SEBASTIAN – For two hours, eight candidates running for Sebastian City Council fielded questions about stimulating the city’s economy and bringing in new businesses.
Approximately 60 Sebastian residents attended the Sebastian Property Owners Association candidate forum Monday evening to find out where the candidates stand on various issues – issues that also included maintaining foreclosure properties, candidates’ specific goals and street maintenance, along with what the candidates want to see along the waterfront. Three seats are up for grabs in the Sebastian municipal election. Eight residents, including two incumbents, are campaigning for the vote. Candidates include incumbents Andrea Coy and Eugene Wolff, and challengers David DiVirgilio, Bob McPartlan, Al Paternoster, Lisanne Monier-Robinson, Joe Scozzari, and Don Wright.
All eight candidates expressed support of the referendum question that will be placed on the ballot. That referendum question pertains to providing incentives to new businesses and expanding businesses within the city by freezing their ad valorem (property) taxes at a set level for a specific period time.
However, some candidates raised issues with how established businesses might react or who would be covered and how that would be determined.
Candidate DiVirgilio raised the issue of established businesses, noting that they were not given the same consideration when they first opened in Sebastian.
Paternoster and Scozzari both mentioned setting in place criteria for when businesses would qualify for the tax abatement program.
Scozzari also said that the program would have an “enormous impact” on the city by limiting the amount of taxes the city could collect on the property.
Monier-Robinson said prior to Scozzari’s response to the question that the program “doesn’t hurt the city” because it would hold the tax at a certain level.
Wright and Coy said that it would be up to the Sebastian City Council – with public input – to figure out how large the abatement would be and for how long it would be in effect.
McPartlan, Monier-Robinson and Wolff said that the program would help to attract businesses that are looking to relocate to Sebastian.
“It becomes a tool” for attracting businesses, Wolff said.
Candidates were also asked to provide a “specific goal in precise terms” that would benefit the city.
The following are their responses (in the order they were asked):
Al Paternoster said he would work with the city council to ensure transparency and accountability and make sure the public is heard and treated with fairness and compassion at all levels of government.
Lisanne Monier-Robinson said she would loosen some of the restrictions at City Hall to make it easier for the Mom and Pop type shops to open. “Let’s not lose the vision,” she said of the city’s plan, but provide flexibility in these economic times to get established before enforcing the city’s code and rules.
Joe Scozzari said he’d work on the landscape development codes and look into establishing solar power at the Sebastian Municipal Airport as a test project. He added that the solar power could be used to offset the city’s $250,000 electric bill.
Eugene Wolff said that he would continue to work on building consensus within the council and bring forth ideas to help steer the council to a unified path.
Don Wright said he would work to incorporate an Economic Development Element into the city’s comprehensive plan, which would help businesses decide to relocate to the city. He added that he would want the city to improve its economic development content on the city’s Web site and work with the city to create a “meaningful but flexible” tax abatement program.
Andrea Coy said she would also continue to bring ideas to council – as she did in getting Indian River State College to move classes to the city – and implement the tax abatement program should voters approve it.
David DiVirgilio said that he would work to improve the city’s approval process in permitting businesses, noting that people get stuck in “our bureaucracy” and that businesses decide to go elsewhere because it takes too long to get the necessary approvals.
Bob McPartlan said that he wants to make Sebastian a place where people want to retire and keep their families here and to provide jobs for college graduates. He also said that the first thing he would do would be to meet with his fellow council members.
