Posted October 24, 2016 12:02 am
By SHELDON GARDNER sheldon.gardner@staugustine.com
ELECTION PREVIEW: St. Augustine commission races pit experience against fresh perspectives
St. Augustine Record
Despite destruction from Hurricane Matthew, the city of St. Augustine is dealing with day to day operations and facing elections that could have a major impact on the city.
With the majority of seats up for election, November results could to lead to major policy changes. Three of five commission seats are up for election on Nov. 8, including the mayor’s seat.
Two incumbents are running for reelection in the races for regular commission seats, and the races will determine four-year terms.
In the race for Seat 1, Vice Mayor Roxanne Horvath, an artist and architect, will face the Rev. Ronald L. Stafford, pastor of New Mt. Moriah Christian Ministry. In the race for Seat 2, Commissioner Leanna Freeman, an attorney, will face Susan Rathbone, president of the North Davis Shores Neighborhood Association.
Seat 2
For both Rathbone and Freeman, the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew affected them personally and reinforced their focus on the city’s infrastructure needs.
“I think a lot of what happened to us in Davis Shores on both sides was due to lack of infrastructure … real up-to-the-standards infrastructure,” Rathbone said.
Rathbone said she’d like to see added backflow prevention for storm drains along the bayfront and a better understanding of why many people didn’t evacuate from the storm — she suggested looking into communication methods in the city, including with people who might not have smartphones or power.
Rathbone also believes roads and sidewalks should be a priority, as well as the city’s drainage system.
For Freeman, the storm highlighted the importance of safety — not only getting people out quickly but also preventing the spread of disease and germs, she said.
Researching what happened during the storm, and seeing if certain infrastructure issues could have been prevented, is a focus, she said. She’s also committed herself to improving water quality and paving roads, according to her campaign site.
Freeman is also focused on “long-term capital improvements that will make us a leader in infrastructure and policies that will make us leaders on pro-environmental policies,” according to information she provided to The Record.
While the city had planned more than $15.6 million in capital improvements in the current fiscal year, another major initiative has also been underway: creating a citywide mobility plan.
The project seeks to make movement around the city better for all parties, including pedestrians and bicyclists.
The city needs a transportation system that allows people to get into town without using vehicles, and needs a system that better accommodates biking and walking, Rathbone said.
According to Freeman, her vision for the city’s future is one of balance and improved livability, as well as improved mobility for residents “so they may continue to go about their daily business without unreasonable burdens created by increased tourism.” She also wants improved pedestrian and bicycle safety and mobility.
She also lists future priorities as finding alternatives for downtown parking “for long-term visitors and during peak season,” according to her campaign website.
Both candidates come from different industries and experiences.
Rathbone is a teacher and school administrator — one who worked to improve low performing schools — who is taking a break to care for her father, she wrote. Still, she’s been active in the community and fought against development of a commercial property in the middle of residential Davis Shores and has been active in other issues.
“I come with fresh ideas,” Rathbone said. “I think after eight years of looking at the same problems, you don’t have fresh ideas.” Also, she said, “I’m not a politician.”
Freeman spent several years on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board before joining the commission in 2008. She’s a former downtown business owner with 20 years of legal training.
That experience helped her when the City Commission revoked 7-Eleven’s permit to build at the May Street and San Marco Avenue intersection. She said she laid out reasons for the denial that would have stood up in court had they been challenged.
“My background allows me to maintain a measured approach to challenging decisions and to listen carefully to all sides,” she wrote. “This strength will help me lead St. Augustine down a productive path for the future.”
Seat 1
In the other non-mayoral race, candidates split opinions on the city’s success, including in infrastructure and addressing needs in West Augustine.
Stafford, a longtime resident, said more should have been done to address failing infrastructure and paving streets and parking over the years. He says plans to address these problems have sat on a shelf and believes the city should use local brainpower more instead of spending money on consultants.
Horvath supports the city’s plans for improving infrastructure and paving, and she said the paving scheduled for this year will exceed the city’s annual goals and touch all pars of the city. The commission also plans to take another look at paving funding in a couple of months to see if more can be done.
The city budgeted $525,000 for paving for the current fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, 2017, not including a range of separate utility projects that will include paving as part of the work.
Stafford’s ideas for mobility include a bus system in the city, though he didn’t have a clear plan for paying for it. He also suggests having reserved parking for residents downtown.
Horvath said she supports the city’s mobility project and thinks it will be a benefit over the long term. She compared it to the visioning process, which had criticism early on.
Horvath led the visioning effort, which created a guiding document for the city that’s been used for developing the city’s strategic plan — a strategic plan that has shaped the budget. She said the visioning project is something she’s proud of and is one reason she wants to stay for four more years, to see more of it come to fruition.
Aside from mobility and infrastructure, one thing Stafford wants is more equal funding for the city overall — including more funding for West Augustine within the city limits. Part of that neighborhood touches both the city and county jurisdiction.
“More funding needs to be spent in the city limits of West Augustine because it’s been forgotten. … If it’s a blighted area then bring it up to par,” he said.
Both candidates described themselves as well-qualified for the job.
Horvath, who served on the Historic Architectural Review Board and the Planning and Zoning Board, said she’s ready for four more years.
“I am a balanced voice on the commission, and there’s no learning curve,” Horvath said.
Stafford said that there’s no learning curve for him either, with a background that includes work on boards — including chair of a local free health clinic board — and experience investigating local governments with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
According to Stafford, he’s “running to become a voice for the people, so they can become a part of all the action that will come before the commission.”
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