Orlando is unopposed so far. One of the first lessons Gargiulo learned in politics is that he is better at running other people's campaigns. He was steamrolled by former Supervisor of Elections Jane Carroll when he ran against her in 1984. Miriam Oliphant promised during her campaign last year to make the office more diverse and voter-friendly. She has kept that promise, bringing in about dozen new people, many of them black and Hispanic.
Several hires seem energetic and promising, but one has a troubled past.
Jimmie Davis Jr., who recently joined the elections office to do community outreach, was charged in 1998 with assaulting three police officers who responded to a domestic violence call at his Lauderdale Lakes home. His sister told police that Davis had thrown a chair at her. Davis fought with the three officers and tried to run away, according to the police report. He was charged with three felony counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, a fourth felony count of resisting an officer with violence and a misdemeanor count of battery. Davis pleaded no contest and adjudication was withheld.