OAKLEAF – Leroy Edwards is running for the Clay County Board of Commission’s District 2 seat, a district where chairman Wayne Bolla is term-limited. Edwards, who is running as a Democrat, is a supervisor at UPS.

Originally from Jamaica, he served for about four years as a law enforcement officer there. He moved to Miami in the mid-1980s to be closer to family and later attended the Miami Technical Institute for banking. He has lived in Oakleaf since 2006.

Edwards said he spoke to a lot of people at work and his church, and running for office seemed like a way to benefit the community. He felt the race shouldn’t be a closed primary only decided by one party.

“Most of the people I talked to, they felt the commission didn’t live up to expectations. That’s what drew me to run for office,” Edwards said.

He called for manageable growth and tougher code enforcement. For Edwards, he wanted developers to be held accountable for the county’s infrastructure.

“The growth in Clay County is good, but people need places to live. It’s hard getting around,” he said. “Yes, we are building, but at the same time we need to have the infrastructure to get to work and get home.”

Noting how a large number of Clay County residents work in Duval County, he wanted to attract large corporations to move in and recruit locally.

“It’s going to get bigger and it’s going to get better. If I’m a commissioner, we need to attract more investors not just for houses, but for businesses,” Edwards said. “Most people have to work outside of Clay County.”

Speaking to the community feel of the county, Edwards remembered a moment when his children were younger and they were unable to get on the bus at the same time. Edwards called the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and a deputy waited with his younger child near the bus stop.

“What I like about Clay County, as a whole, is the people compared to living in a big city,” Edwards said. “The people are very family-oriented. I love that about Clay County. I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”