Meet the candidates: Windermere Town Council

Town of Windermere residents will head to the polls March 14 to cast ballots for three open Town Council seats.

By Gabby Baquero
| 8:30 p.m. February 2, 2017

Southwest Orange
News

Robert (Bob) McKinley

Age: 71
Profession: Controller for a local businessman in his various business interests
Relevant experience: I am completing my first two-year term on the Windermere Town Council. During my term I have served as council liaison to the Elders Committee, Parks and Recreation Committee, and to the Projects Committee.

Why do you think you are the best candidate to fill one of the open seats on the Windermere Town Council?

I retired from the United States Army in 1985 and have held various management positions in both the communications and in the vehicle service industry since that time. I am completing my first two-year term on the Windermere Town Council. During my term I have served as council liaison to the Elders Committee, Parks and Recreation Committee, and the Projects Committee. My life and management experiences enable me to take a common-sense approach to decision making. I utilize this experience along with soliciting input from my fellow citizens to determine the best course of action for each decision I make. These, along with a desire to serve and improve our community, are what qualifies me for the position.

What do you think are some big issues in the Town of Windermere that should be promptly addressed?

There are many issues that need addressing. All of them are currently being addressed, but as an old saying goes: The wheels of government turn slowly. They turn slowly because it takes a lot of time to develop a plan, to obtain required agency approval and to figure out how we will pay for it.

Most of our residents utilize well water and are on septic systems. We are pursuing available grants and seeking special funding to help resolve the water and septic issues. Because of the tens of millions in cost, it will take many years for us to correct this problem.
We need to improve our pedestrian walkways. We are working on plans that would replace some sidewalks, install new ones, and to install a multi-modal path linking all areas of the town.
Road improvements are needed. We had a company specializing in pavement assessment. They laser scanned all of our paved roads and from that report we developed a five-year plan to prioritize the repaving of our streets. These projects are starting during the current fiscal year.
Stormwater remains a problem, and we have made many improvements in our system. Shared funding has been obtained for one of our areas that is prone to flooding and work on that project should begin soon. Other stormwater projects are in the planning stage.

The town charter currently limits the amount of debt the town can incur in any fiscal year, however, there is a push to increase the town's financial borrowing limits in order to pursue more capital improvement projects. What is your personal opinion on the matter?

The town charter restricts borrowing for any project to 12.5% of our annual budget. This means that for any project costing over about $600,000, we would have to hold a special referendum to obtain voter approval. This costs a lot – both in time and in the cost of holding the referendum. Since a lot of our repaving projects will cost close to $1 million each, we are unable to proceed without either substantial grants or voter approval.

The first option on the ballot will be to change to a 10% debt service limit. This is patterned after the way we manage our personal finances. It is not the amount you are borrowing, rather it is based on the amount of your total debt payment. This would allow us to borrow so long as our total debt payment does not exceed 10% of our annual budget.

The second option would change the amount we can borrow for a project from 12.5% to 30%. This means we would be able to borrow up to about 1.4 million dollars for each project. In both of the options, we would have to obtain voter approval before exceeding the restricted percentage. If both options are turned down, then the 12.5% limit will remain. In speaking with many of our residents, option one has the most support. That is also the option I will personally vote for.

The Town of Windermere Police Department has repeatedly expressed the need to get a building that meets operational and security standards. What are your thoughts on this initiative?

Town government facilities, including the police department, are outdated and need to be replaced. A referendum to borrow funds to build new facilities was defeated by our citizens last year because of no definitive plan as to style, cost and location. We are going to again present this problem to our citizens and ask for their input on the facilities. I believe that once a definite cost and location are determined, our residents will give their approval.

Chris Sapp

Age: 33
Profession: Real Estate Professional
Relevant experience: Windermere Downtown Business Committee 2008-2017 (Chairman 2014-2017)

Why do you think you are the best candidate to fill one of the open seats on the Windermere Town Council?

I have been a resident since 2008 and for the duration, I have served the town residents and businesses. As Chair of the Windermere Downtown Business Committee (DBC), I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with the Council, committees and town administration to improve ordinances and bring events to the town, including food truck night, the farmers market, the craft beer festival and the art affair. The DBC has quietly given back to the town in the form of upgraded electricity, lighting, and new landscaping downtown, to name a few. Our Beer Fest also generously donates to the Windermere Police Foundation. When I first became a member, the town budgeted funding for our initiatives with the DBC breaking even or in the red. Now it is self-funded, well in the black, and able to consistently inject improvements into downtown.

