Ocala, Florida - Government and Politics

Government and Politics

Ocala is governed by a five member board of councillors and a mayor, all of which are elected on a nonpartisan basis. Its charter was written in the council-manager form, leaving the mayor with few powers other than vetoing legislation passed by the council and tending to some duties involving the police department. The city manager handles most administrative and financial matters. Although a small majority of the city's registered voters are Democrats, Ocala's politics match those of the rest of Marion County in that all of its elected legislators – with one exception – are registered Republicans. In the 2008 presidential election, John McCain carried both the city and the county, the latter by a landslide, despite losing Florida as a whole to Barack Obama by a narrow margin.