Candidate: Donald Wiley

My website www.ElectDonWiley.com

I am the County Commissioner representing District 5 of Sumter County, I must live within my district’s boundaries, but I represent and serve ALL of Sumter County.  I was initially appointed to the position of County Commissioner by Governor DeSantis on June 9th, 2022, and then subsequently elected to the position by the residents of Sumter County on August 23rd, 2022.  

I have been a resident of Sumter County since April of 2014 when my wife and I moved to Sumter County and The Villages.  For us this move was the first time in our lives that we had a choice of where to live, and we chose Sumter County.  Debbie and I are the products of career US Air Force families and moved every few years as our fathers were transferred to varying duty stations around the world.   Following high school, I joined the US Navy, and shortly thereafter we were married.  I served over 20 years in the US Navy Submarine Force as a nuclear reactor operator and was stationed on four different submarines in Connecticut and Georga, as well as duty stations in California, Idaho, Illinois, New York, and Florida.  Upon my retirement from the Navy in 1999 as a Chief Petty Officer, I went to work in the construction industry for Johnson Controls in Memphis Tennessee where I worked as a Systems Engineer, a Senior Sales Representative, and Operations Manager for a three-state region.  In 2006 we moved to Haines City Florida, and I assumed the role of a Construction Project Manager working throughout the state of Florida until retiring in 2018.  

Our decision to move to Sumter County was based in part by The Villages community, but more importantly it was based on the surrounding communities and economy.  Living close by in Haines City we were able to visit Sumter County and The Villages frequently and early on we gained a great appreciation for all that the community and county had to offer.  For the first time in our lives, we have buried our roots and are here to stay in beautiful Sumter County.

Service to my County and my community was instilled in me from a very young age by my father and has been an important part of my life.  After settling in Florida, I finally gained a less transient lifestyle and was able to focus more directly on my community.  In Haines City I served as President of my communities HOA for six years before moving to Sumter County in 2014.  In 2014 I was elected to the Community Development District 10 board of supervisors and was appointed by the CDD board to the Project Wide Advisory Committee.  I was the chairman of both for the last several years while serving until I applied for and was appointed to the Sumter County Board of County Commissioners by the Governor.

One’s history and experiences shape their lives and perspectives; I am no different.  On a submarine, the ship lives together and dies together, no one part or person is more important than any other, the ship will either return home safe as one or will perish as one.  Sumter County is ONE county, a county made up of our five cities, The Villages, our rural areas, our agricultural communities, and our businesses.   We cannot favor one over the other, we cannot overburden one part of our community and under burden another without doing damage to all.  My job as County Commissioner is to ensure that all parts of Sumter County are treated fairly and equally so that all may thrive and prosper together.  This can be a difficult and challenging task, a task that takes forethought and the foresight to plan for the long-term vitality and prosperity of our community as a whole.  Not everyone in our community will always be satisfied with every decision that is made, so these decisions must be made carefully and thoughtfully.

For me decisions are based on three key tenants: Facts, Integrity, and Truth.  

Facts are fixed and unwavering, and there is only one set of facts.  When it becomes “your facts” and “my facts”, these are no longer facts, they are opinions.  Ensuring that one is dealing with facts and not opinions is critical in sound decision making.  While I will listen to people’s opinions, I will only make my decisions with facts.

Integrity was best explained to me early in my naval career as doing the right thing even when nobody will ever know the difference.  Anything but the highest level of integrity on a ship can cost lives, I and the men and women with whom I served held our integrity as the most valued asset an individual can have, our lives depended on it.  I carry that same level of integrity with me today, and it is essential in every decision I make as a County Commissioner.

Truth is and can only ever be pure.  Like facts, there is no “your truth” and “my truth”, there can only be one truth, anything else is deception.  There is no place for deception in governance.

These principles rely on each other, and I bring them with me as a foundation for my continued service as County Commissioner for all of Sumter County.