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Not convinced he is informed on the issues and unsure as to his guiding principles. Is his perspective as a seawall installer that resides on this island or a resident that installs seawalls? We all have biases.

When was the last time Mr. Thomas voiced public issues outside of seawall related issues to council?

The reason I have no qualms with Mr. Sacher, Mr. Petricca and Mr. Honecker is based on their incessant public plea to the council. You can clearly hear their positions in front of the council and/or advisory boards. In fact, some served on advisory boards, but you can judge for yourself, if they acted on behalf of residents interests or city management interests. I say they acted in the interest of the residents.

In the case, of Mr. Petricca, he is a staunch fiscal conservative... and I highly recommend voting for him just to guarantee a response from the city as a member of council. History has shown that Mr. Petricca, as a citizen, his past request for additional financial information was promised but never furnished. As a council member he would could not be easily dismissed.

In fact, I would vote for Mr. Petricca even if I was diametrically opposed to his positions, simply based on his endurance, attention to detail and most importantly his love of this island from the perspective as a resident.

I accept the fact, that not all residents may come to the same positions, but I sense that there is an overall shift that the city has its own self generated interests.

I believe these candidates would serve as good representatives of residents. I do have a clear bias to residents that retire here full time, because their voice is muted and they simply wish to leave quietly and peaceably. On the flip side, the business community has a strong Chamber of Commerce to voice their concerns given the tourist amenities. And there are residents that purchased property as investments to generate revenue or appreciative value. So it is quite a mix.

I am looking at candidates that recognize the need to address residents who simply live here without a business interest, or special concern, other than to maintain this island's small tropical town ambiance. I am not a supporter of super-sizing facilities or adding services.

Remember, since 2000 there are 1200-1500 less single family homes, yet the city claims we need to expand facilities and services and payroll.