| Richard Winger | 2,043 |
| Amelia Graves | 1,630 |
| Tracy Carroll | 961 |
| Brian Heady | 747 |
| Joseph Guffanti | 207 |
MARK SCHUMANN
Vero Beach voters today returned City Councilman Richard Winger to office for a second two-year term. While retaining Winger, voters ousted their increasingly unpopular and embattled Vice Mayor, Tracy Carroll.
Rather than electing Carroll to a third term, voters gave their nod to political newcomer, Amelia Graves. Graves, a fifth generation Vero Beach resident, ran a campaign stressing the importance of restoring civility to Council meetings and preserving the community’s traditions and values.
Winger received 2,043 votes, Graves 1,630. Carroll was third with 961 votes. Brian Heady and Joseph Guffanti trailed with 747 and 207 votes respectively.
Graves and her supporters successfully cast Carroll as unnecessarily contentious and self-serving. They pointed to Carroll’s attempt to hand over to a private rowing club city land used for a popular dog park, and they reminded voters of Carroll’s now infamous affront to Humanists.
The Graves campaign also tapped into community-wide discontent with Carroll’s effort to overturn the city’s long-standing restriction against daily and weekly rentals to transients.
Despite financial backing from Florida Power & Light to the tune of $28,000, Carroll was unable to overcome her negatives. Carroll and her supporters asked voters to overlook what they sought to dismiss as diversions. Instead, they focus on Carroll’s strong support for concluding the sale of Vero Electric to FPL. They argued that Carroll’s continued presence at the dais would be critical to completing the sale.
Voters seemed not to buy that argument. Rather, the vote total suggests people generally trusted Winger’s and Grave’s commitment to conclude the sale of the city’s electric system according to the terms approved by voters in a referendum last March.
Winger ran his campaign largely above the fray, though he did have to replace more than 100 signs that were stolen, or that mysteriously blew away.
Running on a platform of “Keeping Our Vero Vero,” Winger repeatedly underscored the importance of preserving city services that help make Vero Beach such an attractive place to live.
Going forward, Winger said, the most pressing issue facing local government will be to coordinate effective efforts to reverse the rapid decline of the Indian River Lagoon.
Indian River Guardian 
This voter is more than pleased. The COVB has sent a very clear message. Thank you Mark for your keen reporting, thus allowing us to be informed voters.
Congrats to Dick & Amelia!
Way to go Vero!
Words can not describe how happy I am with these results. Thank you, Vero Beach, You have restored my faith in this city.
Vero Beach was the clear winner today.. We no longer have to listen to Tracy Carroll ,her narrow -minded comments and all the other venom she has been spouting for the last few years. She can now concentrate full time on her weekly rentals , which ,by the way, got her booted from office. It was good to learn that $28,000, could not buy the election in our city. Others would do well to learn a lesson from Tracy Carroll and her mistakes.
Morning after thoughts—- Hopefully ,FP&L will not try to buy any more elections in Vero and any other town—— Hopefully ,The Press Jounal will allow its reporters to write unfiltered news AND no longer sneak opinion into a news story —–Hopefully, 32963 will learn where to draw the line when attacking candidates—–Hopefully, Charlie Wilson and Glenn Heran will keep quiet for at least two weeks—– Hopefully, FP&L will not raise my rates inorder to recoup money lost in backing a losing candidate ——Hopefully, Amy will go some place else to peddle her FP&L line—Hopefully, a new beginning for this special city we call home.
I agree!
Hooray for the victors! With their win we all win!
And now it’s up to all of us to remain vigilante. We know we can ask questions and not be accused of trying to sabotage the FPL deal or any other project. It will be up to each of us to honor OUR commitment to civility. Vero Beach is probably the last home some of us will ever know, and we truly want it to be the most outstanding community possible. Congratulations to both Dick and Amelia on their clear-cut victories.