ORLANDO, Fla. – Glen Gilzean, the Gov. DeSantis-appointed supervisor of elections in Orange County, will not run for the seat and will leave when the term is up.
Gilzean sent an announcement Friday, after the qualifying period ended for county elections, that he would not seek a full term for the seat he’s held since March.
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“With the help of God and the greatest elections staff in the state, we will deliver, and in doing so, we will have accomplished the one thing I was asked to do in the spring: guide this office through to the next chapter,” Gilzean said in his announcement. “But I will leave that next chapter to the next supervisor.”
Gilzean was the administrator for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, the special taxing district that oversees Walt Disney World property, when he was tapped by DeSantis to take over the supervisor of elections office from Bill Cowles, who retired in January after 30 years at the agency’s head.
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Recent public records show the CFTOD continues to pay Gilzean with a monthly consulting contract, while he works as elections supervisor.
Reporter Laverne McGee asked Gilzean if the controversy over the consulting contract factored into his decision not to run.
“Oh, absolutely not. Let me tell you why. Because district administrator going back to the first one has always had a transition document and transition time with the new administrator,” Gilzean said.
In his time in office, Gilzean has implemented live streaming of elections ballot processing, which went online in time for the March presidential primary, and has designated three new precincts in the Lake Nona area, as well as a new precinct in Apopka.
Gilzean says his office still has plans for new voter outreach and recruiting poll workers.
Gilzean has also attracted some criticism though. Rep. Maxwell Frost sent a letter this week, co-signed by state and county Democratic candidates regarding delays in processing petition signatures for candidates trying to get on the ballot.
Candidate qualifying for the August and November elections ended Friday at noon.
According to the supervisor of elections office’s website, four Democrats officially qualified to run for the job and will face off in an August primary: former Orange County School Board Member Karen Castor Dentel, a Democrat, former Orange County Democratic Party Chairman Wes Hodge, Dan Helm and Sunshine Linda-Marie Grund.
The winner will face Cynthia Harris, a no-party-affiliate candidate, in November.
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