My 2022 Campaign: The Week-by-Week Truth
I didn’t run a campaign of rallies and road litter. I ran a campaign of honesty, sincerity, and professional vetting. While the establishment tried to paint me as an outsider, I was simply a local professional who refused to join the “sickness” of the secret-keeping silos. This is how 2022 actually unfolded.
Phase 1: Setting the Foundation
Dec 2021 – Feb 2022
- Dec 13–19, 2021: I start the process the right way. I contact the Supervisor of Elections (SOE) for the official application format. I reach out to Mark Hammer and Billy Cayce to let them know a professional, non-partisan voice is entering the race.
- Dec 20–26, 2021: While others are planning social mixers, I’m reviewing the legal requirements for the petition process. I know I need 1,196 signatures to prove community support and bypass the entry fee.
- Jan 3–9, 2022: Stacey Worthington officially files. The media immediately leans into a “soap opera” narrative, focusing on two Republican women whose husbands both own AC companies. I stay focused on the work.
- Jan 10–16, 2022: I see Worthington posting public notices about attending hockey games. Meanwhile, I’m in the Winn-Dixie plaza finalizing the beauty shop opening for my son—investing my own money into the actual local economy.
- Jan 17–23, 2022: The partisan traps begin. I’m invited to Republican meetings because they assume I’m one of them. The moment I clarify I’ve been registered NPA since 2013, those invitations are rescinded.
- Jan 24–30, 2022: The Democrats invite me next. I decline. I tell the Chronicle CEO that if you aren’t a member of the party at their event, you’re just the joke in the room. When she pushes me to attend “the socials,” I tell her plainly: “I don’t drink.”
Phase 2: The Fair and the Vetting
March 2022 – June 2022 - Mar 21–27, 2022: I fly back from my job in New Orleans. I don’t come back to party; I come back with the County Administrator Profiles in my hand. I’m already doing the homework the board is ignoring.
- Mar 28–30, 2022: The Citrus County Fair. I’m not at a fancy booth; I’m volunteering in the Fair Association Cafeteria. My wife is working the Bread Booth. I see Doug Alexander there—another community guy just trying to serve the people, not the “circle.”
- Mar 30, 2022 (Wed): It’s Chronicle Night. The “False Reporter,” Mike Wright, comes to the cafeteria for food. He looks shocked to see the man he’s been trying to ignore physically serving him lunch.
- April 2022: I watch the “Sign War” explode. Candidates are paying “a guy” a couple hundred bucks to blanket the roads with trash. I stick to my trainer/no road sign tactic. I refuse to contribute to the road litter.
- May 2022: The Chamber CEO, Josh Wooten, insists I be excluded from the candidate forums. Diana Finegan and I actually agree for once—we both insist I participate. I show up and debate the budget; Rebecca Bays wins her primary but chooses to skip the general forum entirely.
- June 13–17, 2022: Qualifying Week. I officially qualify as an NPA candidate for District 2. The establishment realizes I’m not a “plant”—I’m a professional reality.
Phase 3: The “Hot Mess” and the Hurricane
August 2022 – November 2022 - Aug 23, 2022: Primary Night. Finegan beats Worthington. John Murphy loses his bid for District 4. The “Inner Circle” starts to see their preferred performers lose ground.
- Sept 13–20, 2022: The Board’s search for a new Administrator is a “hot mess.” I submit my candidate rankings via email while I’m away at work. Because of a minor technical error in the submission, Ron Kitchen caves to intense establishment pressure. He says, “We can’t do this,” and dismisses my professional input to satisfy the “circle.”
- Sept 26–27, 2022: I don’t let Kitchen’s frustration stop me. I conduct individual interviews with the finalists. I’m acting with the discipline of a Commissioner while the actual Board is playing politics.
- Sept 28 – Oct 5, 2022: Hurricane Ian hits. This changes everything. My final chance to speak to the donors and workers who run this county was the Boys & Girls Club annual event. I have my tickets, but the storm forces the event to be postponed until after the election.
- Oct 24 – Nov 6, 2022: Early voting begins. Because the hurricane killed my final platform, the only thing voters see is Diana’s pre-election ground game and the remnants of the road signs.
- Nov 8, 2022: Election Day. I finish with over 14,000 votes. I never ran a rally, I never lied, and I never joined the “drinking circle.”
The Close
John Murphy and Stacey Worthington spent the whole year trying to deflect my campaign. They failed. Worthington spent the money, and Murphy had the paper, but neither of them won. I was silenced by a hurricane and a board chairman who conceded to the elite, but I proved that an honest, sincere professional could stand his ground.
That 2022 foundation—minding my own business and doing the work—is what led to the 22,384 votes I received in 2024. The “Performance” is over.
