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Know your candidates
By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN SEMINOLE -- It has been a quiet election season so far, but with five candidates vying for only three City Council seats, things are bound to get livelier. But maybe not. This is Seminole, where some elections in years past were canceled because no opposition came forward. This year even the incumbents are glad there is a race. They say it makes for better government when voters read about issues and choose who they want to make decisions about their city. The seats now occupied by council members Jim Dunn, Carol Hajek and Bob Matthews are in play. Hajek and Matthews want to keep their seats. Dunn decided not to run. Janet Long, who is seeking her first political office, declared her candidacy for City Council in November. Two weeks before the qualifying period ended, only three candidates had filed for the three seats. It looked as though another election would be canceled. Then, a couple of days before the deadline, two more candidates -- John Counts and Ed Dobyns -- entered. Like Long, Counts and Dobyns are making their first bid for political office. Both Hajek and Matthews say their experience on the council is beneficial to the city. Although newcomers Counts, Dobyns and Long say they are pleased with how the city is being run, they say their contributions would enhance Seminole. All candidates say they will canvass neighborhoods and attend candidates' forums. "Every time I go knocking on doors I learn something more about my city," said Matthews, 57. "If you really care about the city, you'll get out and meet the residents." Matthews says he is especially proud of the city's fiscal condition, recreation facilities, beautification projects and future library that will be shared by Seminole and St. Petersburg College. "I think my leadership as a councilor has been good for the betterment of Seminole and its citizens," he said. Hajek, too, cites her longevity on the council as a plus for the city. She says she wants to continue serving the city to see the completion of projects that were started under her watch, especially the joint-use library. She said she receives input on issues from all age groups: retirees, business professionals and young families. "I know what I'm doing," said Hajek, 67, referring to the decisions she makes on the dais. At 35, if Counts is elected, he would be the youngest person on the seven-member council. But he says his youthful outlook on life wouldn't prevent him from fairly representing all ages in Seminole. Counts says no pressing issues caused him to run for office, but he feels it's his civic duty to get involved. "I think everyone should participate in their own community at some level, whether it's on the City Council or on a neighborhood association," he said. Long, 57, says she knows something about being involved. She says her regular attendance at council meetings proves her interest in the city. She also says her participation in civic and community organizations and her past experience working for elected officials would bring much knowledge to the city. "There are serious issues that will face local governments over the next five to 10 years as the state and federal governments continue to make dramatic cuts in their budgets," Long said. "More and more responsibility for maintaining quality of life will fall to the cities." Dobyns says the skills he learned while working for the federal government from creating budgets to managing employees would benefit Seminole as it continues to grow. "Further annexation will bring to the fore a series of related problems concerning street and road construction and maintenance, traffic control, and fire and rescue, to name a few," he said. Dobyns, who works out five times a week, also says at age 85 he could be a strong voice on the council for the city's seniors. THE CANDIDATES John CountsAGE: 35 BACKGROUND: John Counts is making his first bid for political office. If elected, Counts says he would work with the Greater Seminole Area Chamber of Commerce to nurture small businesses in the city and to identify and fund beautification projects in Seminole. Born and raised in St. Petersburg, he lives at 9897 Ashley Drive. He and his wife, Cynthia Counts, have a 4-year-old daughter. He has been a bank manager for 12 years and currently works at a Bank of America in Largo. He is a graduate of Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg and earned a bachelor's degree in business from the University of South Florida in Tampa. His hobbies include distance running, softball, coin collecting and football. He became a resident of Seminole when his neighborhood was annexed into the city in 2000. He is a board member of the Quail Ridge Neighborhood Association and is a member of Junior Achievement. ASSESTS: Home LIABILITIES: Mortgage SOURCE OF INCOME: Bank of America Ed DobynsAGE: 85 BACKGROUND: Dobyns is seeking his first political office. He moved to