Meet the candidates for AP city council

The following profiles of the four candidates running for three open seats on the Avon Park City Council are written in the first person, and based on sit-down interviews held with each candidate, to give voters an sense of the person running for office in Tuesday's election, as well as what each one thinks. The words and ideas are those of the candidates.

Brenda Gray

I was raised in Avon Park, left after high school and went to Tampa for five years, then went into the army. I spent 22 years in the army before retiring.

When I left Avon Park I had no plans on returning but my mother became ill and I came back on a compassionate leave that became a reassignment. After retiring I just sat for a year, then I asked God what I should do next.

Avon Park Youth Academy was hiring and I worked there two years in the human resources department, then I became a probation officer. I love my job and have been doing it six years.

Justine Devlin talked me into running for the city council.

For the first three years, I wanted to give up. Everything I did was wrong. People complained even then, but I decided that I needed to get a thick skin.

Now when people complain to me I tell them to give me an idea of how to fix your problem.

We need citizen participation. I want to see more people coming to city council meetings.

Avon Park is spread out like I don't know what, we're trying to bring it together.

The Chamber of Commerce needs to become more involved. I have not seen one example of the chamber reaching out to the south side.

In terms of large projects, we need to concentrate on the south side, get a T-21 grant or something to renovate the commercial area and bring business back.

Community leaders need to gather and talk. We can brainstorm together.

Dan Murphy (of the Economic Development Commission) wants to create an incubator. We need to open our doors, and tell him, "What can Avon Park do to assist you?"

We don't make good landlords. We need to get out of the renting business. I'd like to see someone come in and rent, lease or buy the Community Center. Let someone else handle it.

The budget? It is what it is. It's tough, true enough, you can't spend, spend, spend.

You need a good city manager. Sarah Adelt has shown a lot of improvement and learned a lot, but she's not able to think outside the box. I gave her a "fair" review.

I want an airport authority, but at this time it's not feasible, so it will remain as it is. We need to look into getting an airport manager with the city's interests at heart. Something to look forward to there would be smaller light industry, or some type of factory training.

I voted against the raise in water and sewer rates because it wasn't the right time for it. I know we need it to pay for the service, but the timing was just not right. People are having a hard time, we should have postponed it.

The business window in city hall is closed a lot, people are used to going on a certain day at a certain time, their bills get paid late, and it's hard to pay the late fee. Too much is going on at a time.

Not that we don't need the raise in rates, we do. But, we didn't get there overnight, and we can't solve it overnight. It just takes time.

Terry Heston

I was born in Walker Memorial Hospital and grew up in Sebring. I graduated from Sebring High School in 1975.

My mom and dad were Cecil and Louise Heston. Dad was on the Sebring City Council for 18 years.

John Sedlock and I have been partners in construction for 25 years. We built quite a few houses together.

Up in my neighborhood (on Lake Tulane) I've built 44 houses and remodeled existing ones. The people living in them are paying taxes.

It's as nice a neighborhood in Highlands County as you'll find. I've spent a lot of perfect days in the neighborhood. Some with my granddaughter, Sophia Rose Heston. She's four months old and she's absolutely wonderful. My wife and I raised three kids here. My boys grew up swimming in Tulane Lake. I coached football and baseball.

What needs to happen here? I don't see that many problems. Avon Park has it all: Roads, sewers and water.

We have to continue cleaning up and keep going with code enforcement. I want to see houses that are condemned torn down and build new houses over them. That creates taxpayers.

Race is absolutely not a problem. I live on the south side.

I've seen a lot of changes for the better, OK, things are better over the last three years. There are always problems in a city, but not so many here. I think Avon Park does a good job overall.

I have faith in Sarah Adelt, the police department, the fire department and code enforcement. I have faith in every department.

I think Sarah is doing a good job. She's answered all my questions.

I went and talked to her about the airport. It can be used for bringing business in, but overall, I don't know how we're going to get business in Avon Park. There are no easy answers. It's something we have to work on, but I don't know how. The economy has to come back.

I know it's going to be a lot of work. I saw what my father went through, and I am a busy guy, but someone needs to do it and I'm going to give it a try.

