Collier elections job: Candidate Tim Guerrette says office in disarray

Timothy Guerrette is running for Collier County supervisor of elections.

Guerrette, 57, is a retired chief of operations for the Collier County Sheriff's Office. He started in the sheriff’s office in 1990 and worked his way up the ranks. Before his 31-year career with the sheriff’s office he was a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force from 1986 to 1990.

He is married and has two daughters.

Here is what you need to know about the race and the candidate.

What does the Supervisor of Elections do?

The supervisor in each county updates voter registration information, enters new voter registrations into the statewide voter registration system, and acts as the official custodian of documents related to the registration of electors and changes in voter registration status of electors.

The term is for four years and pays $177,211 in Collier, according to state records.

How much has the candidate raised?

Guerrette has raised $123,750 and has loaned himself a total of $44,878 to his campaign.

Who else is running in the race?

There are two other Republicans on the Aug. 20 ballot. They are the current supervisor of elections, Melissa Blazier, 46, who was appointed to the job by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year; and Dave Schaffel, 63, whose background is in information technology and consulting.

The winner in the primary will face a write-in candidate, Edward Joseph Gubala, 62, a Realtor, on the November ballot.

Blazier and Schaffel say Gubala is a "ghost" candidate in name only to close the primary to Republican voters only to benefit Guerrette.

Guerrette denies any involvement in Gubala entering the race.

Here are the candidate's answers to our questions:

Why are you running for Supervisor of Elections?

Because of my love for my county and community, I want to continue to serve the citizens of Collier County, as I have for over three decades. Safe, secure and ethical elections are essential if we are to retain the confidence of citizens in our Constitutional Republic. That confidence in elections has been shaken in recent years and I intend to do everything humanly possible to restore it. I will bring back confidence to our local elections.

What makes you more qualified than the other candidates?

The primary responsibilities of the Supervisor of Elections is to supervise the SOE team to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the voter rolls, and to ensure that elections are run safely and securely in compliance with state laws and regulations. My 31 years at the Collier County Sheriff’s Office culminating in my position as chief of operations makes me far more qualified than anyone else in the race. During those 31 years I supervised a team ensuring that laws and regulations were meticulously enforced in a fair and transparent manner, experience that makes me ideally suited for this position. I was responsible for over 750 fine men and women with over a $200 million budget.

Do you believe the Supervisor's office needs reform and if so, what?

Yes this office is in disarray and morale is low. New leadership is desperately needed. I am aware of two recent employee lawsuits/complaints. In addition, an unacceptable high turnover of staff resulting in the loss of very talented and experienced employees, many leaving their jobs due to the current supervisor and her lack of leadership skills. The current supervisor is extremely naive and complacent in regards to the potential threats our elections face. I can’t express enough how important it is to have an elections office that is pro-active verses reactive to these threats. Also, it is extremely important to drop the barriers that exist between the SOE and the public.

Do you believe the 2020 election was compromised in Collier County?

I have heard from many people who have expressed concerns and doubts about the accuracy of our elections. I have not personally seen any evidence that the 2020 election in Collier County was compromised. However, the mere lack of confidence by some citizens in the electoral process in our county is reason enough to put new leadership in place. I am campaigning on concrete proposals to establish an Ambassador Program, a Citizens Academy and a volunteer investigative unit to provide our citizens unparalleled transparency, access and security of our elections, building confidence in how our elections are conducted.

What is your position over Alfie Oakes and his qualifying issue?

(The law) provides a candidate had until noon on June 14, to file. Without question, the SOE Office should have been properly staffed on this all-important day. It is imperative to have knowledgeable staff working the front desk and reviewing all paperwork as it was being filed. Had the supervisor not been off at a luncheon but rather supervising this process, it is quite likely that Alfie Oakes would have had the few minutes extra that he needed to file the correct form on time, and this issue would have been avoided. I would never bend or break election laws for any candidate that did not meet the deadline, but this incident was easily preventable with proper leadership and planning.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Guerrette said elections office has faced high turnover; moral is low