Campaign website: facebook.com/sotoforthecity
Education: Bachelors in Spanish, Masters of Science in Business Management, Certificate in Entrepreneurship
Occupation: Real Estate Broker/Investor
Hometown: I grew up in Altamonte Springs. I have been here since 1983. I was born in Chicago.
Age: 46, I will be 47 by election day
Political or civic experience: I have volunteered at multiple organizations over the years, Habitat for Humanity, Sleep In Heavenly Peace (build and deliver beds to kids that don’t have a bed), and I led the men’s group at my church. I am currently the executive secretary to the Bishop of the same congregation. I helped volunteer doing cleanup in each of the hurricanes that have affected our city and throughout the state of Florida. I have spoken multiple times at the Altamonte Springs Commission meetings on topics such as budget issues, the Library closure, transparency, and surveillance of the residents.
What is your top priority if elected?
Our biggest issues are overspending on pet projects like the CraneRides fiasco and leisure activities. These items regularly account for millions of dollars in our budget. For example the city manager constantly complains about the cost of the pool chemicals. The city forces tax payers in Altamonte Springs to offset the cost of leisure activities for NONresidents. If a kid comes from Deland to play baseball in Altamonte, Altamonte residents are paying for it. Your tax dollars should not be taken to reduce the cost for other parents to play in our city. We should charge more for services provided by the city for non residents. We should also charge the cost of what it takes to provide that service to those that are using the service. We need to better advertise the spaces that are not fully booked like the conference room in the library or the civic center at Eastmonte Park to bring in additional revenue. We need to better advertise needed bids for contracts with the city, competition drives down costs.
Transparency goes along with this. You can see more in my responses below about how we can do better to have informed residents.
What makes you the best candidate in the race?
I will be an independent voice on the commission. I like to think outside the box. I even push back on people who agree with me to make sure the best ideas are used in decision making. I will be a voice for the average resident. Far too often the needs and desires of the people have fallen on deaf ears. I will provide a true check and balance against the establishment. I will ensure the future of the city matches the desires of those that live here. Lastly, I have made connections with commissioners and those running in the cities around us. I have visited with Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Independents, and those with no party affiliation. I have support from all walks of life. Together we are stronger.
What other issues would you tackle while in office?
I would like to see the city create an app for residents. This is far more user friendly than the current website. Today’s resident expects ease of use and an app would provide that. One important feature of the app would be an issues reporting feature where citizens can report damaged roads, sidewalks, and other issues to the city with photos and location information. It is easier and cheaper than having a city employee do it. Residents walk around with cameras in their pockets. We can leverage the desire of the residents to want a well maintained city and avoid costly products that will require maintenance and service contracts by having the residents report what they see. I would like to see more innovation around making the traffic flow better as traffic is among the top complaints of residents.
Another innovation I would like to see put to use is something that has been done at the county level. The city should be using a program like Open Checkbook so that citizens can see where every dollar the government spends is going. Transparency is paramount. When I worked at Pizza Hut on 436 as a delivery driver I learned the phrase, trust but VERIFY. That lesson has stuck with me.
Along the lines of transparency and public involvement our city should start a live stream of all public meetings to YouTube, Facebook and other long form social media services. Allow verified public comment (names and addresses as required in person) on these platforms during these meetings. Meet the public where they are at. Advertise not just on the city pages and city social media but push that content into the groups and online communities where so many of our residents spend their time. We should be posting reports on which of our city services are funding themselves and which are being supported by tax dollars and by how much. We should use the same principles and standards when deciding how to prioritize spending.
Commissioner Bob O’Malley said it well during the last budget meeting this year, we need to move the city budget meeting time and location to accommodate more citizen attendance and involvement.
I am willing to have regular hours where residents can meet with me so that I know what is important to them and they can have their voice heard.
I don’t want to live in a concrete jungle. We need plants not just for the animals and insects but we need the beauty and grounding effect that they have on us as well. There is a reason that the phrase “touch grass” has become popular these days. We are losing our grounding to the Earth which has detrimental effects on us. We need to live in harmony with the environment. Artificial turf should not be in our vocabulary. The city should be using plants that are native to Florida and that feed butterflies and insects. Florida plants also require less water and are acclimated to our climate. We should use perennials instead of annualls. This is healthier for the environment and will cut down on labor costs.
Education is far more important than leisure yet millions of dollars are put into the later rather than the former. We need to completely revamp the approach to these programs. We should add programs at the library with nominal costs to the participants to bring in revenue or advertise the space to community groups that would like a space for their gatherings. We should add a bookstore that ships nationwide to recoup the cost of the books we purchase. We can have book drives where residents donate books. I have a few stacks I’d be willing to donate.
At the recent League of Women’s Voters Candidate Expo I was talking to some of our senior citizens and they bemoaned the lack of activities for seniors within our city. This is an easy way we can increase traffic to the library and use the resources we already have. There are lots of people who want to serve in our community. If we give them an avenue to make it a reality we will all be blessed by their efforts.
This Voter Guide was produced by the News Collaborative of Central Florida, a collective of independent local news outlets and aligned partners working toward a more informed and engaged Central Florida. Questions for the candidates were created by members of the collaborative and shared with candidates to answer. Attempts were made to contact all candidates to answer our questions – many responded but some did not. If a candidate did not respond, we have done our best to provide answers to our questions based on candidates’ websites, social media posts or public comments. For more information about the News Collaborative of Central Florida, click here.