Recommendation: Henry Dean
Why: Dean is the easy choice here – he's very qualified. I'm generally happy with St. John's County (why I moved here and like living here), so I will generally favor incumbents, especially if their only opponent has been arrested multiple times and doesn't seem like a serious contender. I also am glad Henry Dean pushed for a mask mandate even though it wasn't popular.
Henry Dean (Rep)
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Incumbent
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Pushed for a mask mandate in SJC (but he was the only one). After another commissioner died from COVID-19. Wanted to follow Fauci and local health officials.
Merrill Paul Roland (NPA)
Jail records indicate Roland has been arrested a number of times on various charges including trespassing, stalking, battery and criminal mischief. In many of the past cases charges were dropped. Roland was convicted of battery in 2013 for spraying a man in the face with bug spray outside of Home Depot.
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Radio industry/focus https://historiccity.com/2014/staugustine/news/bio-merrill-paul-roland-48167
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Has run for multiple offices
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Didn’t fill out questionnaires