Lee County Referendum on Commissioner Elections

IN NOVEMBER. VOTERS IN LEE COUNTY WILL DECIDE THE FATE OF A REFERENDUM THAT COULD DRAMATICALLY CHANGE HOW COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ARE ELECTED GOING FORWARD. JOINING ME NOW FOR A CLOSER LOOK IS WGCU HOST AND REPORTER JOHN DAVIS AND JOHN, FIRST OF ALL, CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW LEE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ARE ELECTED CURRENTLY AND THEN IF THE REFERENDUM DOES INDEED PASS HOW THAT WOULD CHANGE THE PROCESS MOVING FORWARD. >> SURE. SO RIGHT NOW, LEE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, THEY HAVE TO LIVE IN THIS SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICTS THAT THEY'RE RUNNING TO REPRESENT. BUT THEY'RE VOTED ON BY EVERY VOTER IN THE COUNTY, REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY LIVE. THAT'S THE AT-LARGE SYSTEM. THE MODEL THAT THIS REFERENDUM PROPOSES CHANGING TOO, AS THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WOULD ONLY BE ELECTED BY VOTERS WHO LIVE WITHIN THE GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES OF THAT DISTRICT. >> HOW DOES THIS SYSTEM THAT WE USE IN LEE COUNTY COMPARED TO THE OTHER 66 COUNTIES IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA? >> WELL, IT'S INTERESTING. MOST COUNTIES IN FLORIDA, 40 OF THEM ACTUALLY HAVE THE OUT LARGE SYSTEM THAT LEE COUNTY HAS NOW 20 OF THOSE COUNTIES. AND THEY TEND TO BE THE LARGER ONES LIKELY HAVE THIS SINGLE MEMBER VOTING DISTRICTS SYSTEM. AND THEN THERE ARE 7 COUNTIES THAT HAVE SOME KIND OF MIXTURE OF THE 2 WERE. SOME COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ARE VOTED ON JUST WITHIN THE GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES OF THEIR DISTRICT. AND THEN THERE MIGHT BE ONE OR 2 THAT ARE VOTED ON OUT LARGE. I THINK ABOUT HOW WE ELECT LEE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS BUT IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT LEE COUNTY WITH MORE THAN 860,000 RESIDENTS IS THE LARGEST COUNTY IN FLORIDA TO STILL HAVE THIS AT LARGE SYSTEM. >> NOW, HOW DID LEE COUNTY BECOME THE LARGEST COUNTY TO STILL USE THIS MODEL >> WELL, THAT'S WHAT'S INTERESTING. WHAT THIS REFERENDUM IS PROPOSING TO DO WOULD ACTUALLY BE RETURNING LEE COUNTY TO THE SYSTEM. WE USED TO ELECT COUNTY COMMISSIONERS BACK WHEN LEE COUNTY WAS FIRST FOUNDED IN 18. 87. AND THAT SYSTEM REMAINED IN PLACE UNTIL THE STATE LEGISLATURE PASSED A LAW IN 1951. REQUIRING LEE COUNTY TO CHANGE HOW IT ELECTS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND THIS MORROW WAS SPECIFIC TO LEE COUNTY AND IT MAY COME AS NO SURPRISE. THAT WAS PROMPTED BY A POLITICAL SCANDAL TO AUDI LEE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS LEON SMITH. AN ADMIN CAME HAD BEEN ACCUSED OF EMBEZZLEMENT. THE GOVERNMENT GOVERNOR AT THE TIME FOR WARREN SUSPENDED THEM. AND THEN THE LEGISLATURE SUBSEQUENTLY CHANGE THE METHOD THROUGH THAT LAW. THAT LAW TOOK EFFECT IN 1952. AND SO THAT'S THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE BEEN UNDER SINCE 1952. NOW THERE HAVE BEEN EFFORTS GOING BACK DECADES THROUGH THEIR COUNTY LIKE CHARTER REVIEW PROCESS, WHICH HAPPENS PERIODICALLY TO CHANGE BACK TO A SINGLE MEMBER VOTING SYSTEM. BUT THOSE EFFORTS HAVE ALL FAILED. SO PROPONENTS OF THIS IDEA THEN DECIDED TO HOLD CIRCUMVENT THE CHARTER REVIEW PROCESS. THEY APPEALED TO THE LEGISLATURE. STATE REPRESENTATIVE MIKE GIALLOMBARDO SPONSORED A BILL IN 2025. PAST GOVERNOR DESANTIS SIGNED IT INTO LAW AND WHILE THAT BILL DID