Hot Topics: Primary Election Review with SOE Mike Ertel

Contrary to critics’ predictions, a shorter early voting period does not seem to have affected voter turnout, Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Mike Ertel told an audience of about 20 at  LWVSC’s February “Hot Topics” luncheon.

In the 2008 Republican Presidential Preference Primary, 10,173 voters cast their ballots at polling places before election day, compared with 9,871 in 2012. Meanwhile, the number of votes cast by absentee ballot was nearly twice in 2012 what it was in 2008.

Ertel described elections management as a evolutionary process, in which the goal is to balance opportunity, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and voter trust.

“If we only stuck with the methods done during the last elections cycle, then the elections cycle would never mature,” he said.

The same bill that reduced the early voting period from 14 days to eight requires third-party groups that register new voters to submit completed forms to the state within 48 hours or face fines. Last fall, several high school teachers who helped students register made headlines when they failed to meet the deadline. To avoid similar problems in Seminole County, Ertel said, he deputized the county’s high school principals so they could register students.

“You are faced with a decision: Do you find another way to implement a law, or do you just salute and more on,” he said.

Ertel also described anticipated changes to the number of voting precincts in Seminole County.  By the next time they go to the polls, voters may have been assigned new precincts in a plan that would reduce the number to about 99 of approximately equal size from 126 of widely varying population.

“We have a precinct with one voter,” Ertel said. “His name is Wallace.”

With fewer precincts, Ertel said, the county has less exposure to expensive changes to voting laws, particularly as they affect technology. For example, Ertel said, the county paid $3,500 for a touch screen voting machine for every precinct – including Wallace’s – in 2005 to conform the Help America Vote Act. Today, Ertel said, those machines are available for $10.

If the proposed precinct maps survive any legal challenges, Ertel said, voters will should get new voter cards and information about their new precincts in late June or early July.

Hot Topics luncheons begin at noon the fourth Thursday of the month at Patio Grill, 2900 S. Orlando Ave., Sanford. They are open to the public and all interested persons are encouraged to attend. The lunch and program are $15 for members and $17 for nonmembers.

Transportation study

Zelda Ladan, our second VP and chair of the Transportation Committee, recently submitted the final draft of LWV Seminole’s transportation study. As she wrote to state LWV officials:

Based on our review of the county’s growth, land use goals, current status and future needs, we concluded mass transit was a missing link in our infrastructure.  Fortunately this issue has been taken up on a regional basis, and extensive groundwork had  been laid by local officials, cities, counties and organizations. The resulting proposal for a regional commuter train worked its way through a labyrinth of  meetings and challenges, and finally came to fruition as SunRail when Governor Scott approved its funding last fall.

LWV Seminole has thrown its support behind SunRail, which broke ground at the end of January and will be built over the next several years. Once implemented and connected to feeder routes and other support systems, SunRail promises to ease highway traffic and provide low-cost transportation to a wide range of users, delivering them to work and play; to local including industries, educational facilities and venues.

Our transportation committee anticipated following news about SunRail’s development, its successes and challenges. Links to web sites about the project appear at the end of the report.  Please let me know if there are questions about the study.  

Here is the text of the committee’s final report:

LWVS Transportation Committee spent the fall of 2010 interviewing the local players responsible for conceptualizing, designing, and implementing transportation projects in Central Florida, and Seminole County, in particular.

The initial questions were, “Who decides what transportation projects are undertaken inSeminoleCounty?” and “How are roads and transportation projects funded?”  Many of our members were concerned about additional taxes being needed to fund transportation projects, as well as the effect of these projects on our environment.  We wanted to know how we might influence transportation decisions.

Beginning with a meeting with the county engineer, the committee learned the difference between funds available for capital projects (new roads) and highway maintenance, and the way taxes are levied to create these funds. Also discussed were the volume of traffic the transportation system was designed for and current ridership; how decisions are made to redesign or repair current streets and highways, and which governmental bodies have a say in each of these aspects of transportation.  Additional meetings were held with the Seminole County Growth Management office and the Fiscal office.

According to the Seminole County officials with whom we met, Seminole County roads have technically already been built out to capacity, in that the comprehensive plan does not include plans for additional roads, including the undeveloped east side, which has been set aside for conservation.  On the other hand, Seminole county repair decisions are handled between the county engineer’s office and the county commission.  The need for repair might be determined by the county engineer’s office, might be requested by citizens, or might be a part of the county’s comprehensive plan, which is devised to extend 10 years in to the future.  In those cases when the road crosses city boundaries or enters another county, the respective governments and commissions make agreements as to how to split the cost and work equitably.

