Election 2026 | Question of the Week 12, District 4 | On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate the city manager’s performance and why?
Each week through the General Election, The Breeze will ask the candidates for Cape Coral City Council an issue-related question. In the interest of fairness, each candidate is limited to the same amount of space, about 100 words, for their response.
Cape Coral City Council races are non-partisan races. Council members qualify in their respective districts but are elected at-large. This means all registered city voters may cast a ballot in each race regardless of where they live and the party to which they are affiliated, if any. This year’s General Election, on Nov. 3, features four Cape Coral City Council races: Mayor and the seats for District 1, 4 and 6.
Question of the Week: On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate the city manager’s performance and why?
The following candidates are running for Cape Coral City Council set for District 4:
• Jennifer Nelson-Lastra (I)
The appropriate role of Council is to evaluate the city manager based on measurable performance, budget management, communication, implementation of Council direction and delivery of services. Based on those measurements, I would rate his performance a 3. Like anyone in a leadership position, there is always room for improvement. I believe communication with Council as a whole and with our residents can improve. Over the last 12 months, I’ve seen progress, but there is still work to do. And while some may question decisions like prioritizing the large flagpole, the majority of Council directed the city manager to move that forward. We vote as a body, and our city manager is responsible for implementing Council’s majority direction.
James Vargas
I would give the City Manager a 2 out of 5. My concerns go beyond policy disagreements. I have concerns about the way residents are sometimes treated, his interactions with the council, and what I see as a lack of accountability when difficult questions are asked. The city manager works for the council, and ultimately for the people of Cape Coral. I also believe the administration too often looks first toward additional fees or revenue rather than exhausting opportunities for efficiencies and spending reductions. Leadership requires respect, transparency and accountability. Those are areas where I believe significant improvement is necessary.