It's rare, but Estero is having an election for city council on Tuesday

It's rare, but there is a contested race for election to the Estero Village Council on Tuesday.

There are four City Council seats up for election, but three candidates, incumbent Jon McLain, District 3, and first-time candidates Lori Fayhee, District 4, and George Zalucki, District 7, are unopposed and will have a walk-over victory. Wards 1, 2 and 6 will be on the ballot in 2025.

The only challenge comes in District 5, where Jim Bosch must step down because of village term limits. Two candidates are on the ballot to replace him, Gary Israel and Rafael "Ralph" Lopez. Only one other time following the initial council election have any challengers emerged.

Israel, a former advertising executive with the News-Press for nearly a decade, now publishes Estero Life, a color magazine on events, trends and activities in Estero.

Lopez is a retired police officer who served on police departments in North Miami and in Broward County. He also worked as a fraud security investigator for Mastercard International.

The campaigns of the two candidates for the open seat are similar in one important respect, they are happy with the way the village operates, it's "government light" policy on operating government, and share visions for what the future might be for Estero.

While gaining a reputation as a retirement-centered community, younger families have been moving to Estero, and others have been moving into new developments beyond Estero that depend on the village community for shopping, recreation and amenities unique to an incorporated community.

From his vantage point on the top of the masthead at publication distributed to Estero residents, Israel has been a source for news and developments in the village community.

"We have been collaborating with the village manager and his staff for a page each month called Village Connected, a vital connection to help the village communicate positive accomplishments in the community to our residents," Israel said.

He ran for the council in the first village election, in 2015, but lost to Bosch, but didn't pass on keeping an eye on what was happening with the new government, first in the Estero fire house and later in its own village hall quarters.

"I have attended nearly every village council meeting since they incorporated eight years ago," Israel said in an interview.

Lopez says his goal in running is to keep Estero on the right track, with low property taxes, a minimal government bureaucracy, and a relatively low crime rate.

"People are happy with the way everything is going," said Lopez, who said he was urged to run by members of the community who, he said, were referring to him as "honest and competent," and that he had done a credible job as a member of the Stonebrook community's homeowners association.

"At first, they would mention my name and I would put my figures like you do when a vampire is coming," he said. "It was a family affair, I talked to my wife, the most non-political person you would meet, she and I talked and we had a family meeting and they realized I was serious."

Coincidentally, Israel, Lopez and Bosch are residents of Stoneybrook.

Estero was founded on the concept that local government can be run well without creating a large bureaucracy. Estero relies on employing key department heads as employees and uses contract hires for many other functions of local government.

Israel notes that the government-light concept helped the county pay off some bonds it used to borrow funds to get the new village started and gives the credit to Village Manager Steven Sarkozy

"We are about as financially strong as any community could expect," Israel said. "He is just so good at his job, he's just so good at building consensus and moving things along."

One issue that may be run past the Estero council is whether to encourage incorporation of additional territory. There has been an explosion of development to the east of the Estero border. Lee County has authority over developments erected in the unincorporated county.

"That's a question I get asked all the time, shall we annex -- should we keep the village of Estero this nice little village or do we annex," Lopez said. "A lot of people say we don't want to make it big, we want Estero to be a nice little place -- we are going to be impacted regardless, so the question to me is do you want to control it, do you want the funds coming in or do you want to be impacted but have no control."

Israel agreed that Estero's standards for construction is cherished by most residents, and offers an example of how local control can be a benefit.

"There are a lot of communities that developed haphazardly with no real plan in mind, they seem to spend a lot of time trying to retrofit and back track," Israel said. "They kept Walmart out of Estero for seven years until they agreed to meet certain architectural standards and not to have a tire store."

The long talks between Estero leaders and the world's biggest retailer centered on changing the colors and dimming the lights while getting an agreement not to include a tire shop on the property, so residents would not have the solace of the day ruined by the constant whirring of air wrenches spinning bolts on and off tires.

Both candidates took a strong position on a proposal to put a new gas station, complete with the accompanying store with alcohol and tobacco sales, setting up right near Pine Brooke Elementary school.

"We don't want a gas station with 24-hour gas sales, nearby residents property values may plummet with a gas station near them," Lopez said.

Israel favored rejection of the gas station

He also worried that the political election of the next school superintendent may complicate the fact that as more families move to Estero, more classrooms will be needed for students, and it is uncertain if an elected school superintendent, which will begin in next year, will slow progress in education.

"We're kind of disappointed that Lee Public Schools backed out of a new K-8 (school) on Three Oaks Parkway," Israel said. "Twenty-thousand new homes east of us is going to do nothing but put stress on the schools here in our (community)"

One problem with running for office in Estero, however. With dozens of gated communities, it's not easy for candidates to meet the electorate.

Lopez said he has distributed mail literature to voters on the list maintained by the election supervisor's office. Israel's magazine similarly reaches active members of the community.

Polls in Estero are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. The deadline to return vote-by-mail ballots is 7 p.m. Tuesday at any office of the Superintendent of Elections from 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. The nearest election branch office to Estero is at 25987 S. Tamiami Trail in Bonita Springs.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Estero election draws publisher, retired lawman for council seat