Endorsement: Orlando needs Mayor Buddy Dyer’s skillful leadership

When Orlando residents opted for a strong-mayor form of government, they knew it would take an extraordinary individual to hold that central post. For 20 years, Buddy Dyer has been just that. Now he is seeking what he says will be his final term. Win or lose, few will be able to deny his outsized role in shaping Orlando’s history, but voters should keep him on the job for one more round.

The mayor’s demanding role includes serving as a salesman to lure in services and other assets that the city needs; acting as a traffic cop when competing interests vie for shares of public resources and taking the role of referee when his fellow commissioners square off.

Orlando Mayor Dyer touts promises, partnerships in ‘State of the City’ speech

Dyer has also served, at times, as an emotional linchpin for the greater Orlando community. His cheerful adaptation of COVID-era restrictions was leadership by example. And his visible anguish in the aftermath of the shattering massacre at Pulse nightclub helped unite a community in grieving the loss of young lives, and then in cementing bonds of unity and hope that flowered in the aftermath.

Across the city and throughout Central Florida, the visible manifestations of his commitment are clear. He’s been the driving force behind major improvements, including the majestic Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts to the commuter rail linking communities across four counties.

We haven’t always agreed with him — nor has he always agreed with us. There have been times when Dyer’s years of political expertise have been wielded in ways that undercut opposing voices before they even started to speak. And critics — including his repeat opponent former City Council member Sam Ings, who is seeking to depose Dyer this year as well — say the mayor is too focused on the needs of Orlando’s downtown and catering to the wishes of the city’s most powerful.

Ings is the harshest of the three opponents Dyer has drawn in his quest for re-election; the other two are Steve Dixon, who appears to be running a campaign that offers absolutely no insight into why he wants to be mayor or what he plans to accomplish; and Tony Vargas, a first-time office-seeker who owns a local fitness studio and whose message is far more optimistic about Orlando’s future than Ings’. (Technical difficulties scuttled a video interview with Dyer and Vargas). But Ings is probably the closest shot to a legitimate opponent for Dyer, and he’s fallen far short of making the case to depose the veteran mayor.

Granted, some of Ings’ criticism may be merited. Dyer is a politician of consummate skill, always triangulating angles and calculating how much support he can muster for his own priorities. That would be a far harsher criticism, however, if the mayor seemed to be using those potent tools to feed his own ambition or advance the interest of cronies. That doesn’t appear to be the case. At worst, he is sometimes overconfident in the feeling that he knows best what the city needs, and sometimes overwhelms voices that speak, with less skill but equal conviction, about competing priorities.

More often, however, he uses those abilities to advance priorities that fit well with Orlando’s needs or defend the integrity of the city or other boards he serves on — such as his successful reversal of an attempted 2019 power grab at the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, when he joined with Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings to overcome a 5-2 vote replacing the authority’s legal counsel.

We absolutely disagree with Ings’ somewhat scurrilous accusation that Dyer looks the other way as human trafficking, gang violence and homelessness flourish in Orlando. That last accusation is particularly outlandish, given that Orlando is devoting most of its $58 million in federal COVID-relief money toward homelessness and affordable housing.

Is there more Dyer could have done? In a city the size of Orlando, the answer to that question is always going to be yes. Residents of Orlando need to hear a credible plan that addresses transportation needs, and we’d like to see him focus on reassuring city utility customers that their rates will remain rational without ignoring the significant threat of hazardous “forever chemicals” to the city’s water supply.

Through the years, however, it seems clear that few people can accuse Buddy Dyer of not fulfilling his promise to put Orlando’s interests first, reinforcing the city’s strengths even as it looks out for the interests of its least fortunate. Comparing him to other big-city mayors across the nation reveals Orlando’s good fortune. The City Beautiful will always struggle with some ugly realities, but Dyer’s commitment to its well-being has been unfaltering and his leadership, historic.

The Orlando Sentinel endorses Buddy Dyer for re-election.

We will be posting our endorsements in local races over the next week. However, we urge voters to not rely solely on our opinions in deciding how to cast a vote. Voters should check the candidates’ campaign websites and social media accounts (if they don’t have either, that should be a red flag). Ask friends and neighbors what they think. Google the candidates and go to the city’s website to see who’s giving money to their campaigns. Due to technical difficulties, we did not do a live video interview for this race.

Election endorsements are the opinion of the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, which consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Insight Editor Jay Reddick and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Sentinel Columnist Scott Maxwell participates in interviews and deliberations. Send emails to insight@orlandosentinel.com.