Candidates tackle the issues at forum
Area residents got an opportunity to hear candidates for local offices last Monday, thanks to the North Fort Myers Civic Association and Chamber of Commerce .
The two organizations co-hosted the event that was moderated by area activist Skip Mitchell and attended by a nearly full house at the North Fort Myers Recreation Center .
“It went well. I was happy with the turnout and the level of participation. I was also happy with the decorum,” Civic Association president Michael Land said. “There had been a lot of hollering and threatening. So we spent $160 to bring in a deputy to play it safe. It was a worthwhile investment.”
The presence may have helped keep things civil, but may not have been needed as things went smoothly.
Three races drew lots of attention.
Among those attending were three of five Supervisor of Elections candidates – incumbent Sharon Harrington, and opponents Carmen Salome and James Hefferin. The race is non-partisan.
Harrington, still defending herself following the 2012 presidential election where people waited hours in line to vote, said she has done much to prevent that from happening again.
“I am the only candidate with any kind of experience. Once people realize the complexity of it, they realize it takes someone with experience to move it forward,” Harrington said.
When Harrington said her office gives back money to the county every year, Hefferin, who was moved to run following 2012, countered that the county purchased 120 scanners for 2014, by which time many had decided to vote by mail or early vote.
He also said sample ballots are wasteful.
“We need to do a comprehensive study on the precincts. Voting by mail has increased in cost by 30 percent,” Hefferin said. “I also have a problem with sample ballots. Why do families get four sample ballots if they have four people who vote? One will do.”
Salome talked mostly about her qualifications, including a master’s degree, in business, her experience with large budgets and the years she has spent in Southwest Florida.
James Didio, no party affiliation, and Stephanie Eller, Republican, who are running for sheriff, agreed on just about everything, from the number of civilian workers to the salaries of deputies, which they say are so low that many good workers go elsewhere. Sheriff Mike Scott, Republican, who Eller will challenge in an Aug. 30 primary, was not present.
Where they disagreed slightly was “open-carry” laws. Eller supported the measure, while Didio said that was more a slippery slope.
“What if I’m at the store reaching up for something and someone takes my gun?’ Didio said. “It’s too much. It’s something you have to think about. Are you trained or ready to take on that responsibility?”
The seven candidates vying for two at-large school board seats included a current school board member (Cathleen Morgan), a former one (Don Armstrong), an administrator (Derrick Donnell), former administrator (Charles Dailey), a 56-year veteran of the school system (Richard Dunmire), and two others (Chris Quackenbush and Guido Minaya).
Dailey, Armstrong, Dunmire and Morgan used their previous experience as a marketing tool, while Donnell, a former Cape Coral city council member, chose to whet people’s whistles on his thoughts. Quackenbush longed to return to the “old school” approach of teaching, which earned her some of the loudest applause.
“The event went great. Everyone was civil. We had a great turnout and for the first time in a long time we tried a Q&A format and it worked,” event organizer Al Giacalone said. “The news media might have been here for another reason, but we had a good turnout.”
“My main thing is educating yourself about the candidates because many of our problems stem from voters who are not educated and elect idiots,” Mitchell said. “I try to educate people on who is best to fill a position.”