Winter Park voters
Steve Leary, Jim Fitch offer differing visions in Winter Park
will soon choose between two different mayoral candidates, both with competing visions of what the city should be.
Incumbent Steve Leary and U.S. Navy veteran Jim Fitch are vying for votes in Winter Park and offer differing views on the future of the city.
Voters will choose between Leary, a well-funded incumbent, and Fitch, a firsttime candidate who moved to Winter Park in 2016.
“I keep hearing people pointing out that I haven’t lived here 20 years, and I would say Trump hasn’t lived in Washington, D.C., for 20 years either,” said Fitch, 81.
Fitch said he’s running to maintain the city’s village character, and as a counter to Leary, who Fitch says has let development get out of control.
Leary, mayor since 2015, said that isn’t the case, and under his watch the city has removed the most-dense residential zoning code from the city’s books, and if reelected he would “continue to manage the impact of the growth around us.”
“He just doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” said Leary, 51. “Our experience levels aren’t even close.”
Early voting begins this week and Election Day is March 13.
In Winter Park, the mayor is one of five votes on the council and elected officials are elected to three-year terms. The city manager runs the day-to-day operations.
Through Feb. 23, the most recent documents available, Leary has raised $86,700, while Fitch has just $11,300.
Leary, who owns a property management company, said he’s continuing to push the city toward burying the rest of its power lines and improving parks.
After Hurricane Irma, Winter Park opted to pour an extra $1 million into its underground power lines project and has committed $4.5 million this year to its efforts, and has 9 years remaining on its plan of burying all of its lines.
While campaigning, Leary said voters have told him they appreciate his leadership and communication as the city recovered from storm damage last year.
He also touts the city acquiring long-sought property called the Howell Branch Preserve, which will be about 55 acres of park space.
If re-elected, Leary said he would step up on his efforts in battling “constant attack on home rule by not just Tallahassee, but also Washington, of governments preempting cities.”
In addition to cracking down on development, Fitch’s platform also consists of reducing traffic congestion by further studying the issue and reforming commission meetings.
This week voters can vote early between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. today through Friday at the election supervisor’s office, 119 W. Kaley St.
Fitch, who served in the U.S. Navy as a civil engineer corps officer in the Philippines, said he would start city commission meetings at 5:30 p.m. instead of 3:30 p.m, to allow more citizens to attend.
He’d also try to hold workshops before meetings, and appoint a “staff listener” to stand in the back to ensure all can hear the preceding.
“It’s not transparent,” Fitch said of the current setup. “It’s just repulsive.”
He previously was appointed to the finance advisory board, board of adjustment and planning and zoning board in Haines City.
“The public will have good access — better than now. If they want to talk five minutes instead of three minutes, that’s fine,” he said.
This week voters can vote early between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. today through Friday at the election supervisor’s office, 119 W. Kaley St. On March 13, ballots can be cast at the following locations: Winter Park Christian Church, 760 N. Lakemont Ave. St. Andrews Methodist Church, 100 St. Andrews Blvd. Winter Park Presbyterian Church, 400 S. Lakemont Ave. First Baptist Church of Winter Park, 1021 N. New York Ave. Azalea Lane Recreation Center, 1045 Azalea Lane