A meeting was held with the leadership of MetroPlan Orlando. This regional transportation planning commission, begun in 1977, includes representatives from  Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, their cities and towns; and works within guidelines of  both FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) and DOT (USA) to address regional transportation needs and development within the tri-county region, as well as developing cooperative plans with neighboring regional transportation planning boards.  We also met with Sun Rail Project Manager, Todd S. Hammerle, and representatives from FTA-(Federal Transit Administration) and FDOT to gain a better understanding of the state mass transportation plans and how they would be funded.

The short answer to our questions were that local road projects were divided into two categories, new highway / transportation projects (capital investments), and maintenance projects.  Funding of each of these depends on whether the project is county, city or state owned, although a fair amount of cooperation exists and trade offs are not uncommon.  Sales taxes, impact fees and local option gas taxes pay for major new construction.  Prior years gas tax and impact fees pay for repairs, and although cities share some roadways with the county, the county funds most road repairs with occasional help from federal grants.

The federal government offers incentives as well as manages the national comprehensive transportation plan, so large capital projects, regardless of whether they are local, county or state owned, must follow federal guidelines and meet federal requirements.  These projects also often depend on federal funding or matching funds.  As a result, a county government cannot, in and of itself, decide to build a highway without going through the state and federal permitting process.

Mass transit has its own set of rules and requirements, beginning with federal and state oversight.  Construction funding comes from multiple sources, including federal, state, county and municipal taxes and grants. Fortunately forSeminoleCountyresidents, our county government has set aside transportation funds and therefore is in the enviable position of being able to fund our portion of mass transit without increasing debt or taxes.

As a result of these meetings the committee selected regional public transportation as a focus, and made mass transit the basis for a Transportation Forum held at Seminole State College on February 14, 2011.  MetroPlan Executive Director, Harold (Harry) Barley, and Lynx CEO, John M. Lewis, Jr. spoke onCentral Florida’s mass transit plans, and answered questions on both the SunRail project and Lynx bus services, and how they will facilitate future mass transit needs.  Funding and operating cost projections were discussed, i.e.; each county and city must fund a portion of the project, although the first seven years of operations will be paid for with a grant from the federal government. SeminoleCountyalready has the funds it needs to build the portion transversing the county, as previously noted.  Other counties and municipalities have at least a portion of the needed funding for their sections, and they are working to close the gap.

Following our forum, the transportation committee monitored the legislative and state positions on mass transit projects planned for our area, writing letters and making calls to our legislators and Governor Scott, encouraging them to keep mass transit funding in the budget. Fortunately, after an extended review, the governor released funding for SunRail, allowing the project to go forward.

In August 2011 LWVS hosted a Transportation Hot Topics.  Invited were the mayors of those towns through which SunRail would pass, Sanford, Lake Mary, Longwood, and Altamonte Springs; a representative from the SC Commission, and Marieanne Gurney, public liaison to FDOT.  The FDOT presentation focused on the rail line and the timeline.  The mayors each spoke to the individual station designs and amenities included,  how each city would integrate the station into it’s current traffic and transit scheme, anticipated economic benefits and Transit Oriented Development (TOD) surrounding each station.

Our members and those who have attended our two transportation programs are hopeful SunRail will ultimately prove to be a success, both fiscally and socially, however there are still a few nagging questions which we cannot ignore.  Although funding for SunRail comes from the federal government for the first 7 years, will ridership materialize to the point it will carry the project forward following the end of the federal grant?  Will TOD grow sufficiently to augment ridership revenues?  Will feeder routes and support systems be developed quickly to assure riders are encouraged to use the system, thereby making it a financial success?  Will development around the stations concentrate housing and services along the rail lines, thereby creating the needed core of any major transit project?

Going forward, LWVS is committed to asking these questions, bringing the community together to discuss the progress of the project, and supporting SunRail.  We are also committed to assuring our environment maintains high priority, and as our comprehensive plan changes from decade to decade, we do not lose focus on why we live in Seminole County.

TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Sara McClendon, Chair 2010

Mercedes Bermejo

Zelda Ladan, Chair 2011

Olivia Simmons

Pat Southward

Alda Rowe Pierce

Heather Torre

Mike Barr

Belinda Morgan Sterling

Tom Lane

Michelle Thatcher

Patricia Graves

Win Adams

Resources:

METROPLAN ORLANDO: metroplanorlando.com

SEMINOLE CO. ENGINEERING: seminolecountyfl.gov/pw/eng/index.aspx

seminolecountyfl.gov/pw/roadstorm/index.aspx

Federal Grant for Children’s Mental Health Services

Last year Seminole County was awarded a multi-year federal grant to be used for children’s mental health services. Called Families and Communities Together in Seminole (FACTS), it is a six-year grant initiative, awarded from SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration) and was created as a collaborative effort between the Children’s Cabinet of Seminole County, Community Based Care of Central Florida, and Seminole County Government.

