Two weeks of jockeying by some of those interested in running for the District 4 seat on the Pinellas County Commission — the seat currently held by Susan Latvala, who has said she will not seek a fourth term – has made this race only marginally more clear.
A poll commissioned by this blog showed that Dunedin mayor Dave Eggers is the preliminary frontrunner in District 4, followed by former County Commissioner Neil Brickfield, and then attorney Brian Aungst, dentist Johnny Johnson, and attorney Lauralee Westine, the wife of Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.
Brickfield and Johnson had announced they were running for the seat before the poll was released, but what about Eggers, Aungst and Westine (now there’s the name of a law firm, right)?
Eggers met recently with Pinellas GOP chair Michael Guju and told the party leader that he does intend to run for the County Commision. He may announce as early as next week.
Aungst and Westine are different matters, however. Both are in-deman, successful attorneys, so jumping into a political race is not the easiest thing to do.
Having spoke with both Aungst and Westine, I can say they are both highly interested in running, but I’d put Aungst as the more likely candidate than Westine.
Westine said she is still seriously considering running, but she is also publicly supportive of Aungst’s candidacy. Westine said she may take until June to make her decision, especially if the right candidates do not present themselves.
For his part, Aungst is moving quickly to build support for his campaign. He could soon do a soft announcement and a kick-off next month.
In other words, keep your eyes on north Pinellas.
