The first of what may be several candidates to succeed longtime Leon County Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho filed his campaign paperwork Monday morning. The candidate is no stranger to the local elections office and Sancho says, in the 27 years he’s been supervisor, this is the first candidate endorsement he’s made.
“But I think that as the supervisor of elections, I have a responsibility to my community to let people know who I think is the most qualified candidate. And I underline the term ‘qualified’,” Sancho said.
Sancho believed the person who meets that definition is his Voting Systems Manager Mark Earley, who insisted he wouldn’t simply be a clone of his boss.
“You need something a whole lot different than Ion Sancho 2.0,” Earley said after filing his paperwork. “We’ve had a great track record here, but certainly I’m not going to be exactly like Ion.”
Earley becomes the first candidate to succeed Sancho, who’s been in office since 1989. So far, the only other person who’s spoken publicly about a possible run is District Eight State Representative Alan Williams, although he says he hasn’t made up his mind.
