Madok making a second run to be Keys county clerk
The Florida Keys election season of 2016 added another candidate this week when Kevin Madok filed to run for clerk of the court.
Madok, 52, finished second to eventual office winner Amy Heavilin in a four-way Republican primary for the clerk's job in the 2012 Republican primary.
"This time I'm hoping for a better outcome," Madok said Friday.
"I'm running against an incumbent and incumbents can be difficult to beat," he said. "I need plenty of time to get my message out to reduce any advantage."
Madok worked in the clerk's office under former Clerk Danny Kolhage for eight years. He now is senior director of strategic planning in the county Finance Department.
"By running, I'm basically saying that I can do a better job as clerk, and I firmly believe that I can," Madok said.
The clerk of the court performs many functions, effectively acting as county treasurer and record keeper in addition to handling court operations.
When Heavilin took over in late 2012 after Kolhage ran the office for decades, there was high staff turnover. Last year, county department heads identified several accounting problems that resulted in delayed payments and budget projections.
"Like many citizens, I am troubled by the repeated critical audits, extreme staff turnover and lack of leadership," Madok said in his campaign announcement. "These problems are unprecedented for the clerk's office. This has to change and I can do it."
A California native, Madok is a certified public accountant and former investment manager who moved to the Keys in 1999. With wife Katrina, the couple settled in Layton. He served on the Layton City Council before moving to the Lower Keys in 2004.
Madok was recently appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the Florida Keys Community College board of trustees. He served four years as chairman of the Monroe County Fire and Ambulance District's board and as chairman of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Madok graduated the Leadership Monroe County program and serves as vice president of the Southernmost Republican Club. He also is active in the Key West Rotary and the Key West Montessori Charter School.
He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of San Diego and a master's in business administration in finance from the University of Southern California.
The county's Republican primary will be held Aug. 30, 2016.
Other declared candidates for the 2016 elections include Monroe County Mosquito Control Board member Steve Smith, Key West mayoral challenger Ed "Krane" Karsch, and two contenders for Monroe County judge in the Upper Keys, Rob Stober and Sharon Hamilton.
This story was originally published May 29, 2015 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Madok making a second run to be Keys county clerk."