As Rae Ward, Social Marketing Coordinator of FACTS, stated, “We have been tasked to help transform how children with mental and behavioral challenges are treated and perceived in Seminole County. We want to make significant long-term changes across the system of care to reduce stigma, increase access and improve outcomes for families, and realize that we need the youth and family ‘voice’ involved during the transformation to ensure the changes can be sustained.”

A major part of this transformation is ensuring that all services provided in Seminole County are family-driven, youth-guided, culturally and linguistically competent, and trauma-informed. These terms can be defined as:

• Family Driven – Families have the primary decision making role in the care of their own children and are the best resource for building policies at the local, state, and national level.
• Youth Guided – Young people should be empowered and given a decision making role in their own care. This includes giving youth a substantial voice and listening to that voice.
• Culturally and Linguistically Competent – Every effort should be made to provide services to youth and families in their preferred language and with their own cultural nuances being observed.
• Trauma Informed – Developing empathy for the struggles of those who have encountered trauma (loss of a parent, physical or sexual abuse, homelessness, etc.) and creating an environment where trauma victims feel safe and stable.

There will be updates about this grant in coming months. Besides Ward, (rae.ward@cbccfl.org), interested persons can contact Project Director, Tracy Pellegrino (tracy.pellegrino@cbccfl.org).

You’re Invited to Celebrate the Life of MIKE BARR (September 24, 1947 -February 8, 2012)

Memorial Service:

• 1 – 2 PM, Saturday, February 25, 2012
• Wekiva Island
• 1014 Miami Springs Road
• Longwood, FL 32779
• www.wekivaisland.com

Besides being the Executive Director of Keep Seminole Beautiful, Mike was a member and covered the Environment for the League of Women Voters of Seminole County.

• The Memorial Service will follow a River clean-up
• Don’t wear black; instead, don your brightest colors in honor of Mike
• In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Keep Seminole Beautiful 

 

 

Wine with the League

Please join us at Lake Mary Cork & Olive from 6-9 p.m. March 29 for wine, cheese and great company.

“Join the League for Wine and Cheese” is the first of what we hope will become regular, social fundraisers for LWVSC – opportunities to gather informally with friends and without an agenda.

Advance tickets are $25 per person or $40 for two. Our host at Cork & Olive will serve wines from around the world, along with cheeses and other delicacies. Check back for more information soon.

January Hot Topics–County Manager Jim Hartmann Comments on Seminole’s Recession Recovery

 

Seminole County Manager Jim Hartmann, who has been in his job since June 2011, discussed his observations on “Seminole’sRecession Recovery” at the Seminole County League of Women Voters’ Jan.26 Hot Topics luncheon.

With bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration from UCF as well as thirteen years work experience in Orange County government, Hartmann is no stranger to this area. However, his last three positions have taken him to other states: Colorado (lots of land, few people), South Carolina (recession), and Alexandria, Virginia (a very densely populatied area). Fixing their problems has prepared him for the challenges (opportunities) presented by Seminole County.

Hartmann began by saying that he is “optimistic about how we’re going to go in this area in the future.” County officials cannot return to the halcyon days of the past, but are going to have to be creative.

Seminole County has 1350 employees, down twenty per cent from a few years ago. County leadership didn’t jus wait for things to get better when revenue declined drastically a few years back; they made cuts in personnel (274 positions), and he doesn’t see the positions coming back. The county had to slim down, not do some things that it had done in the past.

Seminole County has had good stewardship of its funds. It has built a reserve of about $60 million and has retained its double A credit rating. Debt per capita is the lowest in Central Florida. Now that the economic situation is stabilizing, there are places in the community where property values are actually rising.

What does the future hold? Seminole County focuses on increasing the quality of life for its citizens. We must think about not just the quality of life for the present generation–but also consider the amenities that the population of the future wants. There are several areas in which Seminole shines:

• Pristine environment
• Infrastructure in place
• Amenities such as synchronization of traffic lights
• Trails
• Beautification
• UCF-America’s 2nd largest university, is on the county line with Orange. It draws people to Seminole County
• Philanthropy–adds some of the amenities that provide a better quality of life
• Great Public Safety System–a phenomenal Sheriff’s Office

So, although we could beat ourselves up and be in a funk over the recession, the county is basically in good shape. What can be done, what directions can we move in to make it even better?

