Teresa Jacobs for Orange County Mayor

Ye socks will recall how frustrated yours truly was with the very crowded field of candidates that assembled to succeed Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty earlier this year.

But, after the August primary, the field was narrowed to just two: current commissioner Bill Segal and former commissioner Teresa Jacobs.

It has been quite easy to compare and contrast these two candidates.

Both have well-documented histories in this little corner of heaven.

If the decision had to be made on demeanor alone, however, I don't see how anyone could vote for Mr. Segal.

In a recent public forum, he sat with arms crossed in what could only be interpreted as a defensive posture. Answering voters' questions, he was more than happy to rattle off how many boards and task forces he belongs to or has belonged to in the past. But, his own ideas are half-baked--particularly when it comes to cutting county employees' healthcare costs and property taxes.

When it comes to jobs, Segal made it clear that his approach as county mayor would be to act as the area's chief salesman. He would pimp out our great natural resources and public amenities to draw new businesses to the area.

At the same forum, Jacobs actively engaged each voter's question. She was leaning forward, looking each person in the eye. And, believe it or not, she actually remembered to use their names as she detailed both her experience and her vision.

Beyond body language, I really liked her answer to the question of improving the local jobs market. Rather than following the tired old formula of selling-out to outsiders, she put more emphasis on utilizing the tremendous resources we already have on hand and encouraging the LOCAL entrepreneurial spirit.

After mulling over this race for the last several months, I can now whole-heartedly endorse Teresa Jacobs for Orange County Mayor.

Primary endorsements - part 9

Just to recap my picks in tomorrow's primary election:

Florida Attorney General: Pam Bondi

State Representative (District 36): Greg Reynolds

Orange County School Board Chair: Bill Sublette

Orange County Commission (District 5): Ted Edwards

U.S. Senate: Marco Rubio

U.S. Congress (District 8): Kurt Kelly

Orange County Mayor: undecided . . . (leaning toward Jacobs as of this moment)

Florida Governor: also undecided . . . (leaning toward Scott as of this moment)

Primary endorsements - part 7

Yours truly has no idea who he will vote for when it comes to the race for Orange County Mayor: Matt Falconer, Teresa Jacobs, Bill Segal, or Linda Stewart.

Some would call Falconer a radical, others a gadfly. I've had the opportunity to meet him personally on a couple of occasions, and have read the book he published about the virtues of consolidating local government. I don't buy-in to that notion, but I do like how he's making the establishment quake . . . even if only so slightly.

Jacobs is a former commissioner who jumped in later than the rest. I like her personally, but question the whole fire in the belly thing.

A lot of developers I know are supporting Segal (my current commissioner), saying he has a pro-business common sense. On the other hand, he and his wife have given a LOT of money to some extreme left-wingers. I don't like the implications that has for how he'd behave during the 2012 presidential race.

Stewart (another incumbent commissioner) is unabashedly liberal, and you have to respect that. You may not always agree with her on policy (and I almost never do), but you do always know where she will stand. And, she has been very supportive of efforts to preserve our local history.

Bottom line: pick one. This one looks like it's headed for a run-off, anyway. So, the real decision won't have to be made til November . . .