Citrus Chronicle
By: Terry Witt (terrywitt@chronicleonline.com)
Published: 01-Sep-2004

County Commission Chairman Josh Wooten easily defeated Zoe McLendon in the District 5 Democratic primary Tuesday and will face Republican Joyce Valentino in the general election

Wooten finished with a winning margin of almost 2,300 votes, while Valentino beat her nearest rival in the Republican primary, Paul Pilny, by 1,049 votes.

Wooten said he believes his experience and knowledge about the inner workings of county government, including the budget, gave him an edge in the campaign.

"I thought we got a very good reception on the campaign trail," said Wooten.

Wooten received 6,349 votes, more than any other county commission candidate in the two primaries. McLendon garnered 4,053 votes.

Valentino received 5,693 votes compared to 4,644 for Pilny. Chuck Carr received 1,825 votes.

Valentino remembered her 27-vote loss to Commissioner Jim Fowler two years ago in the District 4 race and wasn't willing to acknowledge victory until the final precinct result arrived from Sugarmill Woods.

Valentino said she believes the county needs full-time commissioners.

"I think I have the foundation to be a full-time commissioner," she said.

Wooten and Valentino are taking different approaches to the question of whether Suncoast Parkway 2 should be constructed.

Valentino said people have questions about where the parkway would be built and how it might affect water quality, and until they get the answers they won't make up their minds.

Wooten said he believes the parkway will be needed, and he thinks the county should press the state and federal government to complete their studies of the road project.

Wooten said he wants to build a consensus in the community about the parkway and believes he has the knowledge and skills to do that.

Valentino said the biggest issue she ran across during the primary campaign was impact fees. She said people have questions about whether impact fees could affect the ability of young families to buy homes.

Pilny said his wife and his supporters were upset about the defeat, but he said he doesn't personally feel bad about the campaign because he did the best he could and offered voters a good package.

He said he is not a political pundit and has not had time to analyze why he lost. But he said he is ready to move on. He said he has already received an e-mail from someone offering him consulting work in another county.

"We did the best we could. We have nothing to be ashamed of," Pilny said. "The citizens of the county asked me to do this, and I gave it my best shot."