Service above self looks like this

And then it happened.

The scene that I and 200 others witnessed Friday afternoon at Citrus Hills was nothing short of history-making. If you’re familiar with this space, you know I’m not big on hyperbole. We tend to cut to the chase here.

Cutting to the chase: What Calvin Adams Jr. and Doug Alexander did on Friday was place community above self in a way that should make us all proud regardless of our leanings for sheriff.

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By stepping away from the race on the last day of ballot qualifying, Adams and Alexander cleared the path for Dave Vincent to take the incumbent head-on.

They didn’t bail because they were looking to save face, or otherwise wanted to throw in the towel.

No, something even more incredible happened.

The three of them got together and figured it out. You'd like to know when's the last time this happened? How about never?

I have a few thoughts.

Some people naturally wonder how Adams and Alexander made this call at the last minute. Who got to them?

Logic, that’s who. These guys aren’t dummies. They hear the same thing we’ve all heard the last eight weeks: Based on math alone, four candidates in the primary hands a third term to the incumbent.

I’ve known Doug Alexander for a very long time. He knew me well in my drinking days, and we have had many, many close chats. We are brothers. Like many men and women of God, Doug forms special, intimate relationships with individuals.

I say that so you know he’s not a politician. I asked Doug six months ago about the sheriff’s race, and he looked at me like I had three heads.

Doug got into the race because he saw a community need. Dave Vincent’s campaign was humming along, but Doug sensed that the community wasn’t really excited like it needed to be.

Well, two things happened simultaneously as a result of his campaign.

One, the incumbent imploded. He’s had a rough stretch the last year or so, but Doug Alexander’s entry into the race made so many people aware of the need for change at the top that the sheriff’s handling of budgets or Andy Lahera is exacerbated. 

People personally trust Doug. He’s a man who gets things done. Doug’s entry into the race brought instant relevance. We sat at Cattle Dog two weeks ago and — no kidding — five people walked by during the course of 20 minutes and said they were voting for Doug. And they meant it.

The second thing that happened with Doug’s campaign is that Dave Vincent became a much better candidate. Detailed, knowledgeable, personable, and confident — that’s what I saw in Dave these last six weeks.

Doug hasn’t won anything and already he was affecting change. I told him that during our chat. I asked him to consider where and how he wanted to take this.

It wasn’t as simple as Doug doing the math and dropping out. Truthfully, a three-candidate race of Alexander, Vincent, and the incumbent could have very easily fallen into a result where all three get in the 30s percent and less than a hundred votes separate the candidates.

Doug could have very easily rolled the dice. I’d say just about anyone in his shoes would have done that. 

But Doug never saw it about winning. It is all community for him. Doug’s supporters rallied around his history of community leadership. To his great credit, he didn’t let that get to his head.

Instead, he had man-to-man chats with Calvin and Dave. Don’t know the details, but Doug must have gotten the answers he was looking for. Answers he can give his supporters, so they know to trust Dave.

On Friday, Doug chose community over his ego. In front of a hushed Chamber of Commerce luncheon crowd, he thanked his wife, daughter, and supporters, and then threw all his backing behind Dave Vincent.

“A vote for Dave is a vote for Doug. A vote for Dave is a vote for this community,” Doug said.

Both Calvin and Doug received rousing standing ovations. The incumbent could only sit there, secretly hoping he had a room full of well-wishers like that.

I met Calvin and Doug near the foyer and gave Doug a bear hug.

“You are a big, big man,” I told him.

No politics as usual this year, not in this race. 

The community is charged. As it should be.

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