If elected I will carry out the spirit of the mission adopted by the Windermere DBC to “foster and promote a healthy and vibrant Downtown” and expand this ideal beyond the Windermere Business District to the rest of OUR community without sacrificing the charm and character that drew my family and neighbors to reside here.

What do you think are some big issues in the Town of Windermere that should be promptly addressed?

In no particular order these are the items that I would like to address if elected:

Road improvements/drainage
Updating parks and aesthetics to the town entrances
Improvements to the police and administration buildings
Create business diversity downtown
Sidewalks and/or multi-use paths
Seek additional revenue without raising taxes

The town charter currently limits the amount of debt the town can incur in any fiscal year, however, there is a push to increase the town's financial borrowing limits in order to pursue more capital improvement projects. What is your personal opinion on the matter?

Our roads are in horrendous shape in many areas. With the current charter structure, this will take years for us to accomplish the direst of areas, while other areas will continue to fall through the cracks. This is not ideal for safety of children, our vehicles, or our property values. Public works is spending too much time on road maintenance and is not able to tend to other simple projects, like aesthetics coming into town, the parks and town-maintained areas.

Option No. 1 gives flexibility with borrowing negotiation while keeping an extremely low-debt ratio. There are non-partisan studies that are in place to prioritize projects in an unbiased way. Voting on every project will result in projects taking years to accomplish as opposed to weeks or months. We all vote for council members to make sure the town manager stays fiscally responsible. In the end, the funding needs to come from somewhere and I will not advocate or support raising taxes or adding additional assessments.

The Town of Windermere Police Department has repeatedly expressed the need to get a building that meets operational and security standards. What are your thoughts on this initiative?

The police and admin buildings are seemingly just short of being held together by duct tape and glue. Rodent, mold and/or allergens have been reported and will continue if something is not done. We take pride in our community and our fine officers, and the police department should be brought to the standards of FDLE for security and operation. We ask the PD to protect and serve, but we as a community need to make sure they have the correct tools to do as such. The cost of piecemeal repairs to these buildings is a money pit that is just putting off the inevitable. There are many items that can be shelved or compromised, but our safety – and the safety of the ones who protect (us) – should not be.

James (Jim) O’Brien

Age: 48
Profession: Director of Workforce Development for Goodwill Industries of Central Florida
Relevant experience: Kristin O’Brien and our children, Jacob (15) and Emily (10), moved to Windermere in 2008. I have worked for over 25 years in non-profit management. I lived in West Palm Beach before moving to Windermere and hold a Master’s Degree in Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Florida Atlantic University. In addition to serving on the Windermere Town Council for the past six years I serve as the Town Council Liaison for the Windermere Police Department, Windermere Police Department Foundation and the Windermere Long Range Planning Committee. I have served on the Windermere Town Council for three terms, the Windermere Police Department Foundation, the Orange County Community Action Board, the Mustang Foundation and the Windermere Tree Board.

Why do you think you are the best candidate to fill one of the open seats on the Windermere Town Council?

I have become an effective representative of our community, serving three terms on the Town of Windermere Council since 2011. I enjoy the process of a representative government and work hard to balance needed progress with reverence toward what makes our town such a unique and desirable place to raise a family. I bring a measured and balanced approach to our Council. I carefully weigh your input and always strive to do what is best for our community. I actively seek a win-win solution whenever possible but I will never compromise what makes our town a great place to live, work and play.

What do you think are some big issues in the Town of Windermere that should be promptly addressed?

Infrastructure improvements
Garnering our share of federal, state and local funding to improve vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian safety in Windermere, including development and improvement of sidewalks to allow students to safely walk or bike to school
Continued improvement of water quality in the Butler Chain of Lakes through the reduction of storm water, nutrient and sediment and runoff
The explosive development occurring to the Southwest and North of Windermere that bring increased traffic through Windermere’s already busy streets

The town charter currently limits the amount of debt the town can incur in any fiscal year, however, there is a push to increase the town's financial borrowing limits in order to pursue more capital improvement projects. What is your personal opinion on the matter?

Currently, our town charter limits the Town Council's’ ability to fund and complete needed improvements, such as sidewalks, road and safety enhancements. I support the increase in borrowing authority in order to utilize proper financing and capital to complete needed projects. The town’s staff and council has demonstrated careful stewardship of tax dollars over the past six years. We have worked to improve services, professionalism and maintenance while increasing the town’s financial reserves from $300,000 in fiscal year 2011 to over $1.8 million for budget for fiscal year 2017.

