VERO BEACH — Former Vero City Councilman Brian Heady has filed and qualified to run for County Commission as a nonpartisan candidate, closing the Aug. 30 Republican primary for the District 5 race.
Heady, 69, who ran unsuccessfully for the office in 2012, said he wants to make the Republican victor work much harder for the $60,000-plus-benefits job. He joins incumbent Bob Solari and challenger Jay Kramer in the race.
“Whichever one of them wins, they’re going to have to run two whole campaigns,” Heady said.
So far, Solari has amassed a $109,000 campaign war chest and spent $25,000, with Vero Mayor Kramer having raised $34,000 and spent about $8,000.
A Vero resident since 1989 who worked in construction management in the Northeast and who has recently served in various capacities with nonprofit groups, Heady said he changed his registration from Republican to no party affiliation to run in November.
“Local politics is not about partisanship, it’s about people,” Heady said. “I don’t see the local Republican Party as being very inclusive.”
District 5 encompasses the City of Vero Beach, the south barrier island and Indian River Shores, but voters throughout the county elect members of the Board of County Commissioners.
