high. Johnston said resident needs have to be addressed while recognizing that tourism is the primary economic engine of the city. Johnston was also positive about the fact there will be two new city commissioners; Mary Lou Hoover in District 5 and Greg Davila in District 4, in addition to a new mayor.

“Change is good. The residents of Key West are looking for some improvements in quality of life,” Johnston said, adding that new thought processes on the commission will be good for the city.

In District 5, Hoover easily beat Wally Moore by a 65-35 percent margin. Hoover received 847 votes to Moore’s 453 votes. Moore was disappointed but energized by the campaign experience, saying it was different and fun.

“When we met for the first time, I told Mary Lou I’m here to have a fun, clean race. And we did,” Moore said on election night, urging solidarity. “Without being all one, we’re not going to go forward and we’re not going to succeed.”

Hoover breathe a sign of relief that the campaign was over.

“I’m looking forward to the work. I can honestly say the campaigning wasn’t my favorite part,” she said. “I filed [for the District 5 seat] back in October. This has been a long way for me.”

In District 4, where first-term Commissioner Richard Payne did not seek reelection, attorney Greg Davila won out over Jenn Stefanacci. Davila received a little more than 79 percent of the vote, 983 votes, to Stefanacci’s 21 percent, or 258 votes. Davila called his landslide victory “overwhelming” and said he will immediately begin analyzing the issues impacting residents to “do what we can to make their lives a little easier.”

In other primary races, there will be a run-off election on Nov. 6 for Keys Utility Board Seat D, the newly established seat for Key West, between Robert Barrios and Beth Ramsay-Vickrey. Barrios received just over 39 percent, 3,744 votes, to Ramsay-Vickrey’s 25.5 percent, or 2,448 votes.

On the one ballot question, whether to increase school taxes by up to one-half of one mill to pay for increased security measures at Monroe County schools, the measure passed handily by 60-40 percent, 10,120 votes in favor to 6,736 votes against.

Total vote turn-out in the primary in Monroe County was just under 46 percent, or 17,705 voters who cast ballots.

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