Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/341318
While other board hopefuls such as Marsh and Paul Schafer have criticized Gov. Rick Scott for appointing candidate Bridget Ziegler to temporarily replace Todd, Hodges says he wasn't surprised. "Anybody who didn't see that coming just wasn't paying atten- tion," he adds. Ziegler's husband, Christian Ziegler, is the former executive director of the Republican Party of Sarasota County. While Ziegler doesn't have the experience for the job, Hodges says, ultimately, "That's going to be up to the voters." COMPLAINT FILED AGAINST SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS Why didn't School Board candidate Geoffrey Fisher, fired up in opposition to the education standards popularly known as Common Core, qualify for the election? A one-minute differ- ence in clocks, he says. And he adds that he's filed a complaint with the Florida Elections Commission (FEC) making just that point. According to a letter that Fisher says was later notarized and addressed to the exec- utive director of the FEC, Fisher arrived at the office of Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent right at noon on June 20, the exact deadline to pay the fee needed to qualify for the election. But while a "baby grandfather clock" that was "behind the counter" read noon exactly, a staffer indi- cated the clock on the computer read 12:01 p.m. — i.e., too late to qualify. Despite pro- testing, Fisher was denied the opportunity to enter the race. Fisher blamed his lateness on a busted eleva- tor. His letter also claims that the definition of noon "is difficult to nail down anyway," cit- ing the fact that "solar noon" occurred at 1:32 p.m. on the day in question. Citing commission policy, the FEC could nei- ther confirm nor deny it had even received Fisher's complaint, nor could it comment on the issue. Dent did not respond to a message asking whether Fisher's version of events is accurate. But whatever happens with the complaint, for now, Fisher's out. He had jumped into the race because of his strong opposition to Common Core, which has been tweaked and replaced in Florida with what is known as the Florida Standards. He told the News Leader the stan- dards focus too much on abstract concepts for younger students and are simply too easy for older students. % Someone you know needs Planned Parenthood • Lifesaving cancer screenings • Parent & teen education • Annual GYN exams • Birth control Planned Parenthood Of Southwest And Central Florida • Sarasota 941-953-4060 • MyPlannedParenthood.org Sarasota News Leader July 4, 2014 Page 62