Campaign signs again are sprouting up around the county, as another election season is underway.
This year, though, those signs might have more influence than usual – because the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has significantly limited candidates’ face-to-face interaction and forced them to find new ways to connect with voters.
Those roadside placards, in fact, might be the only obvious sign that the Aug. 18 primaries are just two months away.
So, it’s not too soon to ask: What do you know about the names on those signs? How much do you know about the candidates’ backgrounds, qualifications, and positions on issues? Do you know enough to vote for any of them?
If so – if you’re civic-minded enough to have done the candidate research necessary to become an informed voter – good for you.
Good for them, too – especially the political newcomers working to get their names and messages out in front of the public, which is now emerging from an unprecedented shutdown that prevented candidates from participating in debates, town halls, fundraisers and other campaign gatherings.
For most of the past three months, candidates for local office have been limited to campaigning via social media, paid advertising, direct mailings, personal phone calls and, yes, signage.
“As someone who has never done anything political before, the pandemic has made it difficult to get traction,” said Steve Boyle, one of three candidates seeking Bob Solari’s District 5 County Commission seat. “Fortunately, we’re all in the same boat.”
Well, not exactly.
Incumbents go into the election with the substantial advantage of already being known to voters. The challenges are considerably greater for first-time candidates, who, in many cases, need to introduce themselves to voters before attempting to win them over.
So while Boyle believes the business connections he has made during his nearly three decades as a local real estate appraiser give him the name recognition needed to run for public office – particularly in a race with no incumbent – his opponents are currently serving as the vice mayors of Vero Beach (Laura Moss) and Indian River Shores (Bob Auwaerter).
Auwaerter, who has received Solari’s endorsement, also has served impactful terms on volunteer advisory panels for Vero Beach and the county’s School Board, Metropolitan Planning Organization and Property Appraiser’s Office. Moss is a former Vero Beach mayor.
Both have kept themselves in the public eye and, on occasion, have made headlines, which, for better or worse, has given them greater public notoriety.
Still, Auwaerter said the pandemic has prevented him from having as much face-to-face interaction with voters as he would like – particularly off the barrier island and especially through debates, which he hopes will be rescheduled now that Gov. Ron DeSantis has begun reopening the state and lifting restrictions.
“We’re running a campaign during a pandemic,” Auwaerter said. “There’s no playbook for this.”
Major events that usually provide candidates opportunities to engage with large groups of voters have been canceled or postponed.
Both the Vero Beach Air Show and the county’s Firefighters Fair were canceled because of health concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, as was Vero Beach’s annual Fourth of July celebration. Sebastian’s Independence Day festivities have been postponed until Labor Day weekend.
The loss of those campaign stages, along with social-distancing restrictions that discourage smaller gatherings, has forced those who seek office – including those who’ve run before – to navigate in uncharted waters.
“We can’t be out shaking hands and kissing babies, so we’ve had to figure out different ways to connect with voters,” said retired Fire Rescue Capt. Joe Earman, who is taking a second run at incumbent Tim Zorc’s District 3 seat on the County Commission.
“When the shutdown was at its peak, I think we all leaned more on social media,” he added. “Being in the middle of pandemic, a lot of people were at home, anyway, and many of them were on their computers and phones, so that was a good way to reach them.”
As for name recognition, Earman said he isn’t concerned. He’s a lifelong county resident who served the community for 35 years with the Fire Rescue squad and whose family has lived here for nearly 100 years.
Similarly, former Sebastian High School Principal Peggy Jones is counting on her 40 years in the community and 31 years with the county school district – as well as the campaigning she was able to do before the shutdown – to appeal to voters in her race for the District 3 School Board seat held by its current chairman, Laura Zorc.
“I don’t think I’m at a disadvantage,” Jones said.
If incumbents and previous office holders do hold an advantage, it includes their ability to raise funds for their campaigns. Just ask Brenda Bradley, a political newcomer who is challenging Tax Collector Carole Jean Jordan, one of the most prominent Republicans in a Republican-dominated county.
Bradley, who worked in the Tax Collector’s Office for 14 years and was Jordan’s chief of staff for five years until resigning in November 2016, filed to run 2 ½ years ago and began her campaign immediately. The pandemic, however, slowed her momentum, including her fundraising efforts.
“When you’re a first-time candidate going up against an established, well-connected incumbent, people are reluctant to give you money, anyway, because they fear her wrath,” Bradley said. “Then COVID showed up and everything shut down, and that put me back a bit, too. I figure I’ve gotten all the money I’m going to get, at least for now.”
The shutdown, however, also provided a chance for Bradley to catch her breath after working non-stop on her campaign the past two years and, as she put it, “gear up for the final push.”
The final push, which started with Phase 2 of the governor’s reopening plan, probably will decide several races, particularly the intriguing five-candidate battle to replace Sheriff Deryl Loar.
Three of the five sheriff candidates already hold high-profile positions – Indian River Shores Public Safety Director Rich Rosell, Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry and Sheriff’s Maj. Eric Flowers, the agency’s public information director – but they too have had to adapt to the challenges presented by the pandemic.
“I had some major fundraising events planned, but they all got scrapped when the pandemic hit,” Flowers said, “and you really don’t want to ask people for money at a time of economic uncertainty. So, my campaign strategy had to change.”
Even as the state reopens, candidates won’t be able to resume full-fledged campaigns and abide by social-distancing requirements. Any debates or town halls during the final 10 weeks of the primary season are more likely to be done remotely using video-conferencing systems.
“There’s no question the pandemic has impacted the race, especially how we campaign, but there are some opportunities coming up,” Touchberry said. “A few local groups are planning virtual events for the candidates. There’s still enough time to get our messages out to everyone.”
So, check out those signs, then go online and do your homework and be alert for virtual events. In the middle of a pandemic, that’s the way to become an informed voter.
