October 7, 2014 6:00 a.m.

Editor’s Note: The Fernandina Observer submitted four questions to five candidates vying for the office of Fernandina Beach City Commissioner. We will post the submitted responses over the next four days. As in the past, comments placed on our website will be removed. We do not endorse candidates.

City Commission Candidates Group 3

Incumbent Sarah L. Pelican

Please explain why today’s city government is too big, too small, or just about right to meet the needs of Fernandina’s citizens.

“I believe Fernandina’s city government is about the right size but I am always willing to look at ways to improve its efficiency.”

 

Robin C. Lentz

Please explain why today’s city government is too big, too small, or just about right to meet the needs of Fernandina’s citizens.

“While federal and state government is large, I feel our local government is just the right size to serve Fernandina’s citizens. I think we can improve its efficiency- the way we spend the money we have and the way we utilize our resources. In our city, we are duplicating many services (between county and city), and moving forward, we need to address this issue without jeopardizing services to all city residents.”

City Commission Group 2

Candidate Timothy M. Poynter

Please explain why today’s city government is too big, too small, or just about right to meet the needs of Fernandina’s citizens.

“Our city government should be evaluated not by size but by how efficiently it functions for the taxpayers of Fernandina.  We need to move from a reactive to a proactive government and have a written plan to ensure our city is economically healthy, vibrant and attractive to future generations.  It’s time to make government smarter and more forward-thinking without crippling our citizens and businesses with excessive taxes, fees and regulation.  There’s a difference between investing in our city and continuing to subsidize unproductive and outdated city government operations.”

Roy G. Smith, Jr.

Please explain why today’s city government is too big, too small, or just about right to meet the needs of Fernandina’s citizens.

“I believe that today’s city government is just about right to meet the needs of Fernandina Beach citizens. Over the past several years the city manager and department heads have reduced the number of employees in order to lower the budget. It appears the city is running a lean operation while maintaining services to the citizens. One way to further reduce employees is to outsource some city operations to private contractors if it would create a savings to the city.”

Incumbent Charlie Corbett

Please explain why today’s city government is too big, too small, or just about right to meet the needs of Fernandina’s citizens.

“Just about right. Under the leadership and team work of Joe Gerry, City Manager, Marshall McCrary, Deputy City Manager, and the City Staff, the city government is handling business in an effective way by providing quality service and focusing on customer satisfaction.”