The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 28

6B THE PALM BEACH POST SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1998 Any spelling OK in write-in vs. incumbent County Commission, District 4 Mary McCarty AGE: 43 PERSONAL: Born in Chicago; Delray Beach resident since 1972. Graduate of University of Florida, 1977, bachelor's degree in journalism. Married, no children. PROFESSIONAL: Palm Beach County commissioner since 1990; former self-employed promotional consultant.

POLITICAL: Republican; two-term incumbent county commissioner; former Delray Beach city commissioner, 1987-1990. votes. He's using fliers and campaign appearances to get his name out around the district, which encompasses Boca Raton and parts of Delray Beach, Gulf Stream, Ocean Ridge and Manal-apan. The job pays $67,941 a year for four years. RamsDell, a lifelong resident of South Florida, made his first run for political office two years ago, opposing Ron Klein for the District 28 seat in the state Senate.

RamsDell, then on the ballot as a Republican, lost the contest, but collected 31.2 percent of the vote. He later switched back to the Democratic Party before registering no-party for this race. RamsDell has criticized Mc Carty for being too friendly developers who are trying "to pave over the entire county." He also believes McCarty will quit her post for a high-profile job in Jeb Bush's administration if he wins the governor's race. "A vote for Mary is almost meaningless," RamsDell said. McCarty was on vacation last week and was not available for comment.

She has said RamsDell presents no real challenge. RamsDell, however, is hoping his quirky name resonates with voters. "Maybe it was a mistake, but I'm living with it now," he said of the name change. "I've gotten used to it." "It's OK if they write 'Steve said county Elections Supervisor Theresa LePore. McCarty, a 43-year-old Delray Beach Republican seeking her third straight term, is the only name on the ballot.

She cruised past Boca Raton civic activist Sally Stewart in last month's GOP primary. The Democratic Party is not fielding any candidates, choosing not to challenge McCarty's powerful incumbency and rich political bank account. That leaves RamsDell, a security guard instructor for Wackenhut who says he has, to put it his way, almost NoChance to win. He raised and spent just $487 on his campaign as of Fri By Marc Freeman Palm beach Post Staff Writer Steev RamsDell is a phonetician's favorite and a write-in candidacy's long shot. RamsDell's unusual name is the only obstacle in Mary Mccarty's Ph toward reelection Nov.

3 as Palm Beach County commissioner for District 4 in south county. Five years ago, he legally changed "Steve Ramsdell" to a phonetic-like spelling to give his part-time writing career a distinctive-looking pen name. "I wanted to have my name stand out from all the other Steve's in the world," explained RamsDell, 42, a no-party write-in challenger from Boca Raton. He's hoping it works in his favor on election day. RamsDell votes will count as long as voters are "reasonably" close in writing his name, along with the words "county commission district 4." Exact spelling and capitalization is not required, according to an administrative rule by the state Division of Elections.

Steev RamsDell day, compared with McCarty $117,583 war chest. AGE: 42 PERSONAL: Born in Hollywood; Boca Raton resident since 1990. Associate of Arts degree, University of Tampa, 1974; attended University of Miami. Married, two children. PROFESSIONAL: State-licensed training instructor for Wackenhut Corp.

POLITICAL: No party affiliation; worked on 1988 and 1992 campaigns of his father, the late Walt Ramsdell, for Broward County sheriff. Attention Astnmati "I don't want to embarrass people by asking them to endorse me when my chances of winning aren't good," RamsDell said last week. He refuses to accept con tributions above $100 not that many have been offered. But RamsDell still wants Are you between the ages of 18-75 with a diagnosis of asthma for at least one year? Do you use an Inhaled steroid on a daily basis and require a bronchodilator at least 4 times a week? If so, you may be eligible to participate in a 6 month clinical research study with compensation. Call Joan Baker 561-626-4561 (leave a message) Allergy Associates of the Palm Beaches Mark R.

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