Six individuals, including the county’s legislative manager, have filed to run for two different seats on the Marion County Board of County Commissioners, with the election set for November 3, 2026.

As of October 29, the Marion County Supervisor of Elections has received candidacy statements from six local residents who are vying for the seats of District 2 and District 4 on the MCBCC.

In District 2, longtime commissioner Kathy Bryant recently announced that she will not seek reelection next fall. This week, Matthew Cretul entered his name into the race for the seat. Previously, local businessman Mike Crimi and lawyer Erica Lynne Hay also both declared their intentions to run for the seat that Bryant will leave behind.

  • Cretul has been working as the legislative manager for the MCBCC for the past several years. In that role, he works with county staff and community, local, state, and federal delegation members to promote and achieve legislative priorities on behalf of Marion County. According to his LinkedIn profile, Cretul is an adjunct professor at the University of Florida, where he earned his doctorate.
  • Crimi is a father of three and owner of Express Care of Belleview and Leesburg, an urgent care center where he serves as a Physician Assistant. A graduate of Lake Weir High School and Army veteran, Crimi obtained a Master’s degree as a Physician Assistant from the University of Nebraska after earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida. According to his website, he is the largest employer “in the south of the county” and has been in business for over two decades.
  • Hay earned her law degree from Barry University and has a Master’s degree from the University of Central Florida. She is the owner/operator of Spartan Law, an Ocala-based law group and previously spent two decades working in law enforcement. That includes stints over decade-long stints with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Ocala Police Department.

In District 4, three individuals have filed to run against incumbent Carl Zalak, who has not yet filed: Jeff Baristow, Clint Barkley, and Anthony Barriner-Massa.

  • Baristow is a retired Ocala Police Department officer who opened his own private investigation company (Sentry Service Investigations) nearly a decade ago. Baristow worked for OPD as a patrolman, K-9 partner, and narcotics officer for 29 years until his retirement in 2016 at the age of 49.
  • Barriner-Massa was born in Gainesville and grew up in Ocala until he was 16. He moved back to Marion County in July 2024 and decided to run for office earlier this year after conversations with local residents, friends, and family.
  • Barkley is a manager at a local restaurant and previously worked for the county. His application shows an address that is just a few blocks from Barriner-Massa.

The other three seats on the commission (i.e., Districts 1, 3, and 5) were decided in November 2024. Craig Curry, Matt McClain, and Michelle Stone claimed victory in those districts, respectively.

For more information on polling locations, or to read the candidate statement for each individual, visit the Marion County Supervisor of Elections online.