Candidate’s no fan of hardball politics here

Thursday, July 18, 2024

As a retail executive who enjoyed a wildly successful career with some of the world’s most-recognized apparel companies before retiring in December 2015, David Dyer has sat in some tough board rooms.

But the nastiness the island resident has encountered in his first political campaign – for the District 5 seat on the county’s School Board, in what the Florida constitution says should be a nonpartisan race – caught him off-guard.

“It’s not at all what I expected,” Dyer said, referring to the low-brow antics, bogus accusations, meritless attacks and overall dishonesty he has witnessed since filing to run in February.

“I was warned that this was going to be hardball politics, but until you actually get into it, you don’t understand to what extent or the intensity of the negativity that’s there,” he added.

“I’ve always believed you run on who you are and what you’re for, more than what you’re against.

“That’s not what I’m seeing.”