Sharing some final thoughts in general and the future growth and development for the City of Lake Helen.
While the role of the mayor in the city of Lake Helen may be deemed by certain people (who don’t understand the role and the perception of it) as ‘ceremonial’, it is far more than that. Having gone through 3 city administrators in 4 years I can say without a doubt… administration will be only as strong as the leadership behind it and the oversight behind it.
We entered the New Year 2021 with a new city administrator Mr. Lee Evett, who instantly rolled up his sleeves and demonstrated his ability to assess and manage crisis – first day on the job he had to place a construction work stop order, he did not slack on his responsibility and he offered a solution that the commission espoused into a resolution that would add more character to properties being developed whether they be cinder blocks or manufactured housing. While the situation was undoubtedly stressful for the city and the property owner as well as the citizens, in the end it was a win win for all.
Mr. Evett had a lot of issues to deal with that had surfaced from the lack of policy or policy enforcement of previous administrations – things that could not longer be ignored such as: staff accountability and management, financial and expense oversight, weakness in permitting process which accounted for a couple properties violating city codes, also issues with record keeping and more. These were issues that I brought up with the past city administrator but had been ignored by the commissioners whom I served with.
Mr. Evett for now I’m sure will have his hands full – only time will tell the rest of the story for Lake Helen government. It seems that Mr. Evett likes politics more than he does administration, I’d love to recognize Mr. Evett for receiving the Hometown Hero Award.
When I was campaigning for office and had my first ‘meet and greet’ someone asked about what I thought of all the growth.
I said something that made too much common sense – it was a reference that I made about… we are there already.
Very few understood what I was referencing.
Perhaps if you look at the zoning map for the city of Lake Helen, you will soon discover that every parcel of land is accounted for. Meaning… it is owned by someone: a person, or the city (Hopkins Hall, City Hall, city parks, etc.)
The next layer to consider is… the Zoning. The comprehensive plan (which was approved not even 4 years ago) should be our guidepost to ‘smart and responsible growth’. These plans are usually reviewed every 20 years or so.
Let’s go back to zoning… the zoning which has been established allows for x amount of houses per lot (again, depending on zoning). I’m not the expert but… someone out there might say that Lake Helen at full lots build-out may take us to the 6K population. I don’t have the population number for the last census… what I do recall we were at 2,700.
For Lake Helen to continue a steady course and preserve its charm… it needs to stay the course. The owners of vacant lots have property rights and can build out their lots as per the zoning. Where does Preserving and Protecting come in?
It’s ensuring build for what is zoned, it’s making sure that all impact studies are done… mostly it’s not caving into anything beyond what the city has NOT planned.
Over the last 3 years, we’ve been able to lower taxes and provide raises for city employees, because we also experienced an increase in revenues, which also allowed for many projects which involved roads, sidewalks, and stormwater.
What I am trying to get at is, there are property owners of vacant lots that have the right to build on their land as per what the zoning allows… it is important that the city ensures that all studies for water and road impacts are done to ensure that the city continues a path for “smart and responsible growth” – that’s what following the comprehensive plan will allow.
People that buy land, mostly want to put a house on it. For many, that time is now. Some of us wish we had the extra money to buy the land and watch the trees grow (let’s keep dreaming right?).
The city right now should seriously focus on welcoming more unincorporated neighbors to the South and East – if it doesn’t… for sure it won’t be long before your neighbor passing you the sugar is from Deltona or New Smyrna.
As far as the drama? Interesting thing… shortly after the departure of the previous administrator issues began exposing themselves, the citizen narrative abated and as the new city administrator focused on dealing with the matter of overseeing business government and not focusing on the town gossip things began taking the shape of government in business. As for me the drama also dissipated, it actually felt like there was order and management. 
Being the head of the city regardless of what type of government (strong mayor, weak mayor, commission/manager type) the bulk of the perceived political burden falls on the mayor – good or bad. While many in town shouted that the mayor was getting rid of people left and right – that was far from what was really happening inside city hall, in fact 2 out of 3 department heads had served 25 years and put in for their retirement, the one chose to leave on their own accord. In regards to the issues surrounding the previous city administrator, I would have wished for a verbal acknowledgement or in writing from the commission that the administration should be held accountable for the actions that had led to failed policies being administered and that the commission would support working on strengthening those policies; holding administration accountable was a statement made many times by the vice mayor, who in public meetings epic-ally reneged on that promise, and who made a motion to recall my seat. Who knows, that may reflect on the next time his seat comes up for a vote. But then again some folks have short memories and history tends to repeat itself.
Despite the small crowd of naysayers… I am honored to hold the Trust of the majority. Unfortunately some folks have a hard time upholding Truth.
Whatever the future brings… it’s okay to question and be each other’s keeper… let’s do it with kindness and respect… that’s the magic of small-town charm.
In conclusion, excerpt from my closing statement at the November 4th, 2021 commission meeting:
“To future commissions… I pray you will work with your mayor not because he is the mayor but because like you – not perfect and like you has chosen to make a difference – more could be done when you work together keeping the end goal in sight: the collective Lake Helen and not one individual; I pray that future commissions display more respect and compassion with our citizens regardless if they voted for you or not – remember you have an inside perspective that they don’t have. I pray that our citizens know that dividing and conquering does not promote community – you also have a responsibility and cannot blame the commission for your own actions– it takes courage and compassion to find common ground and work together.
All things aside, I am proud to report from the inside looking out that our city is STRONGER today than when I first took office. I URGE future commissions follow the comprehensive plan and stay the course by focusing on preservation and not selling out to every request moving you to sway from what has proven to be Smart Growth – you don’t have to look too far to see the results of over-development. The future looks very promising for Lake Helen showcasing the city -as one of the last bastions of old Florida charm… together let’s make that our common goal.
Citizens of Lake Helen thank you for the opportunity to serve as mayor of this fine city, …. May God bless Lake Helen.”