the Seminole area in 1975 and became a resident in 2000, when Seminole Lake Country Club Estates was annexed into the city. He lives at 6526 Augusta Blvd. Dobyns retired from the U.S. Department of State, where he clerked in Washington, D.C., served as an attache in embassies in Dublin and Copenhagen and was a consul general in Monterrey, Mexico. He also worked as a consultant for the State Department conducting management surveys in Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and in parts of Africa. Born in Mexico, Mo., he is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He is chairman emeritus of the Foreign Service Retirees Association of Florida, which he founded in 1982, and is a board member of the Bardmoor YMCA. A World War II veteran, he is a member of his neighborhood's homeowners association. He enjoys genealogy and exercise. He and his wife, Rosemary, have three children. ASSESTS: Home, pension, investments LIABILITIES: None SOURCE OF INCOME: None Carol HajekAGE: 67 BACKGROUND: Hajek is seeking her fourth term on the City Council. She lives at 7321 111th St. N. If re-elected, Hajek says she would continue to work for the betterment of the city. She was born in Philadelphia and has lived in the Seminole area since 1957. She became a resident in 1970, when she and others voted to incorporate Seminole, making it the 24th municipality in Pinellas County. She attended Rutgers University in Camden, N.J., and St. Petersburg College. She has worked as a real estate broker for 23 years and is now employed at Seminole Realty. She is a board member of the Greater Seminole Area Chamber of Commerce. She is married to Keith Hajek, and the couple has one daughter. ASSESTS: Home, real estate in Largo LIABILITIES: None SOURCE OF INCOME: Seminole Realty Janet LongAGE: 57 BACKGROUND: Although Janet Long has worked on other candidates' campaigns, this is her first bid for political office. If elected, Long says she would concentrate on transportation, economic development and annexation issues. She was born in West Stewartstown, N.H., and moved to the Seminole area in 1972. She lives at 11783 Ashley Court and became a resident in 2000, when the Quail Ridge subdivision was annexed into the city. She received a business degree from Berkeley School in New York, and completed a certified public management course from Florida State University in Tallahassee. She has worked as an administrator for the city, an assistant for the Pinellas Legislative Delegation and a regional director for Florida Department of Insurance. She currently owns JCL & Associates, a consulting business in Seminole. She is a member of the Quail Ridge Neighborhood Association and the Greater Seminole Area Chamber of Commerce. Her hobbies include boating, inline skating and dancing. She and her husband, Richard Long, have three children. ASSETS: Home, investments LIABILITIES: Mortgage SOURCE OF INCOME: JCL & Associates Bob MatthewsAGE: 57 BACKGROUND: A City Council member since 1990, Bob Matthews is seeking his seventh term. If re-elected, he says he would continue to develop recreation facilities for all ages, support restoration of Lake Seminole and keep the city in strong financial shape. Born in Alvarado, Texas, Matthews worked as a jet engine mechanic while in the Air Force. He moved to Seminole in 1979 and lives at 7331 111th St. N. He is a graduate of Pinellas Vocational Technical Institute, where he studied electronics. He attended St. Petersburg College. He has worked as an instrument technician for Florida Power since 1970. He has been involved with the Seminole Pow Wow Festival since 1995. He is a member of the Urban Administration committee for the Florida League of Cities. His hobbies include woodworking and working with his wife at their florist business in Seminole. He and his wife, Pat Matthews, have two children. ASSETS: Home, real estate in Inverness LIABILITIES: Mortgage SOURCE OF INCOME: Florida Power, Seminole Garden Florist The jobVoters will choose three of five candidates -- John Counts, Ed Dobyns, Carol Hajek, Janet Long and Bob Matthews -- for three City Council seats in the March 5 election. Council members run citywide and earn $5,400 a year. They serve two-year terms. Where to voteVoting is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 5. The polling places are Seminole Community Library, 9199 113th St. N, for Precincts 310, 316, 317, 318, 324 and 325; Seminole United Methodist Church, 5400 Seminole Blvd., for Precincts 301, 303, 305, 306 and 307; and Starkey Road Baptist Church, 8800 Starkey Road, for Precincts 252, 254, 256, 258, 260, 266, 275 and 312. Voters will not use the county's new touch screen machines. Instead, they will vote with ballot cards as they have in the past. The Supervisor of Elections Office advises voters to punch all the way through the ballot card and remove any hanging chad. If a mistake is made, voters can ask for another ballot card. For information, call City Hall at 391-0204.
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