Guest Commentary | Residency and representation
To the Citizens of Cape Coral,
Under the current City Charter, any resident who has lived within the city of Cape Coral for the previous calendar year may qualify to run for City Council. The proposed amendment by the Charter Review Commission refines this requirement.
It states a candidate for City Council must have been a continuous, full-time resident of the district they seek for the entire calendar year immediately preceding their qualification for office.
Residency is defined not by convenience, but by domicile, one’s true and permanent home. Representation carries both privilege and responsibility. We on the Charter Review Commission, feel those who seek to serve the public must not only understand the issues of the city but must also share in the daily experiences of the neighbors they represent. For a city as large and diverse as ours, this principle of rooted representation is essential to maintaining both trust and accountability.
The current structure was once suitable when the city was smaller, when neighborhoods shared common challenges and proximity ensured familiarity. But as Cape Coral has grown, the need for representation that is local, personal, and grounded has become clear.
This change ensures that those who wish to serve as council members do so with genuine connection and understanding of the people and places they represent. It means when a candidate speaks for a district, they speak as a neighbor, as someone who drives the same roads, attends the same schools and churches, and shares in the same triumphs and frustrations of daily life within that community.
It also reinforces accountability. When representatives live among those they serve, their decisions are shaped not by distance, but by shared experience. They see the impact of the policies they help craft.
This amendment is not about drawing lines between residents but about strengthening the bond between citizens and their representatives. By requiring council members to reside within their district the calendar year before running for office instead of anywhere in the city at large, we affirm that representation must come from within the community, not above it. It is a modest change, but one that strengthens the very roots of local democracy.
With faith in the people and neighborhoods that make up this great city,
Richard Leon is the chair of the Charter Review Commission.
Editor’s note: Mr. Leon plans to send a series of letters to the editor explaining the charter changes recommended for Cape Coral City Council consideration. This is the second contribution, covering the proposed charter amendment dealing with residency requirements for candidates for Cape Coral City Council.