- September 18, 2024
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The NAACP Chapter 5147’s Adolphus Evans Jr. (center) with federal, state and local candidates at the forum. Photo by Sierra Williams
Cornelia Downing Manfre (left) and Mike Norris (right) are the final two candidates competing to be Palm Coast's new mayor. Photo by Sierra Williams
Mike Norris, Palm Coast mayor candidate. Photo by Sierra Williams
Cornelia Downing Manfre, Palm Coast mayor candidate. Photo by Sierra Williams
Mike Norris, a Palm Coast mayoral candidate, answers questions at the NAACP forum. Photo by Sierra Williams
Cornelia Downing Manfre, a Palm Coast mayor candidate, at the NAACP forum. Photo by Sierra Williams
Jeffery Seib is one of the two candidates running for the Palm Coast District 1 City Council seat. Photo by Sierra Williams
Ray Stevens is one of two candidates for Palm Coast's District 3 City Council seat. Photo by Sierra Williams
George "T" Hill, the Democratic candidate for the District 7 Florida State Senate seat. Photo by Sierra Williams
Palm Coast resident Sheleena Clark. Photo by Sierra Williams
James Stockton III is the Democratic candidate for the United States District 6 Representative seat. Photo by Sierra Williams
Florida District 19 State Representative candidate Adam Morley. Photo by Sierra Williams
Palm Coast resident Robert MacDonald during the question and answer session at the NAACP's candidate forum. Photo by Sierra Williams
District 7 Florida State Senate candidate George "T" Hill. Photo by Sierra Williams
Development, infrastructure and taxes were the topics that dominated the discussion at a local nonpartisan political forum on Sept. 16.
Eight local, state and federal candidates met with voters at the Palm Coast Community Center. The event was hosted by the NAACP’s Flagler County chapter.
Both Palm Coast mayoral candidates — Cornelia Downing Manfre and Mike Norris — attended the forum and discussed their views on Palm Coast’s future needs. Only two of the four Palm Coast City Council candidates — one from each of the District 1 and 3 races — attended, and only the Democratic candidates for the Florida State Representative District 19, the Florida State Senate District 7 and the U.S. Representative District 6 races attended as well.
Adolphus Evans Jr., the NAACP Flagler chapter’s Veteran Committee chair, said the NAACP’s invitations to attend were declined by all of the absent candidates, except for the U.S. Senate race. Neither candidate in that race responded to the invitation at all, he said.
The candidates were given several prescreened questions, as well as opportunities for opening and closing statements, and given a set amount of time to respond to each question. At the end of the session, the floor was opened for questions from attendees.
These local forums are important, Evans said, because it cuts right through to the issues, unlike in TV and social media ads.
“To have the candidates right in the same room with you, espousing how they view the issues, what they would do if they were elected — all that was very critical,” he said. “I hope that the voters got more insight into the various candidates that they will be choosing in November.”
The general election is on Nov. 5.
Manfre and Norris both used their time to highlight Palm Coast’s need for better infrastructure and jobs.
Both candidates were given the opportunity to talk about how their experiences prepare them to be mayor, if elected. Manfre said she has a multitude of experience in the financial field, with training negotiating contracts and working with companies
She said she is running to bring in more jobs and fix the city’s infrastructure.
“Our infrastructure is critical,” she said. “And that must be reviewed immediately.”
Norris said his experience lies predominately in his education — five college degrees, including two master's degrees, one in human resources management — and in his work with the military, both in his 24 years of service, and, after he retired from active duty, as the critical infrastructure and anti-terrorism officer. In that position, he said, was essentially handling the infrastructure, from stormwater management to electric, of a small city of 40,000.
Norris said, as mayor, he wants to revitalize the city’s infrastructure and attract industrial growth opportunities for Palm Coast.
“My number one priority is infrastructure,” he said. “There’s a lot of moving parts in this city.”
Norris said while he believes the city has a bright future, but he wants to focus on bringing in jobs in through the industrial industries to help diversify the city’s tax base — which relies predominantly on ad valorem taxes — and support the city’s children.
The city is at a critical point, he said.
“If we don’t change things now, your taxes are going to keep going up and your resources are going to continue to be stretched thin.”
