Lakeland Democrat Kay Klymko becomes fifth candidate in County Commission District 1 race
The first Democrat of this year’s election cycle has filed to run for a countywide office in Polk County.
Kay Klymko of Lakeland has joined four Republicans in a bid to succeed George Lindsey on the Polk County Commission. Klymko is following up on a run for the Lakeland City Commission last year.
Klymko enters the election for the District 1 seat, joining Republicans Henry Coker, Judi New, Jennifer Price and Becky Troutman.
Three Republicans are running for the County Commission in District 5, while Republican incumbent Bill Braswell so far faces no challengers in District 3. All five of the current commissioners are Republicans.
A retired professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Klymko said she has more than 40 years of experience in health care, including hospital administration, and works part-time as a nurse practitioner.
She and her husband, Dennis, settled in Lakeland five years ago to live nearer to their adult daughter. Klymko said she is active in groups at First United Methodist Church in Lakeland and is involved with Polk Ecumenical Action Council for Empowerment, a coalition of churches.
Klymko, 73, is a leader of the Democratic Women's Club of Lakeland and participates with other local Democratic groups. She placed second out of three candidates in an at-large election for the Lakeland City Commission in November.
“I'm a Democrat, and I do think that people need to see platforms that reflect different options, different choices, different emphases and strengths,” Klymko said. “I think that's the hallmark of our democracy, right?”
Klymko said her campaign platform emphasizes three main issues: community and public health, social justice and environmental protection. She said she is concerned about Polk County’s ability to absorb an estimated influx of 88 new residents a day, especially when the county already faces serious traffic congestion.
While generally praising the current commission, Klymko questioned the officials’ decisions to direct millions in federal pandemic relief funding toward projects that have nothing to do with public health.
Municipal elections: Four Polk cities to hold April elections. Here's who (or what) is on the ballot
Lindsey, first elected in 2012, is barred by term limits from seeking re-election.
As of Friday, Troutman had reported just over $100,000 in campaign contributions. Coker had received about $27,000, compared with $7,800 for Price and $6,500 for New. Klymko has not yet filed a campaign finance report.
The deadline for qualifying is June 14.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland's Kay Klymko is first Democrat in Polk County Commission race