• Give incentives for companies to come to Seminole County–they could bring thousands of jobs
• There are 58,000 students at UCF. UCF also provides faculty and staff expertise as well as jobs
• The Economic Development Office is down from five employees to one–but it will increase. Its focus will be for industries that bring good jobs
• Collaborative (but strong) leadership–county manager and city managers will work together. He is encouraged that Sun Rail is happening; but everyone must be trained to get on board.
• Schools–need to maintain what we’ve got
• Technology–must have plugged in communities. The county website gets approximately 250,000 hits a month. He can put his reports on the Internet for wider distribution

Lastly, he noted that while overall quality of life for Seminole County’s citizens is good, we cannot ignore the poverty, domestic violence, and homelessness that affects some citizens. Again, a collaborative spirit with non-profits, and with the faith community is necessary.

He also mentioned tht the present government staff is working extra hard by doing the jobs of the 274 workers who were laid off. It is only with partnerships and collaboration that a greater county can be created.

Hot Topics: Seminole’s Recession Recovery

Is Seminole County still trimming funds from the budget? Or has our economic outlook started to turn around?

Join the League for our next Hot Topics luncheon when County Manager Jim Hartmann will discuss his observations on the county’s response to the recession.

The event begins at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 at Patio Grill, 2900 S. Orlando Ave., Sanford.

Hartmann, who has been on the job for about six months, will discuss:

• What we did to weather the recession and where we are today
• The importance of investing in quality of life and what Seminole has done
• Future opportunities and challenges

His remarks will touch on economic development, SunRail, funding requirements and technology.

“The best part of our Hot Topics is being able to ask questions of the speakers,” said LWVSC President Pat Graves. “I anticipate a lot of questions for our new county manager.”

Hot Topics luncheons are held on the fourth Thursday of the month. They are open to the public and all interested persons are encouraged to attend.

Reservations are appreciated. To RSVP, e-mail LWVSeminole@gmail.com or call 407-339-9266. Checks and cash are accepted at the door. The cost is $17 ($15 for League members) and includes lunch, one non-alcoholic beverage, tax, tip and a small donation to the League.

The luncheon will be recorded by Carroll McKenney Public Media as part of its Heard in Central Florida programming. For more information, visit the Carroll McKenney Public Media website at cmfmedia.org and click the Heard in Central Florida logo.

Start to a brighter new year?

Thanks to Pat Southward for sharing this Opinionators column from state LWV President Deirdre Macnab:

Sitting at dinner over the holidays, I listened to a couple who feared for the worst, and was describing how they had put away food and supplies for the future armegeddon. I asked them what was it that frightened them so. Terrorism, possible viral outbreaks, and unions were their response.

Without question, 2011 has been a challenging year for Floridians and families across America. However, as I considered  their mixed grab bag of possible worst case scenarios going forward, I’m starting the New Year with a very different tone. I’m cautiously  optimistic about the nation, and while many of our most challenging problems will most likely be faced only as we move past the gridlock of a presidential election year, would suggest that some strong positives are taking place right now.

However, today, I invite you to join me in examining our most recent past. Please use this forum to share your view of steps forward and steps backward. Here are mine:

Five Steps Forward:

1. Women’s Health Care: Starting in January 2012, women all across America, with healthcare insurance, will begin to receive free birth control, free mammograms, free annual gynecological exams. End result? More planned pregnancies, more preventive care resulting in lower medical costs and greater success in early detection of cancer and other serious problems before they spread. In 2014, all women will receive these benefits under the Affordable Health Care Plan.

2. Less Toxins in our Air and Water:  The EPA just announced the first Federal regulation of emissions, for the first time sharply limiting mercury, arsenic and other deadly toxins. One of the main emitters of mercury is the burning of fossil fuel. Unless blocked by Congress or the courts, these new laws will require power plants to put in place scrubbers to clean the exhaust of deadly substances that create birth defects and a number of other costly life threatening diseases.

Are there costs? Of course, are they worth it? Analyses show a return on investment in the hundreds of billions, not to mention quality of life for families whose children will be born without birth defects. Industry representatives were consulted extensively on the new rules, 20 years in the making. Some power companies are complaining, while others say utilities have had more than enough notice to clean up their facilities in advance of the rule announced last week, “and that EPA action was long overdue.” More than a dozen states, tired of waiting for Federal law, have already put similar laws into place.

3. Conservation…Finally: After years of not increasing the miles-per-gallon requirement for our nation’s automobiles, the government has set a standard of  54.5 mpg in 2025, more than double the current requirement.. The agreement calls for a midterm evaluation of progress toward the 2025 goal that may allow adjustments depending on the ability of automakers to meet the standard.

