03.01.2017 Town Council Candidate Question of the Week
Five candidates are vying for three seats on the Fort Myers Beach Town Council. Incumbent Anita Cereceda and Joanne Shamp, appointed in December to fill a vacancy, already sit behind the dais.
The election is Tuesday, March 7.
1. Describe your teamwork skills. Are you willing to compromise? Are there certain issues for which you will dig in your heels?
Bruce Butcher: In my business career, we focused on team dynamics and regularly conducted team building sessions. The goal is to have a shared vision and understanding so we are all working together with the knowledge that no member’s opinion is more important than another’s. Each team member should be allowed equal input and all opinions must be respected and everything must be transparent and truthful. Remember, no one is smarter than everyone in the room.
Watching the dynamics of the current council and how they conduct business, it is apparent that this group is not working together and operating like a team. To most effectively serve the residents and taxpayers of Fort Myers Beach we must have a council that is willing to work together for the best interest of the community. I look forward to utilizing my leadership experience to get the best results for our town.
Anita Cereceda: The best outcome in most situations arise from genuine teamwork. I operate my businesses that way and it’s how I believe the town council should run. I believe I’m a good team player with the ability to listen and respect other’s opinions and a keen sense of the “common good” that should always be at the heart of a strong team. Good leadership skills begin with good listening skills. Sometimes you must stand your ground but often the smallest detail can resolve the biggest problem if you can figure out where to meet in the middle. I’ve been part of making many decisions during my involvement with the town that otherwise might have ended in a stalemate simply by recognizing an opportunity to compromise and having willing team mates who found value in working together. Publix wouldn’t be here if early on we hadn’t understood how important teamwork and compromise was!
Forrest “Butch” Critser: I have spent my entire life as part of a team. As a business owner, my company’s success depended on our ability to work as a team.
In the Army, teamwork was instilled into everything we did and that training was essential on the battlefields of Vietnam where the ability to work together as a team often meant the difference between life and death.
I am a man of principles sand convictions but I understand how important it is to listen, respect and consider the ideas of others. It is especially important that anyone who has the honor to serve on the Town Council has these skills. We must work together with respect and cooperation. That’s how you get things done!
Joanne Shamp: My ability to work as a team with others has been the key to success in my profession, my 38-year marriage and happy family life, and my extensive community service. I prepare thoroughly, think creatively, listen carefully, act respectfully, and give full consideration to the value of ideas expressed in opposing viewpoints. I have been chosen to chair each committee that I have served on based upon my skills to organize, strategize, collaborate, compromise and unite the team to reach a result that benefits the goals we established and the citizens that we serve. In a recent LPA proclamation in my honor, fellow colleagues stated they “greatly admire” my “intelligence, patience and thoughtful analysis.” I will dig my heels in on issues of safety, legality, equal and impartial decisions based upon our Comprehensive Plan policies and Land Development Code regulations, wasteful spending and protection of citizen quality of life.
Ber Stevenson: Teamwork has always been essential to me, beginning when our four-man relay swim team set a national record in our age group. That mentality served me well later in life when I worked with various Chicago organizations while serving as a City Receiver, while overseeing 100+ employees when I owned my medical supply companies, and while acting as general contractor during renovation of an apartment/commercial block in Chicago.
Compromise is an important part of any negotiation process, and working well with others is required to getting anything accomplished.
Issues that I am steadfast on are solving the construction and storm-water problems, fighting for clean Gulf water, getting more money from Lee County for Bay Oaks in the form of TDC money or through an inter-local agreement, gaining title to Crescent Beach and the Seafarer’s properties, and sprucing up downtown without giving away the Island or our unique way of life.
2. Do you think the town is overspending or underspending? If overspending, what areas should be cut, if underspending, what areas should be increased?
Bruce Butcher: Our council and staff needs to do a complete review and analysis of every dollar spent in the town budget to ensure we are making the best use of the taxpayer’s money. Operating under a philosophy of “Government Lite” is only successful when we have “Government Right”.
There are many that believe the town is overspending on salaries and suggest that “Government Lite” dictates that we outsource these jobs to reduce payroll expenses. However, in many cases the outsourcing would actually increase the total expense incurred by the town and thus would not be “Government Lite” or “Government Right”.
It is also important to remember that some of the revenues the town receives are restricted and may only be spent only on certain functions.
I am looking forward to assessing and addressing fiscal decisions in a responsible and professional manner when elected.
Anita Cereceda: In campaign season it may be politically advantageous for me to tell you that we’re overspending, our government is bloated and everything’s horrible but I don’t believe that’s true and after consulting with our town manager, I am certain of it. Can we do better? Sure, but our focus shouldn’t just be about cutting back and doing less but on creating a first class level of service to our property owners, business owners and visitors. Establishing an atmosphere and spirit of cooperation where everyone lives and works together. Comparing our town to the day of incorporation where there were only three employees is ludicrous. Yes, we’ve grown but we are still paying less taxes to the Town than we would be paying the county had we not incorporated. Embracing the past doesn’t mean we need to limit ourselves or the future possibilities of this community!
Forrest “Butch” Critser: Our town’s budget is $6.74 million. That is a lot of money and needs to be handled in the most fiscally responsible manner. In every budget, there is room for improvement both in the ability to reduce costs as well as increase funding
for needed services. Our budget is no different. There are items that we can tighten our belt on, such as payroll and other items like water quality projects, that we should be more aggressive on.
The challenge for the next council is to make the best decisions with the resources we have available. We need to work together to prioritize the needs of the town and allocate the spending accordingly. I, for one, would not be in favor of increasing taxes to offset additional spending.
I support continuing with the government lite model, which keeps expenses low while still providing the core service expected from local government.
Joanne Shamp: Our town is overspending. Our government has grown but customer service has not. Citizen complaints vary but consistently include the large number of employees and vehicles, difficulty in getting permits, visual blight due to a lack of code enforcement, safety issues from landscaping blocking sight corridors at intersections, and decreased neighborhood quality of life due to short-term rental violations. Interim Town Manager Jim Steele has improved finances for our drinking water and stormwater systems while the Mound House and Bay Oaks Directors are working on needed changes to balance spending and revenue. Council must select a permanent Town Manager with the expertise to review other departments, identify specific areas of overspending and inefficiency, and improve operations and employee management. The annual budget and five-year capital improvements plan must reduce spending, downsize or outsource wherever possible, and recommit to fiscal responsibility and excellence in customer service as envisioned by “government lite’.
Ber Stevenson: While I was out and about getting signatures for my candidate petitions, I had the chance to talk to and get the opinions of a lot of residents. A number of these residents were extremely concerned (as I am) with overspending by the Town. I heard many comments about too many new vehicles and large employee salaries.
Personally, I believe it is time to give back control of the Town to our residents with a “government-lite” philosophy. Fort Myers Beach should concentrate on bringing more money into our coffers through grants and inter-local agreements, and by utilizing volunteers for certain jobs, not by raising our taxes to fill budget gaps. I think we should identify those functions which could be out-sourced at a lower cost to the Town without losing quality of service, and that we identify and cut costs where possible for those services we do keep in-house.