January 21, 2012
Ken Bradley has done a fabulous job for Winter Park and we need to thank Nancy Miles for running (not withstanding her negative campaign) because campaigns force us to pay attention to our progress.
Read the endorsement of six former Winter Park Mayors: Bradley is Clear Choice.
Overall, the financial stability of Winter Park has improved dramatically under Ken’s leadership. Additionally, our housing values have stabilized and our parks, roads, trees, bike paths and downtown area have all improved, securing our unique quality of life in difficult economic times while other communities continue to face challenges.
Pay attention to major events of the past three years under Ken Bradley’s leadership:
- The all new Winter Park Community Center is approved and completed within budget.
- Winter Park Towers expansion and improvements are approved.
- Fleet Peeples Park dog fees reversed and park improvements approved.
- Improvements to Central Park completed.
- Alfond Inn is approved on the former Langford hotel property.
- Electric under-grounding plan continued with major elements completed.
- Vitality of downtown up and vacancy rates drop.
- Agreed to exchange Denning Avenue property for roughly equivalent property on Orange Avenue to stimulate new class A office development and employment.
- Property Tax rate held constant after earlier increase under former Mayor. (2011-12 Budget) (last column below should read “11/12”)
- Expenses controlled, increasing less than 1.7% per year. (2011-12 Budget)
- Reserves increased from 6.7% to 26% of general fund spending and from $4.4 million to $11 million from fiscal year end 2009 through the fiscal year end 2012. (2011-12 Budget)
The positive results in Winter Park are the result of positive leadership.
Vote for Ken Bradley.
Regards, Pete Weldon
Pete, this is the first time I have posted a comment, but I was very disheartened to see Mayor Bradley’s scathing email last night about the RLF deal, on many levels. Not positive. (1) RLF has one of the most distinctive buildings in the City, (and at Lake Nona, MD Anderson etc.) and to suggest that after they renovated the State Transportation Building it would still be an eyesore is simply disingenuous; no one would believe that. (2) RLF is moving their 100+ high-paid professionals out of the City, and to any economic development official, saving those jobs and their incomes that were spent on Park Avenue and surrounds would be considered net jobs. To suggest that the RLF deal offered no new jobs and the developer deal does is disingenuous. Developers can’t guarantee jobs, as the empty office buildings all around Central Florida show. What is guaranteed is the loss of 100+ architects from the City’s core. (3) To suggest that Ken Bradley deserves all the credit for the City’s financial health overlooks the fact that the City swept $1MM from the Electric utility to shore up its books. The decision to purchase the utility and how to structure its revenues was made long before Ken Bradley.
I am not suggesting Ken Bradley isn’t a good candidate, but I am certainly suggesting the “positive” label sort of flew out the window this week with his insincere email blast, and I am disappointed. I expect more from Winter Park officials.
Valerie –
Thank-you for your comment.
I agree that the phrase in the email casting doubt about whether a renovated State Office Building that was part of the previously considered deal would be an eyesore was not productive. I am not a big fan of “election speak” attempting to foment doubt.
Yes, RLF is moving 100+ employees to Baldwin Park on what I have been told is a five year lease. I note that Florida Hospital also recently moved their administrative offices from the former Crosby Quality College building on 17/92 out of town but there has been no mention of that.
You are correct that developers can’t guarantee jobs. Businesses are (fortunately) free to move where they please. We all hope that RLF moves back to Winter Park when their new lease expires. My guess is that the RLF management and employees that live in Winter Park want that to happen too.
Please read this regarding the RLF deal.
Please read this regarding the swap deal.
Former owners and principals of RLF are deeply involved in Winter Park politics and our extended social fabric, so I understand the emotional and political aspects of that earlier proposal. However, from a factual stand point, representing the long term best interests of all the citizens (which is the city commission’s highest and appropriate mission), the swap deal is far superior to the earlier proposal involving RLF.
I don’t see where Ken Bradley’s email on the subject suggests “that the RLF deal offered no new jobs.” What is too assertive is that his email states absolutely that the swap deal will result in 300 new jobs. There is no certainty as to this statement just as there was no certainty that RLF would stay in Winter Park for 10 years as suggested in the earlier proposal. Also remember that the earlier proposed ground lease was for 50 years with a 20 year renewal option.
Finally, I did not suggest that Ken Bradley gets all the credit for the city’s financial health as you assert. Analysis of commission votes over the past three years shows that 76% of the votes were either unanimous (5-0) or super majority votes (4-1). I have specifically complemented all 5 commissioners several times over the past three years for their votes on the millage rate, spending restraint, and fund reserves.
Having served in several organizations I understand that positive results come from positive leadership. That doesn’t mean Ken Bradley gets (or wants) credit for every good thing that happens. (Did you happen to notice Carolyn Cooper taking credit for moving the political ball forward with a first refusal on the USPS property? Ken Bradley has supported this too along with all other commissioners.) What it does mean is that Ken’s experience and judgment (far from being “poor” as asserted by Nancy Miles) has proven to be effective. My point is that positive leadership leads to positive results.