Guest opinion: 'I know every nook and cranny of our City'
Note to readers: This is the fifth in a series of guest opinion columns from the five candidates running for the Naples City Council. There are three open seats. The candidates are Ray Christman (incumbent), John Dugan, Terry Hutchison (incumbent), Beth Petrunoff and Ian Rudnick. The election is Feb. 1. The candidates will appear in alphabetical order.
I have lived in Naples since I was 9 years old. I love this City, and my wife and I intend to raise our young daughter here. So, I have a vested interest in what the future of Naples will look like.
Having served in the Naples Police Department for 17 years, I know every nook and cranny of our City, and I have a perspective on the issues and problems confronting it — not just one area of it — that is unique among the candidates running for Naples City Council.
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My priorities, if elected, will be to focus on those identified in the City's survey of residents and enumerated in its 2021 Vision statement.
Preservation of Naples' small-town character and culture: We all realize this will be increasingly difficult as Collier County’s population continues to grow. Our area is considered among the nation’s most desirable locations in which to live and play. The mission is to find the right balance between the renewal, which must continually occur to keep our City vibrant, and legitimate resident concern about over-development. This affects traffic and parking, in our downtown commercial areas, as well as along our beaches and residential streets.
Protection of our environment: Perhaps nothing is as important as clean water. Red tide and blue green algae directly affect our quality of life; they need to be constantly monitored and City government needs to exert whatever political pressure it can to mitigate these conditions. Our many lakes (storm water retention ponds) across the City must be continually evaluated to eliminate the pollutant runoff. We also must devise appropriate measures to protect our shoreline against the threat of rising waters and more frequent tropical storms and hurricanes. And storm water runoff needs to be addressed, to alleviate flooding during the rainy summer months.
Good governance: Finding the right City Manager is essential. Under our Charter, the City Manager is the CEO, and all of the City's top staff (except the City Attorney and City Clerk) report to the Manager. Anyone who has paid attention realizes the destructive conflicts that have developed between certain Council members and the City Manager and his staff have resulted in the departure within the last year of the former City Manager and the first Interim City Manager, both of whom were highly competent and well-respected. Council members and City staff have to work collegially, and my objective will be to make certain that happens.
Maintaining an extraordinary quality of life for our residents: Public safety is paramount. We have to fill out the ranks in our Police Department (now understaffed by about 20%) and ensure our streets are proactively patrolled and monitored with camera surveillance. The Police and Fire Departments must be compensated at a competitive level so we can retain our most experienced and competent personnel. Close access for the highest quality health care also is essential. We need to work with Naples Community Hospital to ensure we have nearby facilities that comport with the demographics of our population.
Ensuring the continued economic health and vitality of our City: I will insist on maintaining the distinctive character of our downtown districts, specifically the premier, mixed-use environments for dining, shopping and living. We must find the right balance between the interests of businesses that invest in our City and cater to our visitors, who are an intrinsic part of our economy, and the desire of residents to not fundamentally alter the beauty and charm that first attracted them to Naples.
I will be honored to continue my service to this community as your next Naples City Council member.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples City Council election candidate Ian Rudnick explains his priorities
