COMMENTARY

MARK SCHUMANN

“Now that Heady is running, 28,335 Indian River County voters registered as Democrats, and another 26,547 registered as Independents or with no party affiliation will be unable to vote in the Republican primary race between Kramer and Solari. Given that Heady is forever and always insisting his voice be heard, it is more than a little ironic that he would deny half of Indian River County’s voters at least an opportunity to participate in choosing who will represent District 5 on the County Commission.“

Perennial candidate Brian Heady, who often says “it wouldn’t be a legal election without me on the ballot,” and who has run for election locally 19 times, this week jumped into the County Commission District 5 race between Commissioner Bob Solari and Vero Beach Mayor Jay Kramer.

To join the race, Heady switched his voter registration from “Republican” to “Libertarian,” to “no party affiliation.”  When the only declared candidates for an office are all of one party, those primary elections are open to all voters. If one Republican candidate believes their challenger will do better among Democrats and independents, it is not uncommon to see a straw man like Heady enter the race.

Whenever he has run for a seat on the City Council, Heady has avoided paying the $58 filing fee by claiming the fee would place on his a financial burden.  In qualifying to run for the County Commission he some how came up with the $2,800 filing fee, and at the last minute.  By Heady’s own admission, the filing fee was more than his monthly retirement income.

Heady paid the $2,800 fee out of his personal bank account. If any of the money was given to him as a gift or loan, he will not have to report it as a campaign contribution.

Now that Heady is running, 28,335 Indian River County voters registered as Democrats, and another 26,547 registered as Independents or with no party affiliation will be unable to vote in the Republican primary race between Kramer and Solari. Given that Heady is forever and always insisting his voice be heard, it is more than a little ironic that he would deny half of Indian River County’s voters at least an opportunity to participate in choosing who will represent District 5 on the County Commission.

Whoever wins the Republican primary race in August will face Heady in the general election in November.  “Which ever one of them (Kramer or Solari) wins, they’re going to have to run two whole campaigns,” Heady was quoted as saying in a local press report. 

For approximately nine years, Heady was employed driving local veterans to the VA Hospital in West Palm Beach. His employment with the Veterans Council of Indian River County ended earlier this year.

The government job Heady now seeks pays a salary of $60,000 plus benefits. Again, in avoiding paying filing fees in City of Vero Beach elections, Heady has in the past declared “undo burden.” Heady also typically declines campaign contributions. Between them, Kramer and Solari have already raised nearly $150,000.

“Perhaps a Heady-Solari or Heady-Kramer race would be closer than many of us would think,” wrote Press Journal columnist Larry Reisman.

Given Heady’s 1-18 record in local election, his increasingly disheveled appearance and his reluctance or inability to raise campaign funds, perhaps the November County Commission District 5 race will not be close at all.