HOLMES BEACH – The city election that concludes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, will determine which two candidates will serve two-year terms on the Holmes Beach City Commission.
The three-candidate race features first-time candidates John Azzata and Mark Hebden and incumbent Carol Whitmore. The top two vote-getters will be elected.
On Oct. 1, the three candidates participated in a candidates forum hosted by The Sun. Here are a few of the many topics the candidates discussed during the forum.
The entire forum video is available at The Sun’s website, amisun.com.
PAID PARKING
When asked about possibly implementing paid parking in Holmes Beach, Whitmore said she wants to see what Anna Maria does with its proposed paid parking program first.
“I’m going to wait and see what they do. I’ve never supported paid parking. Now, if the county beaches start charging, and Anna Maria, we need to look at something where there’s a balance. We really should be doing something all together. But again, we’ve got three different cities, three different views. I’m going to let everybody else deal with it right now,” she said.
Azzata said, “I’m in somewhat of agreement with Carol that I don’t think we should touch paid parking until we find out what happens in Anna Maria. Right now, I’m against paid parking.”
Hebden said, “I don’t think Anna Maria’s plan is gonna influence us or have a big impact on Holmes Beach. The question is what happens down the road with the county, because if the county begins to do paid parking at the public beach, and at Coquina, we have to see the results of that and the impact that’s gonna have on the neighborhoods because people are gonna be looking for the free parking first, versus looking for the paid parking. I’d like us to have a plan in place, or an idea of what we’re doing, but I would prefer not to have to do it.”
SECOND AVENUE
Earlier this year, the city commission held multiple discussions about possibly altering the traffic flow along Second Avenue to prevent that residential street from being used as an alternative to Gulf Drive. Hebden lives on Second Avenue, and he was part of the efforts to address traffic and safety concerns along that street.
“I deserve either the blame or the credit,” he said. “I’ve been working on this issue for our neighborhood like I would work for you and your neighborhood because of the safety issues and the volume of traffic.
“Earlier this year, we sent petitions that were signed by about 20 or more residents. We asked for raised crosswalks or speed tables. We asked for no through truck signs,” he said, noting that he and his neighbors also asked about making Second Avenue a safer route for bikes and golf carts.
“We didn’t ask for anything about closing down Second Avenue,” he said. “We sent this petition to the commission. The city staff got back and the city staff drafted a reasoned memo that had a matrix of evaluation of these options that we suggested, plus other options that they came up with. The bottom line is what we learned is that this issue is not an issue only on Second Avenue. We have to make sure that the streets of the neighborhoods are safe and they also don’t have a high volume of traffic going through them.”
Regarding any Second Avenue alterations, Whitmore said, “I’m adamantly against it. I’m against any traffic calming without public input. We are constrained in Holmes Beach. Unfortunately, we have a lot of traffic. We have to deal with that.”
Whitmore said she also opposed the speed bumps that were previously installed along the 500 block of Key Royale Drive.
“I don’t believe in doing these major transportation projects without the public being involved. I don’t want to be reactive. I want to be proactive,” she said.
Azzata said, “I’m totally against closing Second Avenue, and I’m describing to people this way. I have a gallon of milk here and an empty quart of milk here. And you ask me to pour this gallon of milk into this quart of milk. After I fill that quart of milk with a quart of milk, what happens to the other three quarts? It goes every place else. Did we stop the problem? No, we just spread it out.
“We can limit the size of the trucks that are using that street. That’s one way to get some of the traffic off the street. I am not against looking at safety issues or ways to limit the amount of traffic. That’s only fair to those people on that street. That’s true in many areas,” he said.
CLOSING STATEMENTS
During his brief closing statement, Azzata said, “It’s going to be short and sweet. We live on a beautiful island. I’m asking for your support to increase the beauty of this Island for us and all future generations. With your support on election day, we can increase the beauty of Holmes Beach and the entire Island.”
Hebden said, “I really do have an experience that I think will benefit the city. My experience in terms of an architect and in terms of business gives me a perspective and an ability to actually be a resource to the city.
“I’d like to see the commission have strategic goals for each year, and mine are encouraging full-time residency. We’ve got to make decisions to encourage people to stay here. The heart of the community, the heart of the investment in this community are you people out here that are connected here in this room – and the others that are out there that need to be part of this,” he said.
“I do think upgrading stormwater and infrastructure is absolutely key to this in terms of our vision. And then most importantly is this connection of the commission to the community,” Hebden said, adding that he would like the city to host town hall meetings that promote meaningful conversations and transparency with the public.
In closing, Whitmore said, “We’re all good. No matter who you vote for, you’re not going to make a mistake. We all have community spirit and as we all want to serve our community. It’s up to you to make that decision.
“I have the most experience, and I also know my role as a commissioner versus being the mayor. I’ve served as both and I think that helps a lot. We’re going to have a new mayor up here, so it would be nice to have an experienced commissioner that can help guide the mayor and improve the transparency. I’m here to serve. I think you need me with the experience.”
