Full Name: Kenneth Joseph DaigeDate of Birth: 2/17/54Place of Birth: New YorkLength of residence in Indian River County: 34 years, in Vero Beach 20 yearsYour occupation: Co-owner with wife of Quality Kitchens & Baths, Inc.Employer: Self-employedHow many hours per week? As many as needed according to the scope of work.Location of work: Jobsites are Customer owned locationsMarital status: Married to wife Deborah for 32 yearsChildren: 2Grandchildren: 1
Experience you feel is most relevant to serving in public office and why.
The hundreds of hours spent communicating, volunteering and achieving with many others in accomplishing a wide range of goals for children, families and local businesses. I have the ability to turn a negative into a positive and common-sense reasoning to consensus building on multiple levels. This is necessary when debating with fellow City Council Members and other elected officials to further the best interests of the taxpayer and ratepayer.
Please list Civic and Volunteer Leadership Experience including title and position and Organization including dates and locations:
Member on the City of Vero Beach 90th Anniversary Committee 2008Participated in the ‘Help Plan Your Future Transportation System’ public workshop 2009Participated in Your Town-Fellsmere , Florida -A Citizens Institute on Rural Design 2009
City of Vero Beach City Council Member 2006-2008 (did not miss any meetings):
Florida League of Cities Institute for Elected Officials 2006 Florida League of Cities Advanced Institute for Elected Officials 2007Chairman of the Elected Public Officials Oversight Committee 2006 Indian River County Parks and Recreation Committee-Vice Chair 2007-08 Indian River County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee 2008IRC Enterprise Zone Committee Member 2006-07Member Florida League of Cities Home Rule Council 2006-07Metropolitan Planning Organization Board 2007-08Attended MPO Advisory Council Weekend Institute for Elected Officials 2008Attended FAU Florida Public Officials Design Institute at AbacoaAttended the Governors Hurricane Conferences 2006-07Attended Downtown-Smalltown Conferences 2007-08Attended the Governors Tourism Conference 2008And various Sunshine Law, Ethics, Employees Relations, Board and Commission classes 2006-08
City of Vero Beach Charter Review Commission 2005
Indian River County Participant Visions 1992
Treasure Coast Builders Association
Indian River County Membership Chair 1991-93
-1992 My wife and I received recognition from the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners Department of Emergency services for volunteering time, services, equipment and goods after the Hurricane Andrew. We were part of the relief effort at the Redlands Migrant Camp in Florida City, Dade County.
We also coordinated with the Indian River County School Transportation Division for school buses that transported volunteers from Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties.
-Board of Directors 1993-94
Received Certificate of Appreciation from the Treasure Coast Private Industry Council 1993
Vero Beach High School Band:
Volunteered as needed 1993-97Fundraising Chair for Arizona Trip 1995Equipment Chair 1994-1997Football Concession Co-Chair with wife Deborah 1994-1997Dodgertown Concession Co-Chair with wife Deborah 1994-96Chaperone 1993-97Red White and Blue Concert Volunteer
Vero Beach Junior High:
Volunteered as needed 1991-95Board of DirectorsConcessions Chairman 1994-95Fundraising, Chaperone,Equipment Chair 1993-94Various other leadership positions
Gifford Middle School Band:
Volunteer as needed 1988-93Equipment Chair
Gifford Middle School:
Volunteered as needed 1988-93ChaperoneBeach clean-up
City of Vero Beach Recreation Department Sandlot Basketball 1990
Rosewood Elementary:
Volunteered as needed 1986-88ChaperoneBegan Local Cub Scouts Troop at Rosewood 1986
Candidate Questions
1. What do you feel is the most important issue facing the City of Vero Beach ?
The need to reconcile ALL concerns associated with the Utilities.
2. The City Council will be asked to vote on implementing changes to the rate structure of the electric utility within the next few weeks. For many residents, this will mean that electric charges will be increased even more. Would you vote in favor of these rate increases?
No.
3. The City of Vero Beach presently takes approximately $5.9 million dollars it generates from the electric utility and puts it in the City’s general fund. Would you vote to continue the practice of this transfer each year?
Business as usual will not work. City Council needs to rethink their plan and reduce expenditures first.
4. City Administrators have stated that stepping away from the Florida Municipal Power Agency and joining the Orlando Utility Authority will drastically lower electric rates starting in January. Do you believe that the electric utility rates will significantly be reduced after Jan. 1, 2010?
The only perceived cost reduction is the current power cost adjustment. Otherwise hard data has not been proven to show cost reduction. Water and sewer rates will go up. The borrowed money for the deep-well injection and buildings has to be paid for in a quick turn-around.
5. What suggestions would you make to the City to curtail spending without hurting the present services the City residents currently enjoy?
Stop ALL unnecessary projects and reevaluate spending practices.
6. What do feel the City should do with the property on the corner of 17th street and Indian River Blvd. where the former postal annex was located?
-If there is no reason to use this property as a pumping site for consolidation with Indian River County (with EQUAL enterprise sharing-costs), then put it to the public for their ideas. The city taxpayers own the land. There should not be any more $1, 30-50-or-100 year leases (especially when bond money is owed on the property).
7. Do you or would you rely more on your own independent research or would you rely more heavily on the opinion of City staff before taking a vote on a particular issue?
I would rely on both and weigh those decisions with common sense.
8. The City has brought up the idea of forming an independent Health Clinic for City employees. Would you vote for this initiative? (Please answer Yes or No).
No.
9. If you could change one thing about how the City is run, what would it be?
I would insist the City of Vero Beach’s budget books be more clearly written to be understood by ANYONE who reads them. And ALL projects would be listed in their entirety instead of scattered through various departments which causes one to have to decipher the intent of City staff.
10. What about your background, experience or character has best prepared you to handle the day-to-day responsibilities, pressures and intense scrutiny of serving in public office?
My business and volunteerism experience in fat and lean times has taught me how to save and to reevaluate operating strategies. Intense military training in dealing with national security issues has taught me the effects of extreme situations and the hardships caused to families, which is one of the reasons we volunteer. Every life experience I have been through to this point has made me a more compassionate and determined person; educated and ready to do whatever is necessary to enable a quality of life that carries us through good and bad times.