Cole elected to third term

Incumbent Bob Cole easily defeated Christian Party challenger Prudence Caskey in Tuesday’s general election for District 2’s seat on the Santa Rosa County Commission.

“I think it’s confirmation that the citizens of the county like the direction we’re going as a board,” Cole, 58, said after unofficial results showed he received almost 77 percent of 47,383 votes. “People know that I don’t mind getting out and working hard and that I’ll listen to them; I return their calls and I take their problems seriously. It’s important; it’s important to them.”

Caskey, 33, told Navarre Press in October that she challenged Cole because she was frustrated by what she believes is a lack of responsiveness by elected officials to people’s concerns and embarrassed by recent political scandals in all levels of government. She chose to run as a Christian Party candidate because, she said, it is the political party that best represents her beliefs.

For more on this story, check out the Nov. 4 edition of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.