Election 2024: Naples mayor promises to continue "preserving this great city' if reelected
This is part of a series in which Naples candidates speak about key issues.
Mayor Teresa Heitmann is running for a second term in Naples.
She faces two opponents, a past councilman, and a current one, who is giving up his seat.
Heitmann, a former account executive for cosmetics firms Revlon Co. and then Lanc?me, in Jacksonville, entered politics in 2008.
She is running for mayor again to finish what she set out to accomplish in her first term, including addressing community priorities that were "too long ignored" and defending what makes the Naples community so unique – its small-town charm.
"I look forward to being reelected and continuing as a public servant in preserving this great city and maintaining an equitable balance where residents and local business comes first. This is our home, and our residents’ voices and values will shape its future," Heitmann said.
In case you missed it: Mayor Heitmann announces reelection campaign in Naples in race that's heating up
These are her views on some of the hottest topics in the city:
Growth and development
Managed growth and redevelopment that respects our land and building codes is the only way to protect and preserve our special city and our residents' quality of life. Overdevelopment impacts everything from our environment, our quality of life, congestion, traffic, crime and our resiliency to storms. Development inside our city boundaries is our responsibility. Development at Four Corners must be responsible. It is already a congested area and is a critical location for our residents to access their neighborhoods and for traffic navigating the city and moving east.
A traffic study is currently underway for this area. We should also have influence on county growth at our borders. I will continue the regular dialogue we have with the county and will recommend that we initiate a task force of city and county officials for much stronger, more effective collaboration around development.
Parking and traffic
Previous city councils, which included Gary Price, loosened our parking requirements as they approved more building without adequate parking. This exacerbated the problems we are dealing with today. We have addressed inadequate parking regulations to ensure any new development inside the city is adequately parked. There is more to do. We must acknowledge that our infrastructure and resources are limited and cannot be stressed to the breaking point.
A great deal of pressure is coming from county growth as well, which is why continued improvement in our collaboration and influence with the county is so important. We must work with the FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) and the county on traffic improvements that do not send traffic down our neighborhood streets, but rather move traffic effectively through and past the city on our main roads.
Taxes and spending
Fiscal responsibility is a key obligation of our city council. We have aligned the city budget with the residents' priorities. Our city's CFO says our current budget is "conservative and responsible." We have caught up on competitive pay for first responders and replenished all our emergency reserves, following hurricane Ian. We have addressed critical projects and remediated deficits in our budget, while reducing the MILL rate. This MILL rate we inherited was 1.18 and it is now 1.17.
Only 12% of taxes collected go to the city. Since almost three times as much of our taxes go to the county, we must ensure we get our fair share of service from the county to deliver the level of services that our residents expect at the lowest tax impact possible. We continually seek grants from the federal and state agencies. Recently $35.5 million was approved by the state House and Senate for the governor's signature for our large clean water and resiliency projects.
Affordable housing
This is something that must come to fruition. Our workforce must have access to local housing. A collaborative effort by the city and county together is imperative, given the high land prices in the city. I am encouraged by a shared interest on the part of the city and the county in solving this issue.
Public safety
The highest level of public safety is our objective. When I came to office, we were feeling the effects of a decade of inadequate pay for our first responders. For the first time in many years, we have a fully staffed our police force with competitive pay and benefits as part of a total retention plan to keep the best and the brightest across the country.
We have earned the U.S. News & World Report award as the Safest City in the Country. Our new police chief Ciro Dominguez is a tremendous asset, a leader who has been instrumental for morale. He has brought fresh, new ideas and a level of professionalism that this city deserves. I will not waiver in providing our police department with the tools they need, including additional officers, and advocating for pay and benefits that keeps us competitive, meeting or exceeding inflation in the future.
Other thoughts
Asked if she had anything to add, Heitmann said: "I love this city; our residents are engaged and informed. They are welcomed at the mayor’s office and city hall with their ideas and opinions more than ever before."
Unlike her opponents, she is not represented by any political action committees, or PACs. She has criticized the other candidates, and the PACs who represent them, for spreading misinformation on "just about every issue."
Through her own campaign, she's raised more than $100,000.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples election: Mayor promises to preserve "great city" if reelected