As fuel economy is directly tied to carbon dioxide emissions, the new rules will serve to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This aspect helped secure the agreement of the California Air Resources Board, which had been considering separate carbon dioxide emissions requirements.

The EPA points out that the new CAFE standard will help consumers save money and at the same time cut foreign oil imports by half.

4. Deficit Reduction: After a fruitless finale by the bipartisan Congressional Deficit Reduction panel, its failure triggers new caps on spending, cutting $1.2 trillion from the military, education, health care and other priorities over 10 years beginning next fall. An economist at Rutgers University who served on President George W. Bush’s 2005 Tax Reform Panel predicts: “There could be a bit of a silver lining, as it forces us to come to terms with areas that are difficult to touch: both military  (from where half of the cuts will come) and medicare spending. We may not like how the cuts land, but we will have to come to terms with the fact that cuts will have to be made.”

5. One war over: With surprisingly little fanfare as our men and women returned from Iraq after painful loss of life and limb and costs of billions of dollars, our troops in Afghanistan are poised to pull out in the year to come according to most recent announcements. Many understandably fear that stability and democracy in these countries are far from ‘won’ and that ‘victory’ will depend on the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ok, it’s your turn. How do you feel about  the New Year?  I’d like to hear your steps forward and steps back. Do you think it’s a bright start…or not.

Deirdre Macnab is  State President for the Florida League of Women Voters.

www.TheFloridaVoter.org urging you to BE READY TO VOTE!

You can read the original here on the Opinionators page of the Sentinel’s website.

2011 Holiday Party

Past president Olivia Simmons opened her home to the League of Women Voters Seminole on Saturday, December 10, for the 2011 Annual Holiday Party.  Seated on the veranda, members and guests enjoyed a beautiful view of Crystal Lake and lively conversation over luncheon.  Several lucky members went home with raffled centerpieces, while others won items in the silent auction.

The League thanks Olivia and her committee, Founding Mother, Sarah McClendon & Jane and Tom Lane,  for a wonderful event and the opportunity to spend leisure time together in such a peaceful and festive setting.

That’s our hostess above with Win Adams and Judge Nancy Alley — and the dessert table! Here are some other photos of the event, including Tom Lane carving the turkey, the view from Olivia’s deck and various groups of Leaguers enjoying the event. Happy holidays, everyone!

Hot Topics — Joining Forces for Women: Women Veterans and the Transition to Civilian Society

On November 17th approximately thirty people attended the League of Women Voters Seminole Hot Topics Luncheon on the subject of helping women veterans adjust and transition to civilian society. The two speakers were Venita Garvin Valdez, Secretary of the Business and Professional Women’s Foundation (BPW) and Laurie Reid, a counselor at Seminole Behavioral Healthcare.

According to literature on the subject, Florida has the third largest number of women veterans of the states, behind only California and Texas. Approximately twelve per cent of Seminole County’s 38,500 veterans are women. Besides facing the same challenges as men veterans in reintegrating into civilian society, women are often disproportionately challenged by such issues as children, family obligations, and sexual trauma. They have skills such as leadership and teamwork learned in the military, but often they do not self-identify as veterans when they get out of the military and do not expect, and sometimes do not apply for, the benefits available to all vets.

Venita Garvin Valdez told of the BPW Foundation’s program, “Joining Forces for Women”, which includes mentoring, collaboration, knowledge-sharing and reintegration assistance for returning women veterans. The BPW is particularly interested in helping women vets rejoin the civilian workforce. They are spending $50,000 on a mentoring program, which pairs returning vets with working wormen. The BPW also provides helpful websites for knowledge-sharing.

The second speaker, Laurie Reid, herself a Navy veteran, told of her experiences in the military, especially as one of 500 women on an aircraft carrier with 5000 men. She said that women veterans often have special challenges, including issues of privacy and pride, that make it difficult for them to seek the help they need. On any given night in Seminole County, 155 veterans are homeless–and some of these are women. There is no veterans’ homeless shelter program in Seminole County.

In 2010 315,000 women veterans used VA hospitals–that is a much greater number than in earlier years. The average age of a woman veteran is 48, whereas it is 63 for their male counterparts. VA personnel are now being sensitized to the feelings and plight of women veterans. But transition to civilian life takes time–perhaps four to seven years. It is recommended that the transition period from the military to civilian life be extended–that is, that people departing from the military become acquainted with the benefits andservices available to them as vets long before they actually are discharged.