WAS SAY, LET THE VOTERS DECIDE IN 2026. THAT'S HOW WE GOT WHERE WE ARE NOW. >> NOW ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT. >> WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROS AND THE CONS THAT VOTERS MIGHT WANT TO THINK OF AS THEY HEAD TO THE POLLS REGARDING THIS. >> SO I I THINK THE BIGGEST ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MAKING THIS CHANGE IS THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN A DISTRICT SHOULD CHOOSE WHO THEIR COMMISSIONER IS GOING TO BE, BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD INSTANCES, MANY INSTANCES ACTUALLY WHERE THE COMMISSIONER, THE PERSON WHO WON THE MAJORITY OF VOTES OF PEOPLE WITHIN THE DISTRICT DIDN'T ACTUALLY END UP WINNING THE RACE BECAUSE AGAIN, EVERY REGISTERED VOTER IN THE COUNTY GETS TO HAVE A SAY THAT HAPPENED IN THE 2024 GOP PRIMARY IN THE DISTRICT 5 RACE WHERE AMANDA COCHRAN LOST TO MIKE GREENWELL DESPITE WINNING LIKE 62% OF THE VOTE WITHIN THE DISTRICT. OF AT THE COCHRANE JUST RECENTLY WON HER AUGUST PRIMARY AND SHE'S GOING TO BE SWORN IN NOVEMBER. BUT THAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN LIKE 14 OF 23 PASSES. LEE COUNTY COMMISSION RACES. IT THE CURRENT SYSTEM WE HAVE NOW, IT CERTAINLY SHAPES THE COMMISSION. ANOTHER MAJOR ARGUMENT IS THAT IT WOULD MAKE REPRESENTATION MORE RESPONSIVE TO LOCAL CONCERNS BECAUSE ELECTED OFFICIALS WOULD HAVE A STRONGER INCENTIVE TO LISTEN CLOSELY TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS. AND IT WOULD ALSO JUST LOWER THE COSTS OF RUNNING A COUNTY COMMISSION CAMPAIGN BECAUSE INSTEAD OF HAVING TO APPEAL, DO YOU KNOW MORE THAN 860,000 PEOPLE? YOU'RE JUST HAVING TO APPEAL TO THE VOTERS WITHIN YOUR DISTRICTS AND IT CAN ALSO POTENTIALLY CREATE A MORE DIVERSE POLITICAL REPRESENTATION ON THE COMMISSION. AND THIS REALLY GOES BACK TO THE FACT THAT THE SYSTEM, LEE COUNTY HAS NOW WAS ADOPTED WITH THE AND WHAT WAS THE JIM CROW ERA I'M NOT SAYING THAT THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY OR EXPLICITLY IN THIS CASE. WILEY COUNTY ADOPTED THIS SYSTEM TO DISENFRANCHISE BLACK VOTERS. BUT THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL HISTORICAL AND LEGAL EVIDENCE. THE OVERALL AT-LARGE ELECTIONS HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN USED IN THE SOUTH TO DILUTE CLOCK VOTING POWER. AND SO THAT IS AN ARGUMENT THAT WE HEAR FROM FOLKS LIKE MATT CALDWELL, FORMER STATE LAWMAKER CURRENT TIME PROPERTY APPRAISER FOR LEE COUNTY. NOW THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST IT ARE ALSO VERY COMPELLING. THEY'RE SAYING EVERY COMMISSIONER REPRESENTS THE ENTIRE COUNTY AND THOSE EVERY VOTER SHOULD HAVE A VOICE IN ELECTING THEM. AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT THAT, THERE'S SOME TRUTH BEHIND THAT. THEY MIGHT ONLY LIVE IN A SPECIFIC DISTRICT, BUT THEY'RE VOTING ON THINGS THAT AFFECT THE ENTIRE COUNTY. LIKE WHAT THE MILEAGE RATES GOING TO BE ON PROPERTY TAXES THAT YEAR OR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, ALL MANNER OF THINGS THEY SAY IT COULD ALSO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN ONLY VOTE IN ONE OF 5 COMMISSION DISTRICTS THAT REDUCES VOTER POWER, IT REDUCES VOTERS ABILITY TO HOLD EVERY MEMBER ON THAT COMMISSION ACCOUNTABLE. ULTIMATELY, LEE COUNTY VOTERS ARE GOING TO SIDE AND IF THIS PASSES, IT'S GOING TO HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON HOW WE ELECT COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COME 2028. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. JOHN