Editorial | All politics are local
While we all — Republicans, Democrats, third party and those who claim no party alike — are watching the midterms, it is the local elections that matter most on many of the daily details of our everyday lives.
From zoning and land use issues and what might be coming on that big vacant lot across the street to where you can park your car or boat and how you can rent an investment property are all controlled by local government.
Local government, in our case here in the Cape, the Cape Coral City Council, decides what happens with the parks we pay for, which among city streets will be paved or expanded, where sidewalks are built and medians beautified, where fire stations will be constructed and how utility expansions will be paid for.
Cape Coral City Council decides where every penny of the city portion of our annual property tax bills is spent, including the money from all those non-ad valorem “assessments,” which, for the most part are property-based taxes with another name.
It is our responsibility to see that those we elect are up to the task.
There are four seats up for election on the Cape Coral City Council this year — seats for districts 1, 4 & 6 as well as the mayor’s seat.
Cape Coral municipal elections are non-partisan and “at-large,” meaning every registered voter citywide can cast a ballot in every city council race in both the Aug. 18 Primary and the Nov. 3 General Election regardless of party affiliation or the district in which they live.
Seeking our votes are: In District 1 — Sean Hartman, David Newton, Thomas James Senatore, and Thomas Shadrach; in District 4 — incumbent Jennifer Nelson-Lastra and James Vargas; in District 6 — Joseph Michael Angrisano, Jeffrey W. Huddleston, Liza King, Raymond Salvatore Mule, and Annette Warren; and for the mayor’s race — incumbent John Gunter, Lisa Cohen-Adkinson, Rick E. Erickson, Richard Andrew Leon, Kara Rogers and Dan Sheppard.
The current council members for Districts 1 and 6, Councilmember Bill Steinke and Councilmember Keith Long, have opted not to seek re-election. While we have not agreed with all of their positions and votes, they have served well in their roles.
We thank them for their unwavering professionalism.
We thank those who are running as well.
The job is a hard one.
Cape Coral voters, though, also have a hard task ahead.
It is our responsibility to choose the candidate we believe can best help guide the city through the next four years.
We urge Cape voters to get to know the candidates.
Visit their web or social sites, attend the forums and meet-and-greets and become familiar with the individuals who no doubt will be campaigning hard for your vote.
Make yourself aware, as well, of their respective stands on the issues that matter to you and our city’s future.
This is where we commit to being a resource.
We pledge to provide good, issue-related coverage ahead of the upcoming election.
We invite you to read.
We ask you to prepare.
And we urge you to vote.
To vote, in fact, like your future, our future, depends on it.
Breeze editorial