Three candidates challenge incumbent for City Council District 5 seat in SW FL's Cape Coral

Phil Fernandez, Naples Daily News
·1 min read

Three candidates are challenging the incumbent to become the next Cape Coral council member for District 5 in Lee County.

District 5 includes the west quadrant of mid-Cape Coral, but the voting is done citywide for the four-year term. All eligible voters, regardless of party affiliation, will be able to cast their ballots in the non-partisan elections scheduled for Aug. 20. The two with the highest totals advance to the Nov. 5 general election.

Cape Coral has a council-manager form of government with seven districts with population sizes that are as equal as possible and follow the center lines of streets or canals. Council members are paid a base annual salary of $37,400. Last year, the council approved monthly stipends worth another $40,000 annually.

Robert Welsh, District 5, Cape Coral City Council
Robert Welsh, District 5, Cape Coral City Council

Elections: Mail and early voting for Lee County 2024 primary election: Here's what you need to know

Here are the four candidates:

  • Robert Welsh

  • Jason Conzelman

Jason W. Conzelman
Jason W. Conzelman

  • Joseph Kilraine

  • Charlie Pease

Joseph Kilraine
Joseph Kilraine

What are the business backgrounds of the four candidates?

  • Succeeding his mom on council in 2020, Welsh works for his parents' firm and is co-owner of a beauty salon.

  • Conzelman operates Poorman’s Collectibles, an online business, and is a city native and lifelong resident.

  • A Cape resident for almost 20 years, the retired Kilraine worked for Olin Corp. and Occidental Petroleum.

  • Pease is the director of Cape Coral Technical College and is a former school administrator and teacher.

Charlie Pease
Charlie Pease

Look for more on the races, the candidates and what they have to say in future editions of the News-Press.

Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com) grew up in Southwest Florida and has led Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. He writes In the Know, one of USA TODAY Network's most read local news columns in the state. Support democracy. Subscribe to a newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Cape Coral Elections 2024: Four candidates battle in Cape District 5 race