It's Brian Coleman against Hank Hemrick in a race for county commissioner in Citrus County's District 5.
Who will voters choose on Nov. 8? WUFT News attempted to speak with each.
Brian Coleman
United States veteran and officer from the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Brian Coleman is the Republican candidate running for Citrus County’s district five commission.
After 26 years of working as an officer in the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office and with 20 years of military service, Coleman said he wanted to give back to his community.
From the City of Crystal River, Coleman said he decided to run for the commission in June but thought about running for about a year.
He said that county commissioners have held their positions part-time and have other jobs in the community.
But if he is elected on November 8, the general election date for Citrus County, Coleman said he would be a full-time commissioner.
“I want to dedicate my time and serve this community.”
If elected as commissioner, Coleman said he mainly wants to work on making his government one that works for people in his county. In the past, Coleman said commission members did not always respect each other, and he remembers one county commissioner calling peers “buffoons.”
Community issues Coleman said he would address if elected are tourism, unemployment, roads, and animal services.
Tourism is an important resource to Citrus County because of natural attractions like Crystal River’s once crystal-clear river.
“I remember looking down and seeing 50 feet. Now I can only see eight feet,” Coleman said.
To clean up the river, Coleman wants to remove septic systems that are harming Citrus County’s environment.
Coleman accepted an endorsement from the City County Chronicle, but he did not ask for any endorsements.
“Not something I go out for. Most people know my character,” he said.
Hank Hemrick
After multiple attempts to contact Hemrick, he did not return our requests to share his story with voters.
Hemrick is Coleman’s opponent for Citrus County district five commission and has no party affiliation.
While living in New York City, Hemrick was a warden in the New York City Department of Correction. In Inverness, he was a member of the Citrus County Veterans Coalition.
This story is part of our guide, Florida Votes 2016, leading up to the Nov. 8 election. Check your voter registration status here.