Former Gainesville mayoral candidate Donald Shepherd requested a new attorney last month, and on Monday a circuit judge denied his request.
Shepherd was arrested in January on a charge of grand theft auto. More than 1,000 people (about 3.5 percent) voted for him in the March election.
Shepherd requested a change of legal counsel in a handwritten letter the court received April 28. John Broling, of the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, is his attorney, according to court records.
"I Donald Shepherd fell that I have not been repersented from the first-n-second time I see the lawyer," the letter states.
During an event scheduled as a change of plea Monday, Judge Mark Moseley denied his request because Shepherd did not provide reasons why his representation is insufficient.
Shepherd's next court date has been set for June 6 at 2 p.m.