Elections to be focus of Oct. 9 CONA meeting

Special election for District 72 House seat to be among topics

Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner. File photo

On Monday, Oct. 9, members of the public are invited to join the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA) for a presentation by Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner, the organization has announced.

Turner “will inform you about how our elections are managed,” a news release says. “A comprehensive overview will be provided, as well as insights into the special election required this fall to replace the state representative who has resigned, the elections regularly scheduled for 2018, and many other election-related topics,” the release adds.

With state Rep. Alex Miller of Sarasota having resigned from the District 72 seat, a special election will be held on Feb. 13, 2018 to replace her; the primary will be on Dec. 5.

The session “also may serve as your introduction” to Turner, the release notes. Elected in November 2016, he began his career with the county elections office as chief of staff, a position he held for five years prior to his election, the release explains. Formerly, he served as executive director of Manatee County Habitat for Humanity, as vice president for governmental issues of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and as deputy chief of staff and district director for U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, the release says. Turner began his public service career, at the age of 23, as a city council member and deputy mayor of the City of Arcadia, and he later served as supervisor of elections in DeSoto County, the release adds.

A native Floridian, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from Eckerd College and a Master of Public Affairs from the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri, the release continues. He also is an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he completed the school’s program for senior executives in state and local government. He is nationally certified as an elections and registration administrator through the Elections Center, the national association of election officials, the release points out.

“Very involved in the community since moving to our county in 2001, he serves as a director of First Step of Sarasota, is a graduate of Leadership Sarasota County, and is a member of the Disabled American Veterans,” the release notes.

A Q&A session will follow Turner’s remarks.

The Sarasota Garden Club is located at 1131 Boulevard of the Arts. It may be reached from the Van Wezel Way intersection with U.S. 41; it is south of the Municipal Auditorium. A social at 6:30 p.m. will precede the meeting, the release notes.

See www.conasarasota.org/meetings.html for more about CONA.