Since there is no Democratic opponent in the Nov. 7 general election, the winner of the runoff will succeed incumbent Dale Wilson, who is leaving public life after 24 years in office. It has been a great experience. She is the first woman to run for a Clay commission seat in eight years. Although she said she won't mind if people vote for her for that reason alone, she said there are plenty of other reasons to support her candidacy. That's why Fitzgerald, who has never held elective office, said she got 34 percent of the primary votes, as compared to Bennett's 29 percent.
People are ready for a change, something different.
Mostly they want somebody who will look at different ways of doing things and not rely on how they did it in the past . . . It's a different perspective. Fitzgerald's message includes the importance of wisely planning for Clay County's future, and marketing it for development. We need to get out in front of the growth. The county should be marketed to specifically targeted industries, such as bio-medical research firms, she said.