Election

Republicans in eastern and southern Collier County selected incumbent commissioner Jim Coletta by a margin of nearly 2 to 1. Coletta will now face Democrat Russel Kish in the Nov. 4 general election. Full story »

Voters made their feelings about the Collier County School Board’s behavior in the past year clear Tuesday evening. Voters rewarded District 2 incumbent Kathleen Curatolo with a second term. Curatolo received 20,184 votes, or 56.03 percent, compared to her rival Rick MacClugage, who received 15,837 votes, or 43.97 percent. Full story »

Well that was easy. After 11 months of nasty mudslinging by his opponents and their supporters, including being accused of breaking election laws and unethical campaigning, Kevin Rambosk was elected in a landslide Tuesday night to be the next sheriff of Collier County. Because there are no independent or Democratic candidates in the race, Rambosk doesn’t have to compete in November’s general election. Full story »

Here are the unofficial results — number of votes and percentage of votes — for the Collier County primary election. Don't forget to check out updates in our live election blog. Full story »

The three candidates for Collier County sheriff continued their record haul, raising campaign money all the way through Thursday, the last day to raise funds for the 2008 primary election. Former Collier Undersheriff Kevin Rambosk again lead the pack, bringing in $14,300 and $4,274.29 in in-kind donations between Aug. 2 and Aug. 21, the final reporting period of the campaign, according to reports from the Collier County Supervisor of Elections Office.
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He spent barely four months in office, but Steve Hemping has already resigned as chairman of the Collier County Democratic Executive Committee. In an Aug. 6 e-mail to Karen Thurman, the state’s Democratic chairwoman, Hemping, 65, wrote that he could “no longer subject myself or my family to the insurbordinate behavior toward me by some in our DEC.” Full story »

Monday was the last day to register to vote in the August primaries and it would appear Collier County residents don’t procrastinate. At noon, residents weren’t banging down the doors at Supervisor of Elections Jennifer Edwards’ office or creating long lines. Full story »

Collier and Lee County residents who want to cast ballots in the Aug. 26 primary election but haven’t registered need to do so by July 28. Voter registration forms can be picked up at local elections offices, city halls, driver license offices and public libraries.
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Two months after requesting a demotion from his position as Collier County undersheriff to avoid running afoul of an obscure federal election law, sheriff’s candidate Kevin Rambosk resigned from the Sheriff’s Office on Thursday after receiving a warning he is still in violation of the law. Full story »

If you’re out and about in the coming weeks you’re likely to eventually walk right into a new voting machine – or at least spot one out of the corner of your eye. Full story »

Collier County School Board member Kathleen Curatolo will have some competition in the Aug. 26 primary. Richard MacClugage has filed papers to run for the District 2 seat.
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Collier County School Board District 2 candidate William Dooley has announced he will drop out of the school board race. In an e-mail to the Naples Daily News, Dooley cited a crowded field; difficulty raising money; and a lukewarm response to his bid for the board as reasons he was leaving. "There were just too many people in the race who could take votes away from me," he said. Full story »

As registered voters begin receiving their Notice of Elections in the mail this week, there are a few things voters may want to do ensure their vote gets counted. The primary election is August 26 for state and local elections such as the District 101 seat in the state legislature. The general election is November 4. Full story »

Gulf Coast High School teacher Julie Sprague has filed paperwork to run for the District 4 Collier County School Board seat. The seat is currently occupied by School Board Chairwoman Linda Abbott, who hasn’t yet filed to run for re-election. Full story »

One of three candidates in the mix for Collier County sheriff is calling the recent endorsement of a rival by a local lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police unfair. Private investigator Victor Ortino says leaders of the lodge declined his request to speak to their group and then moved the endorsement vote up three weeks because of his request. On Feb. 22, the lodge announced its endorsement of current Undersheriff Kevin Rambosk for sheriff. Full story »