- April 24, 2024
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OCOEE – Two of the four seats on the Ocoee City Commission are being contested in the upcoming election to be held Tuesday, March 13.
Vying for the City Commission’s District 2 seat is retired Ocoee police sergeant and political newcomer Robert Rivera. Rivera is running against incumbent Rosemary Wilsen, who is seeking her fourth three- year term as a city commissioner.
Running for the commission District 4 seat is Ocoee resident George Oliver III, and incumbent Joel F. Keller, who has served on the commission since 2006 and is seeking his fifth three-year term in public office. Oliver also ran against Keller during the 2015 election.
The four candidates will participate in the Feb. 26 Ocoee Political Forum, hosted by the Woman’s Club of Ocoee. The forum is free and open to the public and will be broadcast live on Ocoee TV channel 493.
Anyone in attendance is welcome to submit written questions for the candidates. Those watching the debate during the broadcast may submit questions as well by calling (407) 554-7118 or emailing [email protected].
Age: 63
Office sought: Ocoee City Commissioner, District 4
Occupation: Bus Sys Analyst
Education: Degree in Computer Science
Civic involvement: Before serving as a commissioner, I was on the Citizen Advisory Committee for the Ocoee Police Department and the Planning Board with the city. I spent 15 years on the Sawmill Homeowner Association. While my children were in school, I was on the Ocoee Middle School and West Orange High School PTA.
Years living in Ocoee: 27 years
Why do you want to serve, or continue to serve, as a commissioner for the city of Ocoee?
Ocoee has made great strides these last 3 years to improve our city. We have a strong commission that is working well together to improve the downtown and CRA/(State Road) 50 Corridor. I believe I have been a strong part of that, and I want to see us continue the work we have started to completion.
What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?
Having been involved with the city boards since 2000 and the commission since 2006, I have a strong working knowledge of what we are trying to do and how we are working with the citizens and developers to accomplish those goals. Involvement in the city leads to understanding, and I have a record of involvement in our city even before being on the commission.
What specific goals do you want to accomplish as a member of the commission?
Specifically, I want to see the growth our downtown come to fruition. We have spent much time with the citizens planning for its growth. With the plans for a connection of downtown to the West Orange Trail, to the downtown infrastructure improvements, to the changes to Bill Breeze Park, to improvements to the roads, to increasing the Lakeshore Center – these projects need to stay on track. Also along the (S.R.) 50 Corridor, I would like to see City Center and the 50 and Maguire projects continue to go forward increasing our businesses. The other main goal is to continue working to have all of Ocoee as one zip code, reducing issues for our citizens when trying to use our services.
What issues or regulations, if any, do you think need to be revisited to improve the city?
As mentioned above, I believe the zip code issue has to be kept on the forefront. In Ocoee, we have seven different zip codes. This creates issues for citizens who want to use our facilities when their address shows they live in Apopka or Orlando or the other non-Ocoee zip codes. Various insurance rates are determined by the zip code, and for the most part, we can reduce rates. For example, with our fire department having an ISO rating of 1, we are are in the top half of one percent of all fire departments in the country, (which) reduces homeowner insurance costs.
What do you consider the biggest challenges for the city of Ocoee? How would you address them?
The biggest challenge is going to be getting a good mix of businesses and homes in the city of Ocoee. With businesses come more jobs within the city for our citizens to work closer to home. This will also bring the increased restaurants and entertainment to the area. Also, it will help reduce millage rates that will reduce taxes but not take away from services. I think the best way to address this is to continue with the plans the city has started to put in place for our downtown and CRA/50 Corridor.
Age: 51
Office sought: Ocoee City Commissioner, District 4
Occupation: Pharmaceutical Compliance Monitor
Education: MBA
Civic involvement: Benefits coordinator of local American Legion
Years living in Ocoee: 16 years
Why do you want to serve, or continue to serve, as a commissioner for the city of Ocoee?
Over the past 10 to 15 years, we have watched our city become economically complacent and watched business after business pack up and leave. It breaks our hearts as citizens to sit back and continually watch this happen year after year. I finally realized that our current leadership had no plan or vision to do anything about it, so I decided to run for city commissioner with the idea of rejuvenating our retail economic base. As a candidate, I have opened the channels of communication with the West Oaks Mall to study a plan that would bring back more retail economic development.
What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?
It’s as simple as comparing rotten apples to fresh oranges. On the one hand, you have leadership that has continually sat back and watched our fair city remain economically stagnant, starving for new life. On the other hand, you have a candidate with a fresh new perspective on retail economic development, effective leadership, education and citizen empowerment. I possess the vision to move our city out of complacency and put us in a position to attract large retail and tech giants to our community. #ONEOCOEE
What specific goals do you want to accomplish as a member of the commission?
One of the first things that I plan to look into as a commissioner is the probing question of why our current commissioners do not have a budget to address local community initiatives. I’m also interested in writing a grant to create summer enrichment programs for our youth. In addition to that, we have found that many of our children are in need of school supplies when heading back to school each year. I would like to spearhead a citywide back-to-school drive. After reviewing the statistics of foreclosures in our city, we also found that many citizens are still losing their homes in record numbers. Therefore, I plan to put together a task force of local citizens with specific skill sets to help those who are in jeopardy of losing their homes.
