MARK SMITH FILES TO RUN FOR DISTRICT 2 SARASOTA COUNTY COMMISSION ENDING QUESTIONS ZIEGLER RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTON

MARK SMITH FILES TO RUN FOR DISTRICT 2 SARASOTA COUNTY COMMISSION ENDING QUESTIONS ZIEGLER RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTON

Jon Susce

6/2/2022

Mark Smith, who is a long time Siesta Key resident involved for years in the Siesta Key Village Association has filed to run in the Republican primary for the Sarasota County Commission. Smith lost to Nora Patterson for the Sarasota County Commission in 2010. 

ZIEGLER FOCUSING ON CHAIRMAN OF RPOF

With Eric Robinson being Smith's campaign treasurer, it ends any denial what the Sarasota Phoenix has been saying for weeks, which is that Christian Ziegler will not be seeking re-election to the Sarasota County Commission.

Just as local Sarasota political reporters Zac Anderson and Jacob Ogles know, Robinson doesn't become a treasurer for Smith unless he knows Ziegler is not running for re-election.

Ramirez

Fredd Atkins, Hagen Brody and Mike Cosentino will face off in the Democratic primary and will face the winner of the Republican primary on 11/8/2022.

ZIEGLER NOT GOING TO PLAY NEAL'S SCHEME OF HAVING BOTH ZIEGLER AND BRODY IN HIS POCKET

Ziegler was well aware that with "Pay to Play" gangster developer Pat Neal former eight-year political operative at Neal Communities and now a major Republican operative Maryanne Grigic being the live girl friend of Brody and political consultant for Brody, it was obvious that Neal was going to play Brody against Ziegler and win with whoever won in November.

NEAL

ZIEGLER HAS BIGGER GOALS THAN BEING NEAL'S LACKEY

To Ziegler's credit, he wasn't going to play Neal's game, which was to back Ziegler publicly at the same time put the knife in Ziegler's back by backing Brody behind the scenes. Ziegler will be moving on to the national scene in the 2024 election cycle as chairman of all important RPOF, while the political fossil Neal will be just a distant figure in Ziegler's rear-view mirror.

The Zieglers

The local Democratic strategy was to have Hagen Brody run against Christian Ziegler and connect Bridget Ziegler to conservative racist extremist positions attributed it to Christian Ziegler.

In addition, with Christian Ziegler out of the race and with a Republican Smith or Ramirez especially a woman candidate like Ramirez winning the Republicans primary, Democrats like Tom Edwards, Jane Goodwin and others will have a serious problem with Brody, who is a documented vulgar, toxic, violent misogynist.

ZIGLER HAS CHAIRMANSHIP OF RPOF WRAPPED UP

Ziegler has the chairmanship of the RPOF wrapped up and does not want to jeopardize that appointment with a loss in a local Republican primary.

ZIEGLER NOT FAVORITE OF DeSANTIS

Ziegler is not the favorite of Governor Ron DeSantis to be chairman of the RPOF. The reason being is that Ziegler being a strong supporter of Donald Trump's reelection to the U.S presidency in 2024 and with DeSantis thinking of opposing Trump, DeSantis would rather not have Ziegler as chairman of the RPOF.

ZIEGLER HAS VOTES TO BE CHAIRMAN OF RPOF

Despite potential DeSantis opposition, Ziegler has the votes of Trump supporters, who are the majority on the RPOF.