The Town of Windermere Police Department has repeatedly expressed the need to get a building that meets operational and security standards. What are your thoughts on this initiative?

We have worked tirelessly to build a police department in Windermere that makes the residents of Windermere proud. With emphasis on professionalism, training and service the Windermere Police Department is now one of the best small police departments in the state of Florida. WPD was one of the first departments to use body cams in Central Florida and our officers now regularly host law enforcement trainings that are attended by police departments around the State of Florida. The next goal for the Windermere Police Department is accreditation. In order to accomplish this goal, proper facilities meeting national standards are needed to safeguard evidence and officers. Currently, when severe weather occurs our officers need to leave the police department for safer quarters extending service times and leaving our community without the protection and services we deserve.

Richard Montgomery

Age: 64
Family: Married for 27 years with two children; a young lady of 26 and a young man of 22.
Profession: I am a Civil Engineer by education but have not practiced that discipline for a long time. I have been employed by Florida Municipal Power Agency for the past 10 years. FMPA provides electricity to multiple municipalities within the State of Florida where I am the Program Risk Manager. My entire working career has been within the energy industry, primarily natural gas transportation, trading, and retail marketing and more recently in power generation fuels, risk management and customer service functions.

Why do you think you are the best candidate to fill one of the open seats on the Windermere Town Council?

I am not going to advocate that I am the "best" candidate as that would be very presumptuous. However, I am certainly qualified and capable of serving the residents of the Town of Windermere as a member of the Town Council. When I and my family initially moved to Florida in 2007, I served on the HOA Board of the Belmere subdivision for 5 of the 6 years living there. We moved in 2012 to the Marina Bay subdivision where I joined its HOA Board and have served as its President for the last three years. The experiences gained through serving on both of these Boards have provided an excellent blend of the challenges that face any community in this day and time. These challenges have covered budgetary issues and constraints, safety and security concerns, adapting to changing needs and priorities, working with residents with opposing viewpoints to find common ground and compromise, advocating the tough decisions when compromise is not possible in an objective and respectful manner, and the list goes on. I have also addressed both the Councils of Ocoee and Windermere, representing the respective HOAs when issues of concern to the HOA residents were meeting agenda topics.

Also relevant is my work experience, especially while here in Florida working for FMPA. As a municipal entity, it has provided me with a thorough understanding and appreciation of Florida's Sunshine Law statutes and how these regulations govern a municipal board, their actions, and associated record-keeping requirements.

What do you think are some big issues in the Town of Windermere that should be promptly addressed?

I have listed below what I believe are the biggest issues facing the Town. Their order is not meant to represent priority ranking in any way.

Ensuring that the "will of the people" is being heard and addressed as an integral part of any Council decision and/or vote.
How to maintain the "charm" of the Town while adapting to our growing traffic congestion and the escalating growth of surrounding Orange County, especially west of Town.
How to make needed/required capital improvements to the Town's infrastructure without increasing the resident's tax burden.
How best to prioritize limited available $s and still meet the needs of the Town's residents.
Ensure the safety of our residents in this world of escalating violence and turmoil.

The town charter currently limits the amount of debt the town can incur in any fiscal year, however, there is a push to increase the town's financial borrowing limits in order to pursue more capital improvement projects. What is your personal opinion on the matter?

In my opinion, the current financial borrowing limitation places a significant burden upon the Town and its operations. At the current level, making necessary capital improvements to the Town’s infrastructure is limited to no more than approximately $600,000 per project without voter approval. The process of gaining voter approval increases project costs with holding the necessary election and resulting project schedule delays. This causes the Town to either split projects into smaller endeavors or postpone while sufficient cash reserves are built. However, any modification to the borrowing structure must ensure that future council decisions are managed in a fiscally prudent manner to ensure that any debt liability does not result increased taxation upon the Town’s residents. My understanding of the options being presented voters in the March election are reasonable options for the voters to consider.

The Town of Windermere Police Department has repeatedly expressed the need to get a building that meets operational and security standards. What are your thoughts on this initiative?

Unfortunately, I believe the needs that have been expressed by WPD are warranted. I have visited the facility as a result of a burglary upon my home and in my opinion, the building is truly inadequate to meet the needs of a police department in this day and time. Yes, we are a small town, but that does not diminish the expectations that we all have for an efficient and capable police force. Chief David Ogden has done a superb job in turning the WPD into an agency that we all can be proud of and trust. In my opinion, their current facilities cannot meet the needs of a modern police force to ensure its ability to serve the public in the manner expected in today’s evolving environment.