By Jenet Krol and Darrell Johnson

Staff writers

The first step in choosing a new District 1 Brevard County Commissioner is more than four months away, but five candidates are already on the hunt.

One of them will replace Commissioner Truman Scarborough, who can't run again due to term limit restrictions.

All five candidates will appear on the Aug. 26 primary ballot, and the winning Republican and Democrat will be elected in the Nov. 4 general election.

Republican Meredith Eberhart, 42, is married and has an 8-year-old daughter.

He currently resides in Mims, but he has lived in the Titusville area all his life, served in the U.S. Army for eight years and was a Brevard County sheriff's deputy for 10 years.

He currently owns and operates lawn and tree service companies.

He said he is concerned about Brevard County's health in the future.

"Businesses are being impacted economically, mortgages are facing foreclosure and the proposed (commercial launch) sites are being considered at the space center," he said.

Another top issue in north Brevard County is water use, he said.

"Port St. John gets its water from the city of Cocoa, which gets its water from Orange County," he said.

Titusville and points north are supplied by the Surficial Aquifer, so conservation is critical in planning for residential or commercial use, Mr. Eberhart said.

"North Brevard County has plenty of land that could be developed, but I think the real question is whether we have the water available," he said.

Road resurfacing, school issues and hospital care also need to be addressed.

E-mail Meredith Eberhart at conemaugh94@netzero.net or visit www.votemeredith2008.net.

Republican Jeff Rainey is 48 and has a 20-year-old son.

He has lived in Brevard County since 1965 and currently makes his home in Mims.

He served on the Titusville City Council for six years and was selected as vice mayor.

He has volunteered with the Sheriff's Office for 22 years and worked with various contractors at the space center for many years, he said.

"Long-term, we need to bring some good-paying jobs into the north part of the county," he said.

He is also concerned with water issues in the area.

"When I served on the city council, I learned more about water than I ever thought existed," he said. "Atlanta went down to two days' supply of water not long ago."

Mr. Rainey proposed that area counties get together and build desalinization facilities similar to those in Tampa Bay and the Florida Panhandle.

He said jobs will arrive on the Space Coast when the Orion program begins, but new jobs have to be brought in to fill the gap in the meantime.

"I would like to expand on non-space jobs so we don't have to be so dependant on one facet of employment," he said.

Brevard County has ocean ports, airports, navigable waterways and a spaceport, and most parts of the country don't have any of those things, he said.

"There are only two places in the country that have space ports, and one's in California and one's here," he said. "We're very blessed to have everything we want to do right in this area."

E-mail Jeff Rainey at jrainey@bellsouth.net or visit www.jeffrainey.com.

Democrat Maureen Rupe, 63, is married and has one son and five grandchildren.

She is originally of Northamptonshire, England and has lived in Port St. John for the past 21 years.

She has worked as an activist for the past two decades.

She has served on the Brevard County charter review commission, planning and zoning boards, landscape task forces, the Port St. John homeowners association and on the Parrish Medical Center's board of directors since 2001.

She said she wants to bring fresh ideas to cutting the county budget with minimal impact to the quality of live in Brevard County.

"Small things like xeriscaping our medians are ways it can be done," she said.

In addition to minimizing the county's budget, Ms. Rupe is concerned with growth management.

"Growth management is the key to safe neighborhoods. I want to keep the rural atmosphere of Mims, Scottsmoor and Canaveral Groves."

She said she is concerned about extracting water from the St. Johns River and would like to look into researching desalinization.

Ms. Rupe said she is also concerned with the plight of seniors.

"Seniors are entering the workforce again and taking out loans. When our seniors have to do this it's a serious problem."

She feels that planning is necessary for the impending changes at NASA.

"It could be very bleak in the next five years. We can't sit back and say it's not our fault."

E-mail Maureen Rupe at rupe32927@earthlink.net.

Republican J. Roger Shealy is 41 years old and is married with four children.

He was born in Sanford, his parents lived in Mims, and he now lives in Titusville.

He worked as an internal auditor for Brevard County for five years, and he has been involved in government since then.

He does part-time work for county clerk Scott Ellis and is co-owner of an investment advisory firm.

"I think (the current county commission) has failed to see the decline that's coming in taxable property values," he said. "As a result, we have a government that grew in proportion to the way property values increased."

Since ad valorem taxes rise in direct relation to property values, government grew with the housing bubble, Mr. Shealy said.

As a result, as property - and tax - values fall, the county will either have to make hard decisions and respond to what the market is doing or increase property taxes at a high rate, he said.

"In my mind, the fundamental services the county government must provide, such as law and order, transportation and infrastructure, can be prioritized," he said. "The private sector can not and should not provide these services."

As for jobs, Mr. Shealy believes Brevard County will be lucky if the Ares program actually begins in 2015.

"We're facing, right now, an economic slowdown, and in a short 21 months from now there's the potential for thousands of people to be laid off at the space center," he said. "County officials, state officials and congressmen ought to be working more closely together on issues on NASA and the space industry."

He said the best thing Brevard County could do is make the environment more open to new employers and existing employers who want to expand.

For information on Jeff Shealy, visit www.shealy2008.com.

Democrat Al Yorston, 35, is unmarried.

He is a 30-year resident of Port St. John and has served as assistant to past county commissioners Chuck Nelson, Nancy Higgs and Jackie Colon.

He has also served as special projects coordinator for Brevard County Housing and Human Services and as deputy clerk to the Brevard County Clerk of Courts.

"I've worked on the county's budget for more than a decade. I'm familiar with land-use regulations as well as the county's comprehensive plan. I can bring historical and institutional knowledge to the office," said Mr. Yorston.

His community activities include serving on the Port St. John homeowners association, the planning and zoning board, Parrish Healthcare Center advisory committee, and membership in Brevard County Emerging Leaders, United Way of Brevard Impact Panel and Brevard County Child Abuse Prevention Task Force.

Mr. Yorston said his main campaign issues are property tax and homeowner's insurance, NASA and economic development and growth management.

"The end of the space shuttle (program) in 2010 will be a huge impact to North Brevard and the whole county's economy. Re-prioritizing needs is necessary for the next commission," he said.

He also said that now is the time to implement good growth management.

"We need to address transportation needs, health, safety and welfare of the community, and social and civic infrastructure. It's not glamorous, but things we need to pay for."

E-mail Al Yorston at al.yorston@hotmail.com or visit www.alyorston.com.

Contact Jenet Krol at (321) 751-5958 or krol@hometownnewsol.com or Darrell Johnson at (407) 592-3425 or Johnson@hometownnewsol.com.