A Visit With State CFO Candidate Loranne Ausley

Candidate stops by TIMES office for interview.

Last Thursday afternoon, a few hours before the big Democratic fund raiser, Boots and Blues, County Commission Chairman Jeremy Branch stopped by the offices of the TIMES. Adorning his arm was the lovely candidate for the position of State Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Loranne Ausley.

Intelligent, focused, articulate, energetic, perky, likable,…. and working hard to get elected. Those were some of the adjectives this writer would use to describe the candidate.

After earning her law degree, Ausley worked on the staffs of Governors Bob Graham and Lawton Chiles. Ausley was a Florida State Representative from District 9, the Leon County area for eight years. She has now reached the limit of allowable service under the term limits legislation, and has decided to seek the position of State CFO which was vacated by Alex Sink when she decided to seek the Governorship.

She is running against the Republican candidate, Jeff Atwater, who previously filled the powerful position of ‘Speaker of the House’. She is quick to remind others of Atwater’s involvement in the $110 million dollar Blackwater River Prison deal which almost led to the closure of ACI and several other state operated prisons. “We must stop this movement towards privatization of our government services”, Ausley proclaims “Our state employees can do it more efficiently and at a lower cost.”

Loranne is married to Bill Hollimon and their children are John Hollimon (Stepson), and William DuBose Ausley Hollimon. She is a marathon runner and triathlete.

Ausley graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985. She then attended Washington & Lee University where she received her J.D. in 1990.

Ausley’s grandfather was Charles S. Ausley, who once served as a Florida Senator, and her great-great-grandfather was Alexander McSwain a member of the Florida House in 1891. Loranne’s father is Tallahassee attorney DuBose Ausley of the 33 partner, 75 year old law firm of Ausley & McMullen, P.A. who was also past Chairman of the State University System of Florida. Her mother is Sallie Ausley, co-founder of the Red Hills Horse Trials, in Tallahassee.