INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Ousted Vero Beach City Councilman Charlie Wilson has made his bid for Indian River County Commission District 2 seat official, filing to run with the Supervisor of Elections Office Tuesday.
Wilson said Tuesday before filing that he now hopes to be referred to as a commission candidate instead of “ousted councilman.”
“I was prevented from completing the term I was elected to serve and prevented from completing the task voters sent me to accomplish. As a County Commissioner I am asking voters to send me to the County Commission where I can finish the job,” Wilson said Wednesday evening.
Wilson is the latest to file for the hotly contested seat currently held by Commissioner Joe Flescher. Flescher has yet to file his intent to run for re-election, but he told VeroNews.com on Monday that he will seek to retain his seat.
Wilson said he intends to build on the progress he made during his one-month tenure on the Vero Beach City Council to represent not only the electric utility’s 34,500 customers (about 80,000 people), but all county residents.
“Your vote may have been overturned but it was not wasted,” Wilson said. “The City of Vero Beach is a very different place today than it was in November when voters elected two new councilman with clear orders to make changes.”
He lists major accomplishments as bringing Florida Power and Light to the table to talk about selling the electric utility, infusing openness into the public’s business, limiting travel of elected officials and taking a hard look at employee policies such as cashing out sick and vacation time and the practice of resigning, collecting pensions and then being rehired by the city.
“If we can do this in 30 days imagine what we can do in four years,” Wilson said, indicating that “we” includes his supporters.