Guest opinion: A calling to public service; Thankful for the opportunity to serve
On Monday, Nov. 17, I will call to order the last city council meeting of my term. Ever since I visited city hall as a teenager, I hoped to have the opportunity to serve the community through elected office. In April of 2005, the people of Cape Coral allowed me to realize this goal by electing me to the position of mayor. Through my education and legal experience, and after attending all council meetings for one year, I was prepared for the challenge.
Many people could not understand why a young lawyer with a successful practice and young family would leave the practice of law to work in a position of low pay and high stress. My family and friends who know me had no doubts why; they know I have a passion to help others. I have volunteered in the past to help people in need, as thousands of our fellow residents do everyday in our community. To me, the possibility to help people on a broad scale, while improving the community my family and I have chosen to live, was one I coveted.
We are a strong and resilient city, and this has been never evident more than the past four years. The annual threat of hurricanes, including the strongest hurricane recorded in the Atlantic Basin, Hurricane Wilma, further heightened our awareness of the needs of our neighbors and helped to build a sense of community. We witnessed the largest economic surge in a generation, followed quickly by a dramatic recession. This roller coaster ride has shown the importance of having a government that can be nimble, and quickly respond to these challenges.
The choice to run for Lee County Commission was one of the most difficult of my life. I have endeavored to serve the city well and have thoroughly enjoyed my role in Cape Coral, one that I have worked hard to fill in an educated and professional manner. But that role also revealed broken relationships that had developed over many years with the county. I have a regional view when it comes to transportation, water and sewer service, and other projects that benefit from economies of scale. By our city taking a greater role in county decisions, these savings could become a reality. I recognized that Florida Statutes required me to resign from my position five months short of my full elected term, and that the resignation was irrevocable. However, after months of consideration with my family and weighing the relative benefits to Cape Coral, I chose to run for county commission, believing this would be in the community’s best interests. I was aware the election would be difficult running against a two-term incumbent from Sanibel who was well-funded.
As you know, my bid for that seat fell just short. So, I will be stepping aside shortly to allow a new mayor to lead our city. Our accomplishments far exceed the disappointments. Our police department is stronger than ever, and we have expanded and improved our fire stations to serve you better. We have assisted the Charter Schools to place them on sound financial footing, as they have continued to develop their strong academic curriculum while being financially self-sufficient. The expansion of our park system has provided our families endless opportunities to enjoy our city. At the same time, we have not raised the tax rate during this time, even with the prolific decline in tax base over the past two years. I am proud of the city’s development with careful protection of our residents taxes. I trust our progress will continue to put our residents needs first with our new mayor and council.
Thank you to everyone that provided comments to me over the past 43 months, good or bad, constructive or critical. Thomas Jefferson said, “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” Everyone who participates in the process, from elected officials to residents at citizens input time, fills an important role in our democracy. I hope more residents will take an interest in the government that most affects your every day life — local government. I will forever be grateful to you for choosing me to lead our city, and will always cherish the time and accomplishments we had together.
Eric P. Feichthaler
Mayor of Cape Coral