On the ballot: Clermont City Council, Seat 3

CLERMONT — The race for Seat 3 on the Clermont City Council pits incumbent Diane Travis against Tim Murry.

To get a better understanding of the candidates, the Daily Commercial sent a questionnaire to each asking them a few basic questions about them and their campaign.

Here are their answers.

Diane Travis, incumbent

Age: 66

Occupation: Broker/Owner Travis Realty Group

Education: BA degree in Business Administration

Community service affiliations: Tourism Development Council, Metropolitan Planning Organization, Lake Apopka Gas Board, Friends of Lake County trails, Bicycle safety advocacy group.

Why are you running? 

I want to continue to see our Master Plan vision realized especially as we prepare to be a gateway city for the Coast to Coast trail and the Olympus project in Wellness Way. I will bring my  experience and passion to the position of Mayor and  be a Champion for Clermont taxpayers. I want to bring my knowledge as a World Champion athlete to the city and be the voice for health and wellness throughout our community. I also want to be the Champion for promoting Downtown Clermont. Great cities have great downtowns.

What experience do you have that lends itself to this position? 

These challenging times call for an experienced leader. As the only mayoral candidate with council experience, I am ready on Day One. Being a successful small business owner and real estate professional, I know what people and businesses look for in a community. I also understand the complex planning and development issues that come before the Council. I have regional experience sitting on numerous boards, such as the Tourism Development Council, Lake Apopka Gas Board and Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning. I also am currently endorsed by the Clermont Fire and Police Unions.

In 2014, I was elected to the Clermont City Council. I am currently the mayor pro tem. For the past six years on the council, I supported a host of accomplishments from our Master Plan that include the award-winning Victory Pointe; the new Kehlor building for seniors; a new, safer boat ramp; new streetscapes for downtown; school resource officers; body cameras for our police and supported workforce housing among other accomplishments. I am proud that we were able to do this without raising our citizens’ taxes during the time I’ve been on the Council.

What are your top two priorities if elected? 

One of the biggest challenges facing Clermont is managing our growth to preserve our hills and lakes, while maintaining a high level of public safety and quality of life.I will support our police, firefighters and educators while working with the county and state to improve our roadways.

In addition I would like to focus on helping the small businesses and restaurants that have suffered a big hit during this pandemic. We need to especially work on enhancing our downtown-waterfront area that is so important to the character and heart of our city, Making sure our businesses and local employers survive and thrive is one of the best ways we can ensure our residents have jobs now and in the future. The continuation of our master plan phase 2 will help enhancing our downtown businesses.

Tim Murry 

Age: 66

Occupation: Served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force and worked 21 years for the U.S. Postal Service, beginning in 1999.

Education: BS degree in Management/Human Resources; Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Community service affiliations: Clermont Planning and Zoning Board; Clermont Code Enforcement Board; Advisory Board for South Lake Boys and Girls clubs; Vice Chairman of the New Jacob’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Board of Trustees and Family Matters Food program; East Ridge Middle School Student Advisory Committee; two Citizens Advisory Task Force for Community Development Block Grant; President of Lincoln Park South Lake Alliance, Inc.; member of South Lake Black Achievers; and, member of Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Why are you running?

I am running for Mayor of Clermont to be the voice for sensible growth that focus on the needs of all residents. My vision for Clermont is one of continuous growth that enhances quality of life, public safety, and fiscal responsibility. I will work to bring living wage employment to Clermont to help reduce commuting traffic and provide our youth employment opportunities at home after college. I will work to increase workforce housing to help decrease homelessness and the number residents moving from Clermont due to rising cost of living. I will work with Clermont Police Department to improve relations between residents and police and stay ahead of crime that comes with growth. Working together, we will make Clermont the Choice of Champions.

What experience do you have that lends itself to this position?

My opponent nor myself have experience as Mayor however, my successful careers, skills, experiences, and educational background is proof that I possess the ability to perform and be effective as Mayor. Every position or job has its own unique experience however, the experiences and skills I gained while managing various facilities and activities during my twenty-two plus years in the U S Air Forces will serve me well in this position. My hands-on experience of preparing operating budgets, continuative plans, capital expense budgets, overseeing renovation/new construction projects, and daily operation of facilities, will be valuable assets in this position. In addition, the experiences and skills I acquired working with others in Europe, Saudi Arabia, and throughout the United States will be great assets in this position when working with entities, clubs, organizations, developments, and people from various walks of life.

What are your top two priorities is elected?

I know we need to address many diverse issues and challenges here, inclusive of the traffic on Hancock and Hartwood Marsh Roads and a few other growing high traffic areas. I plan to remain incredibly supportive of Clermont’s Downtown Partnership and Clermont’s Historical Village! Thanks to my phenomenally successful years in the U S Air Force, I believe that I have a good sound sense of responsibility, while dealing with multi-million-dollar budgets and construction and renovation projects. As the Mayor of Clermont, I will be a voice for all residents. I believe that our current city council has lost touch with an important segment of our community that needs more of our attention – our youth. I pledge to work to enhance our quality of life, create a special focus group for our youth, improve public safety and to add fiscally responsible leadership. I will focus on living wage employment, workforce /affordable housing, and sensible growth that meet the needs of residents. The lack of workforce housing is contributing to homelessness and a growing number of residents moving from Clermont due to the rising cost of living. I will encourage and solicit feedback from more residents instead of the select few than attend city council meetings. I work to bring living wage employment to Clermont to help reduce commuting traffic and provide young an opportunity to return home after college.