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More profiles for Honorary Mayor candidates

5 min read
1 / 2
Cindy Newmaster
2 / 2
Ronnie Morgan

Last week, the North Fort Myers Neighbor profiled three of the five candidates for the North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Honorary Mayor race. This week, two more candidates are profiled.

The full list of candidates is:

– Jarrod Cantrell, Lee County Sheriff’s Deputy

– Richard Dunmire, celebrating his 50th year as a teacher

– Ronnie Morgan, band leader

– Cindy Newmaster, general manager for BJ’s Wholesale Club

– Jim Wells, Owner – Vertical Point Technologies

The fund-raising contest will run until the night of “the inauguration” Friday Feb. 6, when the new mayor will be announced.

Its $1 per vote for your favorite candidate, with proceeds going to the chamber’s scholarship fund, said Chamber Executive Director Dina Porter. “It’s a fun honor for anyone, and we’ll be looking forward to our new mayor hosting fun community events,” Porter said.

To vote for your favorite mayoral candidate, go to www.nfmchamber.org, the chamber’s new Web site. You can “vote” through PayPal there, or you can print out the 2009 Honorary Mayor Candidate form and send it back with a check by mail. Note the candidate and send it to Beardmore and Assoc., 90 Pine Island Rd., Suite B, North Fort Myers, FL 33903.

Chamber officials also invite voters to come to their new offices, located in the Shell Factory & Nature Park.

When the votes are tallied, the new Honorary Mayor will be announced at a Caribbean Gala, to be held at the Dolphin Room at the Shell Factory on Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Dinner tickets are available to the general public for $35 per person.

Local celebrities will be on hand for the event.

“Tracey Edwards, host of Fox 4 Morning Blend will be the emcee, and current Honorary Mayor Tom Cronin Sr. will preside over this year’s event,” Porter said. “Fort Myers Mayor Jim Humphrey will also award our honorary mayor with the key to the city and Sheriff Mike Scott will present the winner with his or her office proclamation and mayoral guidebook.

“We’re also inviting the community to come to our grand reopening,” said Porter. That event is free and open to all, scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 29, at 5:30 p.m., also in the Dolphin Room.

Call The North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce office at 997-9111 for more information.

Candidate biographies, Part II:

This week, Morgan and Newmaster share their biographies.

– Cindy Newmaster

Newmaster was born and raised in South Jersey and has lived in Florida for six years with her husband, Herb. They have four children – David, 25; Shasta, 28; Marla, 32; and Danny, 34; and they have nine grandchildren.

Newmaster is the general manager of BJ’s Wholesale Club in North Fort Myers and has been there since it opened three years ago. She likes to spend time with her family and going to the beach with her two Yorkie dogs, Sammy and Sandy.

If elected she said she will declare a “BJ’s Day” for North Fort Myers residents and all residents will receive a one-day shopping pass to her store.

Newmaster has done numerous fund-raisers for the community and is committed to Boy Scouts; “Red, White and Boom” with the City of Cape Coral; Soccer Club; the American Cancer Society and the North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce. Her motto is “Shop BJ’s where values come to life!”

– Ronnie Morgan

The leader of the “Ronnie Morgan Band,” Morgan’s interest in music began at an early age with influences from many different genres. His love for country music inspired him to learn to play the guitar and begin writing music.

Morgan’s passion for singing and performing led to the formation of his first band, “Southern Reign,” and continues to his current band.

He made his first trip to Nashville in January 2004. He was originally scheduled to record three songs that he had written including one for his mother who passed away in November 2002. After Will Smith of Blacksmith Records heard him sing this touching song to his mother, negotiations changed to the recording of a full CD. Months of hard work resulted in Morgan’s self-titled CD, which was released in July 2004.

His first CD was very well received by his local following and brought many new listeners to his shows. In addition his music, vocals and personality were enjoyed by so many that he was asked to open show dates for several artists and perform at festivals throughout the Southeastern United States.

Over the past three years, Morgan and his band have opened dates for many country music recording stars including Keith Urban, Gary Allen, Tracey Lawrence, Joe Nichols, Andy Griggs, Trace Atkins, Teri Clark and Montgomery Gentry, just to name a few.

The Ronnie Morgan Band includes Frank Rizzo on bass guitar/vocals, Mike Isabella on drums/vocals and Dave Lewis on lead guitar/vocals. Morgan plays Takamine & Gibson acoustic guitars, custom-built and Fender electric guitars in conjunction with Boss effects pedals through Mesa Boogie Amplification.

Morgan does numerous fund-raisers for the North Fort Myers community and is the known around town as “the greatest guy in the world.” Stop in and see him during the lunch rush almost any day at Victory Lanes Caf, which his fiance Billie Jo owns and operates.