In the weeks leading to Election Day, Aaron Vos’ friends and Castaway Cove neighbors kept telling him he was a shoo-in to win one of three seats up for grabs on the Vero Beach City Council.
“Everyone kept saying I was fine, but I didn’t really believe it,” Vos said last week, after city voters proved his supporters’ right, naming him on 23 percent of the ballots cast. “Honestly, I ran like I was in last place – knocking on doors, sending out mailers, being out there for early voting.
“I took nothing for granted.”
On Monday, Vos will take his seat on the council’s dais, where he’ll join Linda Moore and John Carroll, both of whom were elected to second terms, along with Mayor John Cotugno and Taylor Dingle.
He said he’s eager to get started, replacing one-term council member Tracey Zudans, who unsuccessfully challenged County Commissioner Laura Moss in August rather than seek re-election.
“I’m excited to get this opportunity,” said Vos, a 63-year-old retired-but-still working management and technical consultant for the RTX Corporation, formerly Raytheon, a major defense contractor.
“I’m not going to go in there with all these grandiose ideas,” he added. “I’ve done a lot of homework since deciding to run, but I know I need to listen and learn so I can better understand the issues. I really like the makeup of this council.”
Vos, who moved to Vero Beach from California five years ago, has never held public office and doesn’t consider himself a politician.
A registered Republican, the island resident said his campaign attracted support from across the political spectrum, adding, “I just want to do what’s best for our city.”
Vos joins the council at a pivotal time, as the panel continues to move forward with several major projects – developing the Three Corners site at the west end of the 17th Street Bridge, relocating the city’s wastewater-treatment plant from the banks of the Indian River Lagoon to the airport, and expanding the facilities at the municipal marina.
He is particularly anxious to see the Three Corners proposals that will be submitted next month by developers bidding to create a dining, retail, social and recreational hub on the mainland’s waterfront.
“I’m already looking at what’s in the RFP,” Vos said, referring to the city’s request for proposals.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what we get, so I can start analyzing them and making sure the budgets align with expectations.”
As for relocating the wastewater-treatment plant, Vos acknowledges that the expected price tag, which already has nearly doubled since the project was proposed, could go beyond the city’s most recent estimate of $156 million.
Still, he said he remains an “advocate” for the move, as opposed to investing in refurbishing the existing plant at the current site – on the 16-acre Three Corners parcel immediately south of the bridge – for 75 percent of the projected cost.
“First, we’re getting a potential hazard away from the lagoon,” Vos said. “Second, we’ll have a brand-new facility that runs more efficiently. And, third, with the county continuing to grow, we might have the capacity to allow the county to tap in if needed.”
Not moving the plant, he added, would jeopardize the Three Corners project. Vos also wondered if the schedule for the multi-phased, marina-expansion project could be accelerated. And, with several key city staffers nearing retirement age, he said he strongly backs the council’s soon-to-begin efforts to create an organizational succession plan.
“It’s all part of my learning curve, but I’m a quick study,” Vos said. “I’m talking to people, asking questions. I spoke with current council members before the election. I’ve spoken with the city manager. I’m all-in.”
Although his contract work for RTX doesn’t end until next month, he said he’s no longer involved in day-to-day issues. He’s taking calls on only an occasional basis. “The city has my full attention,” Vos said.
Vos finished second in the City Council election, receiving 3,390 votes to Vice Mayor Moore’s 4,008 (27 percent). Carroll claimed the third open seat with 3,288 votes (22 percent).
Former council members Ken Daige (2,483, 17 percent) and Brian Heady (1,665, 11 percent) again fell short.
Vos won Precinct 33 on the island, getting 26 percent of the votes to Moore’s 25 percent and Carroll’s 24 percent. On the mainland, he finished second in Precinct 22 (east of the railroad tracks) and third in Precinct 20 (west of the railroad tracks).
“I think he’s an excellent choice,” Cotugno said of the newcomer to the dais. “He brings a skill set we need as we address the issues, goals and objectives we have coming up.”
Moore echoed Cotugno’s remarks, saying Vos “brings a lot to the dais” and his expertise should “complement the others on the council.”
Both Moore, co-owner of the Kilted Mermaid wine bar in downtown Vero Beach, and Carroll, a licensed engineer and certified general contractor, said they sought re-election for essentially the same reason – to make sure the council’s major projects progress on schedule.
In addition, Carroll said he will continue to push for the city’s Comprehensive Plan to be amended to update the verbiage in the City Code to protect and preserve the character and quality of life in single-family-home neighborhoods, particularly on the island.
“When I first started, I thought I’d do one term and get everything accomplished,” he said. “We did pretty darn well, but I haven’t accomplished everything I hoped to.”
Both Carroll and Moore attributed the council’s willingness to simultaneously tackle so many major projects – ambitious undertakings that will shape Vero Beach’s future – to its makeup.
Vos is determined to keep the council moving forward.
“The really hard part starts now,” he said.