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Politics & Government

Pasco GOP Candidates to Talk Shop With Voters

Paula O'Neil, Ron Oakley, Walter Price scheduled to attend Jan. 30 event

Voters will have a chance to ask questions and share concerns with three Republican candidates vying for office in Pasco County as part of a town hall event Jan. 30.

Pasco County Clerk Paula O'Neil will join Walter Price and Ron Oakley, candidates for Pasco County Property Appraiser and Pasco County Commission, , 3632 Land O' Lakes Blvd. The free event starts at 6 p.m.

Town halls are important for Price, a real estate appraiser from Land O' Lakes, because not only is he running against the well-known and longtime incumbent Mike Wells, but also because many residents don't realize the important role the property appraiser has in assessing home values. Those values not only help a property owner when it comes time to sell their home or take out equity, but it's also used to determine how much they owe in taxes each year.

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"It's not just something that anybody should be able to do," Price said. "The county needs someone who knows a lot of what's going on, especially since the real estate appraisal process has changed drastically in the past seven years." 

Price said he hopes his real estate background will be recognized by voters, as well as the fact that they should have a choice in who holds the countywide position. Before Price entered the race, Wells had not been challenged for property appraiser in 15 years. 

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Oakley also is running against good name recognition in the District 1 primary against incumbent Ted Schrader. Oakley has had his hand in a number of industries throughout the year, many of them affecting Pasco County. That experience, as well as his time as a governor appointee to the Southwest Florida Water Management Board, can't be overlooked, he said.

"Town halls are good because people can get a little closer to you, and actually stand there and look you in the eye and talk to you about things, about how they feel about the county, and what they think needs to be done," Oakley said. 

While some would say qualifications should be the most important characteristic considered in an election, Oakley admits that voters still have to actually like the person before they can vote for them.  

"The first thing I tell people are things about me, because if they don't know me, understand me or even like me, then there is no way, no matter what I tell them, that they will vote for me," he said. "If they understand me, then I can make a difference."

Oakley and Schrader also face Rachel O'Connor of Zephyrhills in the Republican primary. It's not clear why opponents were not invited to the town hall, and organizer Mary Lynn Gorsline of Copperstone Executive Suites did not return a call seeking comment.

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