Beth discovered Naples in 2008 when she was searching for a vacation home. Her first impression of the city is not uncommon. “When I drove over that bridge into 5th Avenue, I nearly had to pull my car over because it was so pretty,” recalls Beth. She liked the ‘Midwest vibe’ – it looked clean and safe. She became a full time resident two years ago.
“I moved houses a lot as a kid and a lot with my career, but Naples is the first city that I actually chose to live in.”
Beth feels the best way to be effective in preserving the character of the city is to get involved in its politics.
“I’m not from a political background; I’ve never done anything in politics, but I want to be part of the fabric of the community, and I think this is the best way.”
Beth is running on the basis of the 2019 Vision Plan, the culmination of a community wide effort to establish the framework of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. “It’s all about preserving our small-town charm and protecting our environment. I feel that my 19 years with GE and my business acumen will help deliver on what the 1600 residents and local business owners said they wanted.”
As the daughter of a man who dedicated his career to cleaning up polluted waters, Beth says ecological stewardship is in her DNA. She’d like to see removal of pollutants from the city’s lakes accelerated with scheduled timelines.
“The budget is a 300-page laundry list. We need to prioritize what’s most important to us and make sure they are embedded for years to come in our budgeting, so we get projects done.”
Beth says she is convinced the neighborhood action plans stripped out of the Comprehensive Plan in 2008-9, need re-instating. “They are necessary to have a robust plan meaningful to all residents; we should be incorporating each neighborhood’s unique needs into our plan at city hall.”
Additionally, “there’s probably things in there that don’t make any sense anymore because of the environment we live in today. There will be things that need adding or deleting and I want to be part of that conversation.”
Beth also suggests that the city needs to better protect itself against the threat of cyber-attack. “The city spends about $2m on tech services. I am proposing that we do not outsource our top position to an outside help desk. Rather, hire a technology leader in the city that’s thinking more strategically for Naples, helping guide the city to the best tech solutions – including who we outsource to and what functions we outsource.”
For more information on Beth: beth4naples.com
