ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The next election for Orange County Property Appraiser is more than a year away but incumbent Rick Singh has raised almost $300,000. That's 3 1/2 times as much as Scott Boyd, the man who was his opponent, has raised.
Boyd, an Orange County commissioner, explained Wednesday why he has decided to forgo running for the office.
Boyd said he was conflicted about being Singh's opponent and voting on Singh's budget in July.
"If I'm second guessing something I have to vote on, and I have questions about that, it was becoming a problem for me," Boyd said.
Slideshow: Appraiser's office cars
Boyd said that the commission is being asked to approve property appraiser Rick Singh's budget and that he feels like he can't investigate the budget while running for the office.
At a press conference, Boyd said it was getting more and more difficult to do his job as a commissioner with respect to the property appraiser's office and its budget and has decided to bow out of the race for that office.
"Really this for me is just a struggle between being a candidate and a commissioner and my responsibility as being a commissioner and what I do," Boyd said.
WFTV political analyst Rick Foglesong said he believes Singh's financial advantage might have been too daunting for Boyd and said that often politicians try to raise enough money to discourage others from running.
Boyd said he's heard rumblings of wasteful spending and a lack of openness with public records in the property appraiser's officer through former employees, the public and the media.
He said that as a commissioner he wants to look deeper into questions already raised about Singh's recent spending.
Singh is out of state for an economic development conference with Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, who recently told Channel 9 she believes the comptroller's office should audit Singh's office.
Channel 9's Kathi Belich was told by the comptroller's office that no one has asked it for an audit of the property appraiser's office.
On Wednesday Singh's office said there was a recent county comptroller's office audit and that it found no noncompliance through September 2014.
Channel 9 has reported on questions about whether Singh used public money to benefit his campaign by affixing eight decals with his name and office on each of the 30 new fuel-efficient vehicles his office bought for its appraisers.
Kathy Marsh, a spokeswoman for the property appraiser's office, said the cars and decals are saving the taxpayers money.
"It's saving $100,000," Kathy Marsh said.
Three of Singh's employees were at Boyd's news conference Wednesday, which they recorded.
"The office of Rick Singh, Orange County property appraiser, is and always will be dedicated to accountability, strong appraisal practices, superb customer service," Marsh said.
Foglesong said Boyd left the race early enough to allow time for another candidate to enter the race and to preserve his political future.
WFTV
