Name: Peter D. O’Bryan Age: 53 How long living in Indian River County: Since 1984 Place of Birth: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Occupation: County Commissioner Marital/Family Status: Married, 3 sons
Please list Civic and Volunteer Leadership Experience including title & position and Organization including dates and locations.
I have served on the Boards of the following organizations: Pelican Island Audubon Society; Environmental Learning Center; Exchange Club Foundation; Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce. I currently am serving on the Main Street Vero Beach Board.
What issues motivated you to run for this office and what do you hope to accomplish during your term?
We are still in very difficult economic times and I believe that the experience I have gained serving as County Commissioner over the last four years will help me provide the leadership that I believe we need now in the county. Going forward, I would like to create a voluntary, renewable energy finance district, to help homeowners go solar to save on their energy bills, and will also create jobs. Keep taxes low by continuing to eliminate unnecessary spending. Promote Indian River County as a sports destination – utilize our facilities to attract more visitors – this leads to more spending, which leads to jobs. Continue to support innovative projects to clean up stormwater heading towards the Indian River Lagoon. This will clean up our waterway and help meet EPA standards.
Do you support considering the possibility of the county removing itself from the City of Vero Beach’s water and sewer system? What factors would you consider in making a determination whether or not such a change should happen?
I do support helping those county residents that are currently being served by the City of Vero Beach water and wastewater utility to remove them from the city system and add them to the county water utility system. Ideally, the city would work with the county to form a regional, county wide system to serve all residents within the county. Failing that, the county stands ready to proceed with installing the infrastructure necessary to provide water and wastewater service to the county residents.
Should the Board of County Commissioners do anything to pressure the City of Vero Beach to sell its electric utility? If so, what could the board do. If not, why not? Do you support petitioning the Public Service Commission to remove non-city electric customers from the city’s power grid?
The county should do all we can to encourage the city to find a resolution to the electric issue. If the city cannot be competitive, then at the very least, the city should allow the non-city residents currently being served by the city electric to be served by FP&L. And yes, if the city does not come up with a solution to provide competitive rates, I support going to the PSC to petition removing non-city residents from the city’s power grid.
With unemployment near 15 percent, what do you believe is the county commission’s role in bringing more jobs to Indian River County?
To continue the activities that we have undertaken so far. This includes aggressively marketing our resources to attract new business; maintain our jobs grants program; create a “business friendly” environment; and to continue to meet with our local, existing businesses to help them identify areas where we can help them prosper and expand.