Both candidates said they object to the charter amendment the current City Council has placed on the ballot in November, particularly to the “carte blanche” borrowing power, as Manfre said.
Manfre said that while Palm Coast has done a great job in preserving its tree canopies and implementing “spectacular” trails, she would like to see a greater emphasis in preserving and celebrating the city’s history, arts and culture.
The quality of the city’s water and the state of its sewage treatment plants also need to be reviewed and addressed, she said.
It is the City Council’s responsibility is to care for the residents’ utilities and water, she said.
“The money has to be reviewed, reallocated,” Manfre said. “Capital projects have to be slowed down until all these reviews are done.”
Two City Council district seats are up for election in November. In the District 1 seat, Jeffery Seib is running against Ty Miller while, in the District 3 seat, Ray Stevens is running against Andrew Werner. The City Council seats are open for all Palm Coast residents to vote for in November, even if the resident does not live in that district.
Neither Werner or Miller attended the forum, but Seib and Stevens took the opportunity to educate attendees on what issues they believe need to be addressed in Palm Coast.
Seib said his focus is to make Palm Coast “beautiful and livable” by integrating nature more into the city environment.
“My positive outlook for Palm Coast over the next 10 to 15 years would be a city that has grown, but also has retained much of the natural beauty that we have now,” Seib said.
That won’t happen if the city is growing too fast, he said.
The city needs a diversity of jobs by focusing on its economic and commercial development, Seib said. He said he wants to help bring in good paying jobs to help entice the city’s young people to stay in the area, whether or not those jobs require a college degree.
“If we have talent-based jobs, a talent-based economy, we will have people that want to stay here and live here and work here and play here,” Seib said.
Stevens said his priority is to maintain the city’s or improve the city’s quality of life, especially where it comes to how development will impact the city.
“I feel, as many other people do, that we need to put the brakes on this, what is referred to as out of control before you plan development,” Stevens said. “It’s placing placing a strain on our infrastructure.”
Stevens also said he thinks the city needs to talk about other ways to find revenue beside raising taxes. He said he would not even consider voting for a tax increase until “all other cost-saving measures” were explored.
Seib and Stevens disagreed on affordable housing. Stevens said he felt the city had enough affordable housing already. The city needs to focus on bringing light-industry and medical and medical manufacturing jobs to the city, he said.
“People are scratching their heads and saying, ‘Why is the unemployment rate going up in Palm Coast?’ Well, we keep building houses, and we don't have jobs for these people,” Stevens said.
Seib said he would like to see the council allow for smaller-sized, single-family homes, in a higher density, in specific areas in the city. These neighborhoods would perfect for first-time homeowners, young families and those entering the workforce, he said.
“That's what we need to do,” Seib said. “That is something that we should do to further diversify our community.”
None of the Republican candidates for the Florida State Representative District 19, the Florida State Senate District 7 and the U.S. Representative District 6 races
Democrat Adam Morley is running for the State House of Representatives District 19 seat. He faces Republican Sam Greco, as Rep. Paul Renner has termed out of the elected seat.
Morley, a St. Augustine native, said protecting Florida’s clean water is his priority, as it is the state’s lifeblood. He said that if he is elected he also will work to protect home rule and curbing over development so that the state’s infrastructure can keep pace.
“I'm running to represent this district, the district that I was born and raised in, the district that has instilled the values and the core beliefs of what we can do as a community,” he said.
Democrat George “T” Hill is running against incumbent Rep. Tom Leek for the District 7 seat. Hill — who uses she/her pronouns, according to her campaign site — said she wants to focus on representing the people of North Florida, instead of corrupt politicians.
“Many of the problems in Flagler County can be solved real easily if we can eliminate the corruption that takes the money away from the sewage and from the other things that are going on.
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz’s opponent for the general election is James Stockton, a Democrat. Stockton said it is his priority to represent what the people of his district want and protect residents’ and women’s rights in doctor offices
“I want to make sure we have a voice from this district in Washington,” Stockton said. “I want to make sure that we have someone that will speak up for District 6.”
Neither candidate for Florida’s U.S. State Senate seat — incumbent Rick Scott or his Democrat opponent Debbie Mucarsel-Powell — responded to an invitation to the event.
