Yesterday, Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford called to say that he was taking a new job with Homeland Security and had sent his resignation letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis. David will be my guest on WCOA this morning at 8:20 a.m.
Soon after our conversation, the supervisor’s office posted this announcement:
Today, David H. Stafford notified Governor DeSantis and Secretary of State Cord Byrd of his intention to pursue a new chapter in public service after 19 years as Supervisor of Elections. Next month, Stafford will join the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as an Election Security Advisor. His last day as Supervisor of Elections will be January 15, 2024.
He has asked the Governor to consider appointing his Chief Deputy Supervisor, Sonya Daniel, to fill the final year of his term. A link to the letter can be found here.
Why this matters: David Stafford has run Escambia County’s elections for nearly 20 years. He lived up to the high standards of his predecessors – Bonnie Jones (1984-2004) and Joe Oldmixon (1942-1984). Our elections have run smoothly and without any blemishes. Escambia voters have always had confidence in our election process.
Dig Deeper: Only three people have held the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections since 1948. The individual elected to replace Stafford will likely serve two decades.
Gov. DeSantis will appoint someone to the post who will manage the 2024 election cycle. Stafford would like his chief deputy supervisor, Sonya Daniel, to get the appointment, but the governor doesn’t have to accept that recommendation.
Whoever is appointed will face election next. Here are the names bouncing around last night, but I expect more people to file:
* Rep. Michelle Salzman went on Facebook to promote former State Rep. Dave Murzin, who heads her political action committee. Murzin is a consultant to First Place Partners.
* Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender has expressed interest in the position. He will be my guest on WCOA on Thursday at 7:45 a.m. He is serving in his second term on the county commission.
* Former Mayor Grover Robinson is another person mentioned. He served on the Escambia County Commission for 12 years. He is the associate vice president of government and community relations for Pensacola State College.
Remember Rep Salzman statement concerning the residents living near the dump that was killing them, she stated ” They did not vote for me, therefore I am not going to get involved with cleaning up that dump.”””” Is this the type of person we want to recommended the next person uncharge of Voting???????????
The news of this shook our household hard. Couldn’t even count the number of times we’ve said “thank God we’ve got David Stafford during this mess.”
But then we’ve also said on the heels of it, “How long is any decent person gonna want to subject themselves to dealing with the chaos the GOP is bringing down on Florida Elections.” Was therefore really happy to hear he’s going to be a guardian angel a step above. We need good ones there, as well.
Doesn’t make me any less worried about what DeSantis’s team will get up to with plugging the vacancy, however. If for whatever reason they don’t honor Mr. Stafford’s wishes with appointing the obvious best person for his replacement, Commissioner Bender would be a great choice for that role. As much as I’d hate to see him leave the dais during a time his leadership is needed there as well, this election requires an objective person with a lot of experience in real world numbers. Robert would seem like the most natural fit, if Chief Deputy Daniel isn’t selected for whatever reason.
Hopefully, though, the governor’s team will allow some stability in a transition of this nature for a change of pace, and honor Mr. Stafford’s recommendation. Lord knows he has at least earned that amount of respect for his 20 years of deploying the utmost integrity in his office, and his spotless apolitical service to our treasured right to vote.