Deborah Roland, who lists her occupation as business owner and program assistant, qualified Friday at the Lee County elections office to run as an independent candidate for the District 2 County Commission seat now held by Jo Ealum.
As an independent candidate, Roland must submit a petition by noon July 8 with the signatures of 5 percent of the district’s registered voters, or 122, for her name to be placed on the Nov. 4 general election ballot, Elections Supervisor Veronica Johnson said.
Roland will face the winner of the July 15 Republican primary contest for the District 2, also known as the Leesburg District, between Betty Johnson and Norman Hoover. Johnson currently serves as Lee County’s tax commissioner. Ealum did not qualify to run again for the post.
Roland says she is passionate about several issues, including animal control and customer service, which led her to run.
“I tell people, ‘Know your candidate,’ ” Roland said. “I’ll be the same person after the election as before the election.”
Who Roland is, she is not reluctant to acknowledge, is the wife of Lee County Commissioner Dennis Roland, who represents District 1, also called the Smithville-Chokee District.
Deborah Roland said the couple always had wanted to restore an old house in town, and in 2005 bought one at 124 Main St. in Leesburg.
After traveling back and forth for a while to work on the house, Deborah Roland said she eventually began living in it.
“When I started decorating cakes there, that was it,” she said.
So, while her husband continues to reside in Smithville-Chokee, she said she’s been living at the Leesburg residence since December 2006.
Roland was not the only potential newcomer added to Lee ballots this week.
Lee County’s elected School Board members have three seats coming open this year.
Incumbent School Board members Frank Griffin from District 5, Sylvia Vann from District 4 and Greg Duke from District 2 each qualified to run again for their respective seats.
Troy Golden, a member of Lee’s Planning Commission, also qualified to run for the District 2 or Leesburg District, seat against Duke.
Also qualifying this week with no opposition were Lee County Chief Magistrate Jim Thurman and Probate Judge John Wheaton.