What issues or regulations, if any, do you think need to be revisited to improve the city?
I think that the city has made great strides in its planning and zoning efforts, however, I feel that more should, and can, be done toward reviewing some of the old zoning rules and restrictions. One of the biggest challenges we face as a city is the lack of diversified leadership and vision. How would I address these issues? Simple – win this race! #oneOcoee
Age: 62
Office sought: Ocoee City Commissioner, District 2
Occupation: Social worker, program coordinator for West Orange Christian Service Center Education: Social work degree from UCF
Civic Involvement: Woman’s Club of Ocoee, current member; Ocoee Lions Club, current member; Tri-County League of Cities, current board member and former president; West Orange Healthcare District trustee; and more
Years living in Ocoee: 20 years
Why do you want to serve, or continue to serve, as a commissioner for the city of Ocoee?
I want to continue serving our community because I care deeply about the people of Ocoee and what goes on in our community. My main job as city commissioner is to respond to the concerns of the residents and homeowners of Ocoee; to keep a watchful eye on how our tax dollars are collected and spent, and to promote smart growth and development of commercial areas while not losing sight of the importance of our “small” hometown neighborhood values.
What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?
As a lifetime social worker helping local people in need and as a wife married for the past 38 years and raising two daughters, I know firsthand the problems of running a home and keeping a family together. This makes me the most qualified candidate because I understand the problems firsthand, having been your commissioner in the City of Ocoee for the past 9 years. Goals and tasks must be timely and within budget to better serve the needs of our community. Prior to being a commissioner I was involved in numerous organizations in Ocoee and have continued my volunteerism since elected. I have been an advocate devoting my time and efforts to keep Ocoee a wonderful place to live, work, and enjoy life. I am so grateful to be in a position to work for the best interests of our growing
community
What specific goals of you want to accomplish as a member of the commission?
The city's master plan, which was developed with the citizens' input, will finally become a reality. Our growing downtown area will be a wonderful gathering spot with the Bill Breeze Park rejuvenation on Starke Lake. We will (also) connect to the West Orange Trail (for residents) to walk, jog or ride (their) bicycles. A new city hall will be built, along with the expansion of the Lakeshore Center and improvements around the historic Withers-Maguire House. This house is a jewel, I do hope you have taken the time to tour the home. The infrastructure along Bluford Avenue is already in progress. Sorry for the traffic detours that we must endure to achieve progress.
What issues or regulations do you think need to be revisited to improve the city?
The overriding goal is that our mayor and the four commissioners continue to work together to keep our local services at peak performance. We are a team with the city manager’s office and countless valuable city employees all pulling together to make our town a great place to live. We need to expand and improve our parks and recreation area — recreation is such a vital part of Ocoee. Roads need to be resurfaced, repaved and repaired to keep traffic moving safely. City sidewalks need to be kept in safe condition. Reclaimed water requests have been heard, and these have been moving forward with Lake Olympia neighborhoods and are being brought online with reclaimed water.
What do you consider the biggest challenges for the city of Ocoee? How will you address them?
The biggest challenge to Ocoee is common-sense growth management. Improving our infrastructure such as on Orlando Avenue and Bluford Avenue intersection, along with the first phase of the Montgomery Avenue Park are necessary improvement projects. The City of Ocoee will always have challenges as we are a growing and ever-changing community. I will accept these challenges and work with the commission to improve our community and always put the needs of my residents first.
Age: 56
Office sought: Ocoee City Commissioner, District 2
Occupation: Retired city of Ocoee police sergeant
Education: Military Police Academy, United States Air Force dog-handling school, Florida criminal justice police academy; studied criminal justice in college while serving overseas in the U.S. Army.
Civic involvement: Spring Fling, Poker Run benefit, police community picnic, police internships, Shop with a Cop
Years living in Ocoee: 28 years
Why do you want to serve, or continue to serve, as a commissioner for the city of Ocoee?
As a former city employee, I have a unique perspective on how the city functions. I have seen and experienced wonderful things in my city. I have also seen the need for change and efficiency. I made the decision to run for commissioner to bring positive changes to the city.
Why makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?
As a veteran, I bring a sense of duty, dedication and devotion. As a retired police sergeant for this city, I bring 29 years of government experience and service to the public. I understand the need for repairing our streets, for productive communication between city government and its citizens, and the need to have a voice in government spending.
What goals do you want to accomplish?
One of my first goals is to improve communication by responding to questions the citizens may have and addressing their concerns in a timely manner. My second goal is to improve government efficiency by engaging the city employees in an effort to understand what they feel is necessary for a good working relationship.
What issues or regulations do you think need to be revisited to improve the city?
The majority of the concerns I have heard from citizens was fiscal responsibility and infrastructure. I want to ensure money is spent responsibly and all the city’s departments are fully staffed so that infrastructure work and public safety are used efficiently.
What do you consider the biggest challenges for the city of Ocoee? How will you address them?
The biggest challenge for the city is responsible growth. I want to take a look at the process that is required for businesses to establish themselves in the city and to look into the city’s inspection process and impact fees. From there, I can gauge what changes may be needed to attract businesses to our city.
