Counting votes: These people counted votes in the Straw Poll on Saturday at Politics in the Park, sponsored by the Lehigh Kiwanis Club. Photo by Robert Anderson

In a straw vote held Saturday at the Politics in the Park, Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Alex Sink tied. The straw vote was taken by 114 people. Though unofficial, the vote was taken with likely voters in Lehigh Acres.

The straw vote at Veterans Park Community Center is believed to be the only one in Lee County taken during this political season.

The forum, the second this year, was sponsored by the Lehigh Community Council. Two years ago, a similar forum drew around 400 people. This year’s event drew around 150 to 200 people plus candidates and helpers.

Candidates were given three minutes to speak on the outside canopy-covered patio deck at the rear of the building. A newer public address system made it easy to hear while two years ago, many of the candidates could not be heard.

Lehigh Community Council Event Chairman Tami Baker, who along with others, were responsible for putting the event together, said some changes were made this year.

SEE PERCENTAGES OF VOTES IN FACT BOX

“We kept the candidates and their literature inside the community room while the public was able to gather political literature and talk with the candidates inside and go outside to listen to the candidates tell voters why they should be selected,” Baker said.

Still a few candidates mingled on the outside passing out political literature during the forum, which began at 11 a.m. and was over by 1:30 p.m.

Baker said some 35 candidates showed up. A few had representatives there because of other engagements and one, Matt Caldwell of Lehigh, who is running for a statehouse seat as a Republican, couldn’t attend due to death of a close friend. He was defeated in the straw vote by Cole Peacock, the Democrat who got 47 votes while Caldwell received 45 votes.

Also not attending was U.S. Congressman Connie Mack, the Republican incumbent representing Southwest Florida. In the straw poll, he tied with James Lloyd Roach, the Democrat. Both received 46 votes. Roach was present and spoke, but Mack was not represented by anyone. And Mack also didn’t attend the forum earlier this year for the Primary.

Although the race for governor was tied, neither Scott nor Sink were there; however, at least one independent candidate was on hand.

In the U.S. Senate race, Marco Rubio, the Republican, led with a margin of seven votes with his total at 42 to Charlie Crist’s number of votes at 35. Crist, Florida’s Governor, is an independent candidate in the race. Kendrick Meek, the Democrat in the race received 16 votes.

All the names that will be on the official ballot for the Nov. 2 general election were on the straw vote list. Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 18 and in Lehigh, voters can go to the East County Library for two weeks before the date of the election.

Of all the candidates in the straw poll, the largest vote-getter was Miguel C. Fernandez III with 71 votes. His opponent was Frank Mann Jr. with 26. Both were present to ask voters to make them a county court Judge in Group 3. The second highest vote-getter was Sarah Larsen, a candidate for Lee County Mosquito District, Area 2. She received 70 votes and her opponent Joseph H. Burgess received 15.

Two candidates in the local Lehigh Acres races, which included the East County Water Control District and the Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue Board, received votes although they have officially withdrawn. They were Chuck Collins for a fire board seat and Charlie DeFelice, who was running for a seat on the East County Water Control District. Both were the low vote getters in each category.

Votes that are attracting a lot of interest in Lehigh Acres include the race to fill seats of both the ECWCD and the Fire Board.

The following votes were recorded in the Straw Vote:

Lehigh Acres Fire district, Seat: Linda R. Carter, 23 and Whitey Doidge 40.

Lehigh Acres fire District, Seat 3, Larry Becker, 25 and Cathy Kruse, 24. Becker was not at the forum for medical reasons. He has been fighting a battle with cancer and is considered to be doing well.

Lehigh Acres Fire District, Seat 5: Mohamed J. Yasin received 24 votes with Kevin Shea receiving 18. Collins who has pulled out of the race received 10.

In the East County Water control District, (ECWCD) the following were the votes:

Seat 2: David D. Deetscreek, 46; Andrew C. Frinkle, 7; and Neal Horrom, the incumbent, 12.

Seat 4, Mike Bonacolta, 42 votes, Charles W. DiFelice, 3, who has withdrawn from the race; Steve Knott, 7; Kenneth K. Thompson, 9, and Dewey A. Tyler, 17.

Damon Shelor, the past president of the Lehigh Community Council, said some of the vote totals were a surprise to him. He noted, too, that on some ballots, only one person was voted for. There is no way to know if those few votes were “stuffed” or not, Shelor said.

The Community Council plans to put the totals of all the candidates on its website by Sunday morning. The site is: LehighCouncil.com.

Hotdogs, potato chips and cold water were served free to the group that attended. No other forums are planned in Lehigh before the election.