Pick mayor on Monday

When they ran for Maitland City Council, none of them ever expected they'd become mayor of the city.

Now, with Maitland Mayor Doug Kinson leaving with 1 1/2 years left on his term, one of the four city councilors will have to step into the mayor's shoes — and they themselves have to decide who it's going to be.

On Monday, June 28, the City Council is scheduled to appoint a new vice mayor. That vice mayor will become mayor on Jan. 4, the beginning of the Orange County Commission term for which Kinson is running.

Councilwomen Bev Reponen and Linda Frosch said they're qualified to fill out the mayor's term. Councilman Howard Schieferdecker said he's not, having just taken office in March. Councilman Phil Bonus was unavailable to comment.

Linda Frosch

Frosch, who is in her first term on Council, would have her term extended by three months if she became mayor, as would Bonus. She said if chosen, she would finish what Kinson started, as far as seeing to fruition the new fire station and city hall and improving the city's west side.

"The person who is in that position should take on the role and vision the mayor has because he was elected by 70 percent of the voters," she said.

She said the city needs to be run like a business, attracting firms to set up shop there in order to increase the tax base. She said she can do that because she's owned businesses for a long time. As an attorney, she has a strong background in real estate and law.

The next mayor, she said, needs to be fair and treat citizens and fellow council people with respect, something she has always done.

"This is a really serious issue — who's going to run the city for a year and a half," she said. "It wouldn't have been my first choice, but I want to step up to the plate to make sure things are done properly."

Bev Reponen

Reponen, who began her second term on Council in March, is the current vice mayor. He term would be cut short by a year if she became mayor, as would Schieferdeckers' term.

She said the fire station, city hall and future development need to be addressed, but not necessarily in the way Kinson would have foreseen it because less and less money is coming into city coffers.

"It can't be written in hard cement 'this is what we're going to do', times are changing weekly and monthly," she said.

She said she's qualified to be mayor because she's led plenty of meetings for the Friends of Maitland's Waterways and she's well-versed in lakes, park, public works and finance issues. She said she always bases her thoughts and votes on the facts presented.

"Do I want the job? It's not one I have political aspirations for, however, the reason I'm there is to serve the city and if the rules say so, I should do it," she said.

Howard Schieferdecker

Schieferdecker said he doesn't want the job and he doesn't want to pick the person for the job. He said the city's charter should be changed so citizens appoint someone to carry out the mayor's term, but it's too late — and too costly — in this case.

"The whole process is upsetting to me," he said. "In my opinion, Council should never select the next mayor of the city."

The next best thing to do, he said, is to take a poll from citizens to see whom they would like to see as the next mayor.

"If there's a clear winner, then I'll vote for that person," he said. "If it's close, then I'll have to make a choice."

If you'd like to participate in Schieferdecker's poll, send him an e-mail at [email protected] with your pick.