Each week through the Primary, The Breeze will ask the candidates for Cape Coral City Council an issue-related question. In the interest of fairness, each candidate is limited to the same amount of space, about 100 words, for their response.<\/p>\n
Cape Coral City Council races are non-partisan races. Council members qualify in their respective districts but are elected at-large. This means all registered city voters may cast a ballot in each race regardless of where they live and the party to which they are affiliated, if any. This year\u2019s Primary, on Aug. 18, features three Cape Coral City Council races: Mayor and the seats for District 1 and 6. District 4, with only two candidates, will be on the\u00a0 Nov. 3 General Election ballot.<\/p>\n
The candidates below are running for the District 1 Cape Coral City Council seat:<\/p>\n
Question of the Week: What are your budget priorities? What, if any, departmental requests, do you support?<\/p>\n
\u2022 Sean Hartman<\/p>\n
I will keep it simple: We need to distinguish between WANTS and NEEDS. To me, there are three needs: public safety, infrastructure maintenance (including multimodal transportation), and last but certainly not least, our parks and protecting our natural environment.\u00a0 I would make sure to defend our Parks & Recreation Department from cuts, and support increases in hiring for the Building Division to assist with permitting.<\/p>\n
seanforcapecoral.com<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 David Newton<\/p>\n My budget priority is ensuring the city operates efficiently and comes in under budget whenever possible. I would personally meet with every department head to review their budget requests line by line, ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.\u00a0<\/p>\n I support hiring operationally necessary personnel because people are essential to maintaining public safety and keeping pace with our city\u2019s growth. While equipment purchases can often be delayed or phased in, investing in the right staffing is critical to providing the services our residents expect and deserve.<\/p>\n daveforcape26.com<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Thomas James Senatore<\/p>\n My top budget priority is ensuring that every taxpayer dollar is spent efficiently and offers measurable value for our residents. With the possibility of the property tax reform, the city must focus on core government services first \u2014 public safety, UEP infrastructure, roadway maintenance, parks, and the services residents rely on every day. I would distinguish between\u00a0needs and wants. Every department must justify spending based on measurable outcomes, demonstrated need, and a return on investment. Stop automatically approving requests because they were funded in prior years, I would require departments to explain why funding is necessary and what options have been explored first.<\/p>\n