SouthWest Neighborhood Association Candidates Night for Districts 2 & 3
Oasis Elementary School provided space for over 60 residents to come out and hear from all of the District two and three candidates. Jim Sweigert introduced the candidates and laid down the ground rules. He welcomed Mayor Feichthaler as a special guest and then promptly put him on the spot to describe the boundaries of the different districts. Mayor F accommodated the request.
Councilmember Chris Berardi was also in attendance. The only media coverage there was provided by the Breeze and Cape Informer.
Each candidate was given a two minute introduction. Six questions were asked and each of the candidates received one minute to answer. Each candidate was also given a two minute closing remark.
When asked about the three largest expenditures made that the candidate disagreed with, most of the candidates stated that the SW5 UEP expansion topped the list. Peter Brandt included the previous two UEP expansion areas on his list. Richard Kast recommended eliminating the supplemental budgets and potentially downsizing the number of employees. Lynn Rosko proclaimed that she would send the entire budget back to the City Manager, asking for an 8% cut. Karie Rathbun was met with applause when she stated that the City Manager and City Attorney should not have received raises.
The candidates were asked about their take on the second Chiquita lock. For the most part, the candidates were short on answers here. Walter Fluegel called the removal of the original lock a pipe dream. He said that the DEP would not approve removal. Pete Brandt stated that it was a safety issue. He expressed hope that pressure on the State would result in funding, but he also warned that assessments were a possibility.
Universally, all candidates agreed that proactive code enforcement was an important issue. Bill Deille suggested that the unkempt lawns will negatively affect other’s property values. It was also a consensus that new businesses evaluating the area would be potentially turned away by the poor upkeep of vacant properties.
An immigration reform question elicited a reaction from the crowd and the candidates as well. All candidates support border security, and enforcing current laws. Lynn Rosko, David Drake and Pete Brandt all expressed disappointment in the City Council’s vote that repealed 76-06. Bill Deille called the idea of sanctuary cities “Left wing politics”. He also recommended that our City Police officers receive the ICE training that is available.
In the end, we’re still left with mostly sound bite answers from candidates. Very little can be learned about any one candidate in this format, due to the sheer number of candidates and the wide variety of issues facing us. I recommend that everyone attend at least one of these events. The candidates all expressed willingness to stay and speak individually with people after the debate. Take advantage of this to help you determine the candidates that will best fill these 5 seats.
