According to an October 11 posting on tallahaassee.com, Leon County Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho thought consolidating his main office, a warehouse, and several storage facilities to the now-vacant Circuit City big-box building on Apalachee Parkway would help him run elections more effectively and efficiently. But alas, it was not meant to be.
Parkway Terrace Properties withdrew its offer Friday to sell the property to Leon County for $2.3 million for Sancho’s new digs; the owners lost interest following county appraisals that came in several hundred thousand dollars under the asking price.
Sancho’s desire to streamline his facilities did not sit well with some county staff members and commissioners, who were adamantly against the proposal, saying it would be a waste of taxpayer dollars. Many citizens were unhappy as well. The North East Business Association was encouraging members to speak out against it. Why?
The leasing cost for the building in the first year alone would have been $230,000 (which Sancho claimed his own budget would cover.) However, that price would have escalted over time, according to county officials. Lease payments would have exceeded $4 million over 15 years.
To fully understand Sancho’s push for one facility, one need only go back to the 2008 election. Sancho found that he needed to be at two places at once: his main office (on Calhoun Street), where the Canvassing Board meets to certify the first unofficial election returns; and the warehouse (on Railroad Avenue), where returns are counted electronically to the Vote Tabulation Center.
Election results were slower than in previous elections, and Sancho was unable to personally monitor returns from his "anchorage" at his main office. By consolidating his facilities, Sancho said, "We can have quick access to any potential problem area that might develop."
Sancho also expressed his desire for an absentee-vote processing area located in his main office. Previously, he has been forced to borrow space at the County Courthouse and the annex for the area. The storage spaces he currently uses should also be consolidated, Sancho said. They now house everything from voting machines to golf carts (used to shuttle voters from parking lots to voting locations.)
Ion Sancho has a reputation for running problem-free elections. He felt the vacant Circuit City would have been the perfect location, as the county population continues shifting east, closer to that property. Additionally, the building has the electrical infrastructure and adequate space to accommodate all of his office’s needs.
Commission Vice Chairman Bob Rackleff said the county could not afford the Circuit City facility. "Ion wants everything in one building, but we need to appropriately budget for these acquisitions," he said.