Ken Bradley marks final meeting as Winter Park mayor

Winter Park took a moment to honor a departing elected official on Monday as Mayor Ken Bradley presided over his final City Commission meeting while in office.

Bradley has served as the mayor of Winter Park since 2009, getting reelected in 2012 with more than 71 percent of the vote.

It’s been a tremendous honor, Bradley said, holding his city ID card.

“On the back it simply says ‘Elected to serve by the citizens of Winter Park on March 23, 2009,’” Bradley said. “I can think of no better mantra or statement to be reminded of what each one of us do, that is ‘elected to serve.’”

“It has indeed been a personal privilege to serve.”

During his six years in office, Bradley oversaw the completion of SunRail in Winter Park and has helped to keep property taxes at a standstill. City reserves have also grown from roughly six percent to around 27 percent during Bradley’s tenure, an effort he personally pushed for.

“I’m intently proud of that … No money just happens naturally,” Bradley said. “That requires city staff and citizens paying their taxes. It requires a lot of focuses – that doesn’t just happen naturally.”

Other milestones that took place during Bradley’s time as mayor included the city’s first official flag, first Veteran’s Day event, the first city solar panels, a remodeling of city hall and the construction of a new community center.

The Winter Park Police Department and Fire Department honored Bradley by presenting him with a white fire helmet and commemorative police plaque.

“It has been a privilege to be your fire chief,” Chief Jim White said. “Over the last six years with your leadership and the City Commission, you’ve pushed us, made us better managers and made us a better community.”

City Manager Randy Knight applauded Bradley for his fair treatment of city staff.

“On a personal note, I want to say you always treated staff with great respect and worked well with us and we appreciate that,” Knight said. “You’ve always challenged me to do a better job managing and leading this city.”

Knight also took a moment to recognize Bradley’s wife Ruth.

“When you serve in a community that is so passionate about the things of Winter Park, sometimes the spouses get the brunt of some of that passion,” Knight said. “It’s a very difficult task to be the spouse of a mayor or elected official. Ruth, you have done it with class and dignity.”

Bradley announced he would not be seeking a third term last October due to personal reasons. Both his family life and position as CEO of Winter Park Hospital demand greater attention moving forward, he said.

“There’s a definite element of sacrifice that comes with public service, and I’ve enjoyed doing that,” Bradley told the Observer in October. “…I know I’ve disadvantaged my family from time to time having to choose between oral events and activities and spending time with them.”

“The thing that is very important to me is something called balance,” he said. “That’s been nonexistent in my life.”

Bradley told the Observer he wouldn’t rule out running for public office again.

“I’ll never say never,” Bradley said.