When you subscribed to this Newsletter, I’m pretty confident you did not think there would be politics attached to it. Don’t worry, I have zero desire to bring politics to a local lifestyle blog. Instead of discussing local elections from a political perspective, I want to lend a voice from a lifestyle perspective. To be sure, I have my own opinions on who I will support in the City of Bonita Springs elections. I’ll be happy to buy you a coffee and share. I want to highlight, not scrutinize. I want to applaud those who run for office. To voluntarily choose to give up your privacy for the betterment of your community is admirable. To those running, thank you for your contribution in making Bonita Springs a better place to live. This will be educational and informative. No partisan stances or click bait TMZ style zingers.
So why will a lifestyle blog talk about local elections? Because our local leaders are the primary decision makers on the quality of life and the future of our community. They decide where bike paths are created, where landfills are placed, which business are zoned for what areas and so much more.
I was at a meeting a couple months ago where County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass spoke. The topic of discussion was infrastructure – specifically road projects. During the Q&A portion, a visibly upset woman lamented how Bonita Springs did not currently have road projects funded by the County. In the back and forth, she argued how Bonita Springs has bad traffic and there needs to be a fix. In that moment, Bonita Springs City Councilman, Nigel Fullick raised the most important point during the entire meeting. He said, by paraphrase, the City of Bonita Springs has two meetings each month at the same time with the same 6-10 people at each meeting. He kindly invited her and anyone else to attend those meetings, talk about their frustration, and share with the Council their ideas for how to improve the City. Councilman Fullick expressed what I’m sure every single locally elected official believes.
There isn’t enough engagement at the local level.
I consider myself very lucky to live in Bonita Springs. I think they do a pretty darn good job. I try to attend a meeting every other month or so. What if we lived in a city that misused tax dollars for inappropriate reasons? What if a council voted to destroy a park and replace it with a landfill? Decisions like this may never take place in Bonita or Estero, but that shouldn’t mean we neglect our participation in those meetings. We should be working with the Council on items we feel are important. Do you want to see more parks? Go to a City Council meeting. Do you want to vent your frustration about a pothole that hasn’t been fixed in months? Go to a City Council meeting. Our local elected officials can’t read our minds. We must meet them where they’re at
So what will this election series look like? On the second Thursday of each month, from now until November 5th, I will bring you insights, thoughts, and hopefully the candidates themselves to this Newsletter. You deserve to know where they stand and the vision they have for Bonita Springs. With all of this being said, I encourage YOU to reach out to them yourselves. I’ve met almost every local candidate and I know they want to meet you. They want to hear your input and ideas. Bonita Springs was not built on the backs of a few, but on a collection of voices from all industries, backgrounds, and walks of life. So please - call them, introduce yourself, and talk to them.
The Village of Estero does not have elections in 2024
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