Jeff Ates took control of the Santa Rosa County District 2 County Commission race from the get go and never looked back in securing the Republican Party Primary victory, and a Nov. 3 showdown with write-in candidate John Williams.
Incumbent Kerry Smith had a disappointing night. He finished fifth in a six person race.
Unofficial voting totals show that with all precincts counted, Ates had pulled down 6,073 votes, giving him a 1,592 vote lead over Jeff Snow, a former Milton City Councilman for whom 4,481 votes were cast.
Reni “Renee” Johnmeyer was sitting in third place with 3,827 votes and Erin Nisewonger finished fourth with 3,589 ballots cast for her. Smith had 3,425 votes and RC Pittman 1,608.
Ates had 26.40% of the 23,003 total votes cast.
Ates led from the outset, capturing 2,224 early and mail in votes to build an early lead over Snow and the rest of the field. It looked at that time like a long night for the incumbent. He captured 1,600 early and mail in votes to trail Ates by more than 600 votes.
Ates had run on experience that included 30 years of involvement in environmental projects which he said allowed him to gain a reputation as a problem solver.
“I have established relationships with civil engineers, environmental scientists, specialists and infrastructure planners. These relationships are invaluable when planning, designing and building the systems that our communities rely on each day,” said in response to a Pensacola News Journal questionnaire.
Ates said he sees his role as a county commissioner as managing the quality of life within the county. Commissioners are charged with budgeting, protecting citizens’ rights, overseeing public safety services, supporting first responders, career opportunities, protecting county environmental resources and managing the economic impact of the military.
Smith had come under fire during his four years on the County Commission for a tendency to speak his mind that ruffled the feathers of some of those who had supported him during his first run. They accused him of having failed to live up to campaign promises made while running for office the first time and he said some of Santa Rosa County’s most vocal residents had been angered when he failed to do their bidding.
He said after the votes were counted that he actually felt somewhat relieved to be done with the political rat race.
“It’s all good. Actually I feel pretty relieved,” he said. “The hate involved in all this stuff is just crazy.”
He said he feels good about what he was able to accomplish in four years in office.
“I got a lot of stuff done, a lot of stuff accomplished,” he said.
Smith ran on a record holding some notable successes, despite what his critics have said.
He contends that in his four years the Santa Rosa County Commission has acted to rein in what before his time had been a free-for-all for subdivision developers. The county has embarked on construction of an East Milton Wastewater Treatment plant that will have the capacity to serve the fast growing business development sector along State Road 87 as well new homes coming to the area.
He said the county has made infrastructure a priority and his role in establishing impact fees to force developers to help pay for new development was forged through compromise.
He said his effort to reach Ates to congratulate him was not initially successful.
This trip down the District 2 campaign trail was reminiscent of the 2022 and 2024 county races with the themes of unbridled development overwhelming existing infrastructure, county commissioners ignoring their constituents and even developer influence all once again in play.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Jeff Ates wins Santa Rosa Commission Republican primary, ousting Kerry Smith
Reporting by Tom McLaughlin, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tom McLaughlin, Pensacola News Journal | USA TODAY Network
