Lee County special election candidates line up for Frank Mann's empty seat
Former Boston Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell and former Lee County Commissioner John Albion headline the slate of candidates looking to fill the commission vacancy created by Frank Mann's death last week.
Greenwell, Albion, Realtor Angela Chenaille, chiropractor Joseph Gambino, and pressure washing business owner Matthew Wood qualified by the Tuesday deadline to run for Mann's empty seat.
Mann died on June 21 at his home in Alva after more than four decades of public service. He was 80.
Lee County election officials last Friday called for a special election to fill the vacancy for District 5, which represents Lehigh Acres.
The special election will coincide with the Aug. 23 primary and the Nov. 8 general election.
Albion, Gambino and Greenwell are running as Republicans. Chenaille is listed as a write-in candidate. Wood is running as a Democrat.
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John Albion
Albion is looking to fill the seat he once held.
"I'm running because based on what I see as the needs of the county at the moment," Albion said.
He resigned in 2006 after 14 years as a commissioner to run unsuccessfully for state representative. Mann was appointed to fill out Albion's term.
Albion, a real estate broker with extensive family real estate holdings, is a former executive director of the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce.
He said as a commissioner he focused on transportation, the development of Lehigh Acres, and water quality, and he said he hopes to bring his expertise to those issues again.
"When you start looking at the quality of life issues that we have, what it's going to take on road projects and how we need to proceed with our water quality issues, we also have our jobs, the economy, but I've been there, I've done it," Albion said.
Angela Chenaille
Chenaille, a 35-year resident, has been a Realtor for almost 14 years.
She works for SY&S Realty and is running on maintaining good water quality and helping out residents, she said.
"So I just want to make it a better community and, you know, bring people together with that without cutting out new growth and new development," Chenaille said.
"I want to encourage it, but in a healthy manner," she added.
Joseph Gambino
Gambino, who is from New York, said he's running to maintain fiscal responsibility.
He's a licensed chiropractor with a clinic in New York and a mobile unit in Lee County and is a member of the Lee County Chamber of Commerce.
He said his issues are meeting the needs of the growing area, environmental protection, and engaging with the community.
"We definitely need a county commissioner in the district that's going to engage with the community and do more community outreach and community development and support small businesses," Gambino said.
He ran a year ago for the Lee County school board before withdrawing.
Michael Greenwell
As a resident of Lee County for 32 years, Greenwell said he is running to be a strong voice in how Lee County develops.
He owns 31 Produce, a farmer's market, and Big League Builders, a contractor firm that builds custom homes.
It's his first time running for office. He said he's looking to manage growth and meet the needs of the community.
He said he sees a massive explosion of growth coming in the next 10 to 15 years in the district.
"We're kind of that outlier that's really expanding right now with Babcock Ranch coming in and the expansion of State Road 31," he said. "We as a family are being very impacted by that with the road coming through our property, so I just wanted to be involved and have a voice. Not just for my family, for all the people who live out here."
Matthew "Matt" Wood
Wood said he is running to make Lehigh Acres a better place for residents and those interested in moving to it.
He owns and operates Powerwash Pros. LLC, an exterior cleaning pressure washing company since 2015. He was born and raised in Naples before moving to Lehigh Acres six years ago.
It's his first time running for an elected position and said things need to change for Lehigh Acres.
He cites issues with lack of retail and amenities like parks
"I don't even have sidewalks on my street," Wood said.
He said Lehigh Acres is inundated with dollar stores and auto part stores and wants to see bigger box retailers come to the area.
"I have to travel into Naples or Fort Myers just to get stuff," he added.
Luis Zambrano is a Watchdog/Cape Coral reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. You can reach Luis at Lzambrano@gannett.com or 239-266-5604. Follow him on Twitter @Lz2official.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Mike Greenwell, John Albion headline candidates to fill Frank Mann's empty seat
