Voters in northeast St. Johns County will decide next month whether County Commissioner Krista Joseph will retain her seat on the board or give it up to one of her two challengers, James Galloway and Sam Paul Williams.

Primary Election

The August primary election for the County Commission seats is not only open to all voters regardless of their party affiliation, it will also decide who wins the seat — no November general election needed. Joseph says another four-year term on the board that makes decisions about how and where the county grows will enable her to continue her slow-the-growth agenda.

Joseph has been a firebrand on the board, sitting at the center of arguments about St. Johns County’s growth and earning herself a censure that was later overturned for taking time on the dais to talk about the opportunity to vote some of her fellow county commissioners out of office.

Candidates’ Positions

Williams says his position on slowing the area’s growth isn’t very different from Joseph’s, and that had he known she was planning to run again, he may not have thrown his hat into the ring. Galloway, speaking at a St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce campaign forum, says his experience comes from his time working as an attorney and serving as the president of his homeowners association.

All three candidates for the District 4 seat have expressed, in one way or another, skepticism about the pace of growth in St. Johns County and a desire to maintain a good quality of life for residents. Joseph leans on her past four years in office as evidence of her keeping her promise of slowing the growth.

The deadline to register to vote in the Aug. 18 primary election is Monday. Early voting begins Aug. 8 and runs through Aug. 15.

Original reporting: Jacksonville Today — read the source article.