Election tally shows message edging spending

It was money versus message in the Bonita Springs City Council election March 7, and financial records show the underdog won out as three sitting incumbents were swept out of office in favor of candidates advocating change.

“People were unhappy, and they were ready for a change,” said retired stock broker Pat McCourt, who won the District 3 race. “That is the bottom line.”

In two of the three races for council seats, the incumbents far outspent their challengers but ended up short when it counted on election day.

Incumbent Wayne Edsall in District 1 more than doubled up retired police captain Richard Ferreira in spending — $5,000 to $2,292 — but Ferreira won in a landslide, 63.6 to 36.4 percent.

“Term limits was a big issue with a lot of people,” Ferreira said. “It was a bigger issue than the incumbents and some political insiders thought.”

During the campaign, the three incumbents came under fire because they were running for a third term. Although they were legally allowed to do so because their first term was only two years, some felt they were violating the spirit of the city charter that said council members are limited to two four-year terms.

Ferreira also felt the message of a more fiscally accountable, environmentally sensitive councilman resonated with the voters.

“They were looking for a change,” he said.

Edsall could not be reached for comment.

In District 3, incumbent Bob Wagner’s $5,600 outpaced McCourt’s $4,604 and zoning board member Pete Pastore’s $500, but McCourt still received more than 50 percent of the vote in the three-way race. That allowed him to avoid a runoff with Wagner, who received the second highest number of votes in the three-man race.

A key to McCourt’s victory was his hard work on election day and just getting personal with the voters, he said.

“You like to think you just send out the mailer and people read it, but they really don’t,” he said. “Mostly, the key was getting to people and talking with people.”

Wagner said his campaign died off as election day came near and that led to his defeat at the polls. He said he was never enthused about running for office and only did so at the urging of friends.

“I frankly didn’t feel like running anymore,” Wagner said. “Six years was enough (in office). The last two, we were bored — bored with the job.”

Pastore could not be reached for comment.

The District 5 race was the closest in terms of spending and the final vote tally. Only 522 people voted in the district, although the two candidates spent more than $10,000 total.

“People were generally happy with the direction the city was headed in and the current council and didn’t bother to come out and vote,” incumbent David Piper said. “When people don’t come out to vote, Mickey Mouse could win. Maybe Daffy Duck.”

Challenger and retired businesswoman Martha Simons says her door-to-door campaigning and five mass mailings played a large part in her victory. She felt the voters liked her moderate message and she worked hard to get voters out to the polls.

“That is the big part of campaigning, just getting out to the people and making sure they want to vote for you,” Simons said.

Piper spent less than Simons — $5,050 to $5,426 — and Simons received 58.2 percent of the vote to Piper’s 41.8 percent.

“If people thought she was going to win, they would have come out to the polls,” Piper said. “People are already pulling their hair out with the decisions these people are making.”

The 21 percent turnout at the March 7 election was the lowest in the city’s history six-year history. It also marked the biggest loss of members from the founding council in an election. Piper, Edsall and Wagner were all the first council members from their districts.