Thoughts on the election
To the editor:
I have spent more time researching this election than at any time in my 54 years of voting and would like to share some thoughts. I was looking for knowledge, character, talents, and time invested in the city operations long before the election. Running for council or mayor shouldn’t be an afterthought or a bucket list item. With this in mind I spent a lot of time attending debates, having one-on-one meetings, and spent extensive phone time with many candidates asking about their thoughts, talents and how they plan on governing.
I had a difficult time working through who might be the better candidate for mayor. I had leaned towards Rick Erikson but when I approached him at a meet-and-greet I got a three-word response to my question about committees. “I’ll take everybody.” That is not a committee. It is a disorganized gang. I never got an opportunity to ask another question. Rick did not seem like much of a listener. While Rick may have excellent military skills, I just don’t see how it translates to solving our city problems. In contrast, I have spoken in person and on the phone for a combined time of over an hour and a half discussing city operations and how Lisa Cohen-Adkinson’s approach to moving the city forward would work. Two things impressed me most about Lisa. First her complete knowledge of the history of the city and the why and how things get done and what needs to change. The second is her encyclopedic knowledge of state and local statutes. I developed a deep admiration for her ability to state who she is and what she stands for. Lisa is ready to create change. Most important, she has monitored the city government for years, knows the inefficiencies and can hit the ground running.
Tom Shadrach is a stand up guy. He has been involved in deciphering the city budgets for years and knows where the weaknesses are. He is a listener, thinker and troubleshooter that can move the city past the “always done it that way” mentality. Tom wants transparency and explanations on how the money is spent in this city. I have spent easily an hour of one-on-one time with Tom over the years and I like what he brings to the table.
In contrast, Dave Newton has military and police credentials. While honorable occupations I don’t see a resume that is needed to manage a city. I was never able to catch up to Dave. Other than the standard public relations bullet points in mailers I have nothing to go on that would sway me towards Dave. I believe Tom Shadrach’s skill set is superior.
Jennifer Nelson-Lastra is the incumbent and as such has to carry the burden of past decisions on her shoulders. I spoke extensively with Jennifer and it revealed to me a thoughtful person that asks questions but gets overruled often. In contrast, James Vargas was very sparse on details when he answered the Cape Breeze questions. What sealed the deal for me however was a debate question about the budget. His response was that “he hadn’t reviewed the budget.” My feeling is if we elect someone on the council we will need someone that is engaged and not waiting to be elected to do so.
Annette Warren is a very nice, earnest person and she spent about 40 minutes on the phone with me as well as about another 30 minutes visiting with me in my front yard. She has excellent ideas and has lived in the Cape for her whole life. I think in the future she would be a fantastic addition to the council.
In contrast, I spent about 45 minutes face-to-face with Liza King. I felt Liza’s legal background is what we need to challenge our current Cape legal team. Bringing reality to lawsuits before the city gets into them and another pair of eyes on contract language could possibly save the city lots of money. Liza King has lived in the Cape for most of her life and I think at this point not only does she want to give back to her city but has the legal experience to make sure we are able to bring a different argument to the table when proposals are made that may not be in the best interest of the taxpayers and citizens.
History and resumes are nice. Bullet points on mailers don’t tell you who a person really is.
Each candidate has strengths and weaknesses. I am not looking for specific interest groups pushing an agenda. The council needs to be able to work together and move projects forward while saving the taxpayers money. They need to provide excellent service for those that hire them, the local taxpayer. Most of all they need to be listeners and challengers. The following candidates have shown me they can listen, challenge, and care.
Just my thoughts.
Lisa, Liza, Tom, Jennifer.
J. Caplin
Cape Coral