“Ocala Gazette” Q&A with candidates for County Commission

[Shutterstock]

Home » Politics

Posted April 21, 2026 | Staff report

There are three candidates running for the District 2 County Commission seat (Matthew Cretul, Mike Crimi and Brien Weidemiller) and six for the District 4 seat (Randall Alvord, Jeff Bairstow, Clint Barkley, Anthony Barriner-Massa, Wanda Wimberly Lasher and Sherri Meadows).

The “Gazette” will email a different question each week to all of the candidates, for a total of nine questions over nine weeks. The candidates are given a week to respond in writing and we do not edit their answers. The answers from those who chose to participate are presented below in the order in which they were received.

QUESTION FOUR:

Public trust in local government often depends on transparency and access to information. What changes, if any, would you support to improve transparency, public participation or access to county records and decision-making processes?

I support a more open, user-friendly county government. That means posting agenda materials earlier, providing plain-language summaries of major issues and making public records easier to search online. I also support livestreaming and archiving meetings, stronger public notice and more chances for citizens to speak before major decisions are made. I would push for budget and project dashboards so taxpayers can track spending and progress in real time. Transparency builds trust and citizens should never feel shut out of their own government.

—Jeff Bairstow 

***

Public trust in local government is built through transparency, accessibility and consistent communication with the people we serve. Citizens should feel respected, seen and heard by their County Commissioners. Too often, they feel left out of the process and the decisions that impact their lives and community.

Throughout my leadership experience, I have made it a priority to be inclusive and accessible. I have created opportunities for additional citizen input through advisory groups and encouraged participation by making meetings more accessible — including inviting residents to watch and engage through live online meetings when they cannot attend in person. As a commissioner, I will continue that approach. 

First, we should make county information easier to access by improving the usability of our website and ensuring that agendas and supporting materials are posted clearly and in a timely manner. Residents should not have to search through a maze for information that affects their community. 

Second, I support expanding opportunities for public input before major decisions are made, including workshops, community meetings and better notice of proposed developments so residents have a meaningful voice early in the process. 

Third, we should strengthen online access to meetings and records, including live-streaming, archived video and clear summaries so citizens can stay informed even if they cannot attend in person. 

Transparency is not just about providing information — it’s about building trust. When citizens feel heard and informed, we make better decisions together about the community we call home.

—Sherri Meadows

***

Transparency isn’t optional in local government it’s the foundation of public trust. I believe every resident should be able to easily see what their government is doing, how decisions are made and where their tax dollars are going.

I would push for real-time online access to county records, budgets and contracts not buried in complicated systems, but simple and searchable. I also support livestreaming and archiving all public meetings, with clear summaries so working families can stay informed without spending hours digging.

Public participation matters. I want to expand opportunities for citizens to speak, give input early in the process not after decisions are already made and ensure responses from the county are timely and accountable.

At the end of the day, this is your government. You shouldn’t have to fight to see it.

—Mike Crimi

***

There is a process to request and access information currently in place. I am not a reporter so by no means do I request as much as you and your news organization does. Marion County staff does a pretty good job publishing agendas, televising meetings, workshops and pending ordinances so the public has access. Any access to pending litigation requests certainly has a level of scrutiny and security to protect those involved so they are not tried in public by the “keyboard warriors.” The 2026-2027 budget process is just getting underway and that is one area where, as a citizen, I would like to see more effort put into reaching more citizens either through a quick link on the Marion County home page or something similar. 

The only defense I can give to the recently passed HB399 that strips away even more home rule is that if a developer is turned down the county/municipality must give detailed reasoning why. A welcome addition that I would highly encourage and support doing, is having the commission state why and on what basis new development is approved by. Would be interesting to see a checklist of things like infrastructure capacity, availability of fire and sheriff services, school availability all established before that developers agreement comes into reality. That is where the real transparency is.

—Randall Alvord

***

One thing we could do is public voting instead of just a board vote to get an idea on the direction the people want to go in. We could let the county attorneys review proposals before they go to a public vote. Also, public officials should be required to explain why they voted a certain way.

—Anthony Barriner-Massa

***

The public should be informed about the decision-making process of their elected leaders. There cannot be trust and confidence if all the doors are closed. Social media is how the majority of people receive and share information. It is totally underutilized in government. Leaders should be pushing information out instead of citizens pulling information from them. This can be easily remedied by sharing information with the public on a weekly basis. It would also promote involvement for those citizens who cannot make the meetings. 

—Brien Weidemiller

***

I wholeheartedly believe that an informed, engaged citizenry is the best kind of citizenry. Our governmental system is designed to allow citizens to have a voice in the decision-making process in multiple ways, such as public comment sections during meetings, workshops or public hearings. This is the standard that Marion County should uphold.

While the system is designed to facilitate public participation, it doesn’t always feel that way, which leads to a disconnected population, and that’s not ideal at all. Marion County operates programs such as Citizens’ Academy to help the public understand the government’s structure and makeup. It’s a fantastic opportunity, and I believe more residents should take advantage of it. The county also puts on a “State of the County” each year, allowing the BCC chair to relay what’s going on locally.

These are great programs, but I believe Marion County can do more listening. Events such as town halls meet citizens where they are. I would institute a town hall circuit that meets at different times and locations around the county, ensuring ALL residents have access to their elected officials and can make their voices heard. Can’t attend in person? There’s a virtual option!

Florida is widely known for having some of the most transparent public record laws in the country. State entities, including counties, are required to follow Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, aka the “Sunshine Laws,” or they risk lawsuits for not complying with the regulations. We need to make sure our county stays in compliance.

—Matthew Cretul

These candidates did not reply by the stated deadline of 5 p.m. April 21: Clint Barkley and Wanda Wimberly Lasher.