By Brian McBride
Associate Editor

The city of Kissimmee held its election lottery June 18 to determine how candidate names would be listed on the ballot for seats 2 and 4.

After it was all over, James Fisher became the first of the six candidates to be listed on the seat 2 ballot. The last? Carlos Irizarry.

The order list for seat 2 will be: Fisher, Jeanne Van Meter, Wanda Rentas, Kip Smith, John Cortes and Irizarry.

For seat 4, the two-candidate order will be Jorge Miranda followed by incumbent Commissioner Cheryl Grieb.

The ballot listing was determined with a bingo-style device, with plastic balls placed into a rolling cage. Records Coordinator Linda Hansell in the City Clerk's office worked the machine by turning the handle and pulling the balls out one by one, which were numbered to represent each candidate. The only candidate running who attended the event was Fisher, who arrived before an afternoon thunderstorm rolled into Kissimmee.

Why did he want to be part of the process?

“To participate in the political system,” he said.

But why did he think he was the only one present?

“I had enough sense to beat the rain and the electrical storm,” he joked.

The city election coincides with the state primary Aug. 24, followed by a run-off election Nov. 2 for seat 4 if needed.

Seat 2 is currently vacant following Irizarry’s suspension by Gov. Charlie Crist the day after his arrest for aggravated assault in May. Being suspended did not bar Irizarry from running in the election. The Kissimmee City Commission on June 1 decided not to appoint a replacement for Irizarry to serve out his term.

Irizarry said he wasn't disheartened with his last-place name finish, saying it was just the lottery number he drew.

“Why am I going to be disappointed?” he asked. “It was a fair share for everybody.”

He didn't think being last on the ballot would make the climb back up to the dais even harder after being removed. He said he has name recognition and that he delivered the campaign promises he made while on the commission.

“I am a human being like every single resident in the city of Kissimmee,” he said. “Judge me for the job (commissioner) I was hired to do,” he said.

Concerning seat 4, Miranda didn't think top billing gave him an advantage over Grieb.

“No, I think the voters are smarter than that,” he said, adding that the race was about the city of Kissimmee, not who was first on the ballot.

Grieb said there would be plenty of time to campaign before the primary, which will decide the race.

“I think that there will be a lot of informed constituents, so no, I'm not concerned at all,” she said about the second-place finish.

Before voters decided on a 2008 referendum to go with an election lottery system, the names were listed alphabetically on the ballot. Commissioner Jerry Gemskie led the charge with putting the election reform proposal on the referendum for voters to decide. He had argued that listing names in order left those with last names that began with a letter lower in the alphabet at a disadvantage. This is the second time the lottery system has been used, the first being two years ago.

"I think it’s the fairest way to be placed on the ballot,” Gemskie said. “Everybody has an equal chance to be first on the ballot.”