Cape Coral Mayor (primary): John Sullivan
1. platform:
Less Spending Smaller Government
Major Changes in the Administration
Bring Truth and Honesty Back In Government
Enable the residents to have a greater voice in city government.
We must have accountability (we don’t have that today)
2. top three issues:
Debt that we have incurred (Utilities)
Lack of Transparency Distrust of the residents
Lack of Accountability
3. leadership role:
The mayor must be the major representative of the city and he must define the path that the city must take along with suggestions and ideas from the council members (long & short term). The mayor must be able to create a consensus and hold city staff accountable for what they do and make them responsible for their actions. The mayor must insure that the voice of the people is heard.
4. UEP:
The assessment methodology is not in my opinion a fair method and may not comport with Florida State Statutes. It’s a complex issue but when you consider Florida State Statutes (Cost must be equal to the benefit) I think and feel that the square footage methodology falls short of that target. The city decided to change the name of impact fees to Capital Reservation Fees and again according to Florida State Statutes in order to levy an impact fee (no matter what you call it) you must impact the system.
5. budget priorities:
I would like bring the budget come back to the 2005 level
Any millage rate increases should not be an overall “Tax Increase”.
I don’t want any new fees, taxes, charges or assessments. That is not tax diversification. We need to pinpoint certain industries and work to bring those industries into Cape Coral in order to bring jobs and bring some real tax diversification into our town.
We can accomplish reductions by doing away with over time, creating a policy that would not allow the buy back of vacation or furlough (use it or lose it). Automatic wage increases should be stopped and salary increases should be based strictly on merit. Better procurement practices could precipitously reduce costs. I also want to see more efficiencies on a department by department basis and a very detailed report submitted each quarter from every department justifying every penny that department receives.
6. potential conflicts:
I belong to the Cape Coral Republican Club as well as the Lee County Republican Executive Committee. I founded the Cape Coral Minutemen (object to make a better life for the residents of Cape Coral).
I am supported by The Road Ahead Group, a group that wants to do what is best for the residents and business community.
I see no conflict of interest but if you do please feel free to let me know.