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By Carlton Fletcher

LEESBURG — While only two countywide races will be decided by Lee County voters in the May 24 primary elections, the two candidates seeking the tax commissioner job on the Republican ballot and four vying for the Probate Court judgeship that will appear 0n all ballots have made those races two of the most fiercely contested in recent memory.

Incumbent Tax Commissioner Susan Smith is facing the challenge of Lee County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Tommy Goodwin, while the departure at the end of the year of longtime Probate Court Judge John Wheaton has opened the door for the candidacies of a diverse quartet of challengers: attorney Gail Drake, Deputy Probate Court Clerk Melanie Gahring, Lee Sheriff’s Office Major and Administrative Director Jeffery Kirt, and Southwest Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Investigator Miles O’Quinn.

The contest between Smith and Goodwin drew fireworks before the first campaign signs were ever placed in supporters’ yards. Smith challenged Goodwin’s candidacy based on his financial history and a section of the notice of candidacy and affidavit all candidates must sign. Goodwin prevailed in that challenge, and the battle was on.

“I’m running for this office for all the bad experiences I’ve had walking into or calling the tax office,” said Goodwin, who works with LCSO’s Internet Crimes Against Children division. “I’m running because of all the complaints I’ve heard from citizens in the community who say the only people who get good service in that office are friends of the current tax commissioner or the upper-echelon folks.

“I want to bring common sense into an important office and treat everyone equally.”

Smith said Goodwin’s claims about lack of customer service in the tax office are unfounded and are based on remarks from a former employee.

“An employee that I had to terminate is making all of these accusations, and there’s no truth to them,” Smith said. “They’re saying I’m not accessible, but I’m here every morning at 7-7:15. They say I’m spending money needlessly, but I can’t spend any money that isn’t approved by the County Commission.

“I came into this office with the qualifications needed to run it: 12 years of experience in the insurance industry, 2 1/2 years on the Tax Assessors Board, a 40-year resident of this county. I don’t, however, see how (Goodwin’s) work with the sheriff’s office qualifies him for this job.”

Goodwin, who managed an Albany restaurant before becoming certified to work with LCSO, said it’s his service to the community and his commonsense approach that make him qualified to hold the tax commissioner’s office.

“Of the 60-plus cases we’ve worked in the ICAC division, we have a 100 percent conviction rate,” he said. “I’m invested in this community and in our young people. The things that we’ve done in that division are things you can’t teach.

“One of the biggest problems I see in the tax office now is public accessibility. I want to provide more convenient hours for the working people of the community. I want to establish easier methods of payment. (Smith) says I don’t have the qualifications needed for this office, but I studied business management at the University of South Alabama. She has zero college training. I want to bring the tax office up to date; it’s 2016, not 1986.”

Smith said she’s proud of her accomplishments during her two terms in the tax office.

“We’ve made step-by-step changes throughout my time in office,” she said. “We implemented tag renewals online, installed a drop-box for after-hours payments, upgraded our software, made the office paperless, made online property tax payments available, initiated a website and we made the tax office more secure.

“And right after I came into office, the County Commission tried to put garbage fees on county tax bills and I successfully fought that. I’m a taxpayer in this community, and I fought to do what I thought was right.”

Wheaton’s departure from the Probate Court bench opened the door for candidates with fresh approaches to the office.

Though O’Quinn’s background is in law enforcement — he was chief investigator with the Lee Sheriff’s Office before joining the DA’s office — he says he has a different perspective on the Probate Court judgeship.

“First of all, Judge Wheaton is leaving some big shoes to fill,” O’Quinn said. “He did an awesome job in that office, and I learned a lot from him over the years. People have asked me what changes I would make in the office, and I tell them, ‘Right now, the letterhead.’”

The investigator said his work with attorneys on both sides of the judicial system offer him unique insight into Probate Court requirements.

“I can listen to cases impartially,” O’Quinn said. “I know that there are parameters in the law that we work within. I also know that while you can’t treat every case the same, you can treat every person that comes before you fairly. I have the ability to look at a case from both sides.”

Kirt, who has 22 years in law enforcement, having served with the Albany Police Department before taking a position with LSO, said he’s been interested in the judicial branch for more than a decade. He called the opportunity to replace Wheaton one he couldn’t turn down.

“I feel like I have the same kind of demeanor as Judge Wheaton,” said Kirt, whose responsibilities in the sheriff’s office include procurement and budgeting. “I don’t think its a difficult thing to be impartial on the bench. I know good people sometimes do bad things, but the key to being a judge is to treat everyone fairly.”

Kirt said an effective judge must use discretion when making decisions.

“I think you have to educate in that office, especially when it comes to young offenders,” he said. “Instead of throwing the book at a kid for a relatively minor offense, I believe you can come up with a sentence that teaches them. And while this court does not hear major criminal-type cases, I want everyone who comes before the bench to feel like they were cared about. Because I’m knitted to this community. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

Gahring, who has worked with Wheaton as a Probate Court clerk for the past four years, said the judge’s position does not require the officeholder to “practice law.”

“My plan is to adhere to the dictates of the law,” Gahring said. “I believe that fair is fair and just is just, but that the Probate Court judge must serve with compassion. Others in this race talk about their time in court, but being in court takes up about 5 percent of your schedule. I believe much more important requirements are compassion and empathy.”

Gahring said her insider’s view gives her a greater understanding of the requirements of the judgeship than her three opponents.

“I helped ‘clean up’ that office, get things organized, when I came in as deputy clerk,” she said. “I helped make sure we passed our GBI/FBI audit with flying colors. And I believe there are ways to save the community money in that office. I have knowledge of the entire system, from finances to firearms to traffic to subpoenas to birth certificates. I was embraced by this community when I moved here, and now I want to give back.”

Drake has 12 years of experience in Probate law, including three years of trying child abuse cases.

“Running for office is a little out of my comfort zone; it is my nature to quietly serve,” said Drake, who also is a court-certified mediator. “But I had several friends encourage me to seek this office when Judge Wheaton announced his plans to retire. I think his service on the bench has been one in which he’s used common sense in making rulings. That’s what I plan to do.”

Drake said her empathy for children and the elderly came from her early days in Texas and North Carolina when her family lived in shelters where her parents worked.

“In Probate Court, I think you have the opportunity when a kid under 18 does something stupid, like kids do, to help them more than punish them,” she said. “You don’t want to deprive a young person of having the opportunity to get a job later in life because of something from his or her past. It goes back to using common sense and having the capacity to treat everyone the same, no matter what their circumstances are.”

Early voting is currently under way for the May 24 primary and nonpartisan elections.