Questions raised about relationship between Osceola County candidate, supervisor of elections

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A candidate for the District 3 seat in Osceola County has claimed a major conflict of in the race.

Manny Rodriguez said his opponent’s mother, Mary Jane Arrington, is Osceola County’s Supervisor of Elections and her son is running against Rodriguez.

“Her role really concerns me,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez is running against Brandon Arrington in the race for the District 3 seat. Arrington has held the seat for eight years, but Rodriguez told Channel 9’s Nancy Alvarez that it’s not right that his opponent's mother is in charge of the election.

“In the name of transparency, she should have contacted us and said, ‘This is the relationship, and more importantly, this is the process we're going to follow.’ If that had taken place, we wouldn't be here right now,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez sent a letter to the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections raising concerns about her son being in an "Advantagous position" and getting access to "voter lists and voter trends."

In her reply, Mary Jane Arrington assured Rodriguez no candidate will receive preferential treatment or information.

A spokesperson for the office told Eyewitness News that the supervisor will not serve on the canvassing board for the election to "avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest."

Rodriguez said he wants more transparency, and he said he'll take this to the State Commission on Ethics if he has to.

Brandon Arrington told Eyewitness News in a statement: "It's unfortunate that candidates like my opponent and Donald Trump try to use the legal system for political gain instead of standing on merit and ideas."

Contact Nancy Alvarez for more this story.

Cox Media Group