Share this @internewscast.com
Two candidates for two different St. Johns County Commission seats are pooling their campaign dollars to run against incumbents. Their slogan: “Had enough?”
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla — Two different candidates running for two different races are sharing the same political sign.
Krista Keating-Joseph and Chuck Labanowski are running for two seats on the St. Johns County Commission: District 2 and District 4.
“This is unusual,” Jacksonville University Political Science rofessor Will Miller said. “There’s nothing from a legal question. There’s nothing from a campaign that prevents it. It’s just a unique approach.”
Miller as well as the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections told First Coast News they’ve never seen one political sign supporting two different candidates.
This campaign sign in Crescent Beach reads “Had enough?” and “Vote twice to stop overdevelopment that is destroying our county.”
The two candidates share one platform about overdevelopment, a topic that has bubbled up during this election cycled in St. Johns County.
“From my end, it’s definitely the first time it’s become a center point issue,” Miller said.
Both Keating-Joseph and Labanowski are running against incumbents.
Nicole Crosby created the sign. She told First Coast News these candidates are “up against big developer dollars” that the incumbents have and “so this was a natural solution to pool their ad dollars.”
Miller noted Keating-Joseph and Labanowski’s campaign funds. “They’re both sitting between $10,000 – $20,000. That’s not the big money donor.”
Miller said while there are pros and cons putting your name alongside another candidates, “We’re here talking about both of these people today and I’m not sure they’d be getting that kind of attention otherwise. So it’s working there for them.”
The ad is running is at least two small local papers and more road signs are planned.
The election is August 23rd.
According Vicky Oakes, the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections, anyone who lives in the county can vote in county commission races. The commission seats are elected countywide. However, because both District 2 or 4 seats now have a write-in candidate, they are closed to only registered republican voters.