I've been all about Avon Park. I'm not about angles, I am as I seem.

Tonya Marshall

I moved here in 1983, the summer before my senior year. I graduated from Avon Park High School in 1984.

I did a lot of traveling after, went to California and then Georgia. Got married, had a son, went through a divorce. Joined the army and served a year and a half, came back to Avon Park, worked as a waitress at the Clock Restaurant and for Cross Country for a year.

I went to South Florida Community College and got a medical certificate as a medical secretary and worked for a physical therapist. Right now I'm unemployed.

Being unemployed, I have time on my hands. I began talking to Brenda Gray at city council meetings and she wanted me to join the NAACP. I became a volunteer community coordinator working to get grants for elderly home owners in need of home repairs. These people have been living in these conditions so long they accept it.

I guide the process. I've done 20 grants so far, three have been approved and we're waiting on the rest. The majority of the repairs are handicapping the bathrooms, and taking out bathtubs and putting in showers.

You have to do the right thing by people, especially at this time. Take the new late fees on the water bill. Eighty dollars after 5 p.m. to turn the water on. That's not necessary. They've already increased the rate, don't take away the safety net, roll it over to the next month.

They say the raise in rates is only this much or that much, but when you get only a certain amount every two weeks, every penny counts. If you're short $5, $3 is a big deal.

Add in the shorter hours to pay, and the fact that the pay window is only open certain hours now, and that adds up to a lot of people with the water shut off.

The communication between the city and the public is horrible. I've been coming to city council meetings. There was a man trying to speak, but English was his second language and he needed help. He and Sarah Adelt (the city manager) did not understand each other. It is a huge, huge problem.

Local government has to be very open. Like the water fees, where is the money going?

One of the problems is more people need to take part. I'm so sick of the complainers. Go to meetings, look them in the eyes. When council members start to make decisions, they have to know you care. Ask the right questions and punch the right buttons.

Take the Ridgedale Watch, citizens got involved. If more neighborhoods did that, we wouldn't need a police sub-station. It has got to be everybody.

We really, really, really, need to save the recreation center. We can't close it down. We have to have after-school and summer programs.

The municipal airport is not going away. We have to keep it. But we need to use it to our advantage; maybe some industry there.

We should have more festivals to draw people in. I'd love to see a Heritage Festival every year, we have enough cultures. And something every month -- maybe with food and music, like a St. Patrick's Day or a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

How to encourage economic development? We need more businesses in Avon Park. Avon Park is not seen as friendly to business. Streamline the process of opening a business, get rid of problems in the way.

I like the new look on Main Street. We need more small businesses. Shopping locally helps that.

Paul Miller

I was born in Jamestown, N.Y., in 1945 and I was raised in a children's home there from the first grade through high school. Then I went into the navy for two years.

Coming out of the Navy I went to work for a ball bearing company back in Jamestown until I had to get my right lung removed.

Then I went to work for the state of New York, but I hurt my back and ended up moving to Avon Park 32 years ago.

I couldn't live on disability and got a job out at the Bombing Range. But I had to have one knee replaced and lost the job in 2000. In 2002 I had the other knee replaced.

Now I live on the disability from New York and the Air Force and I volunteer.

I work through my church for Meals on Wheels and help out at the school with the student athletes. I'm the chain man on the football field during home games.

I want to run for city council because I think I can help.

I think the city has to reach out to families.

For example, we need more festivals that aren't money pits. Events with more things families can do other than spend dollars on crafts and food. There's no family value in that at all.

We need festivals that include things like bed races, or raft races, a tug-of-war, baking contests, things like that. Maybe a barbecue every quarter with dancing. No alcohol. Sell barbecue tickets in advance, bring in a band. Something to involve the entire community, and keep it from falling apart. Activities that will draw us together again.

I'm interested in the concerns of the people. I'm against getting rid of the police department.

I think if city employees can do the job it should be done in-house.

How is the city managed? Pretty smooth in a lot of things. It could be run better, but it could be a whole lot worse. There's always room for improvement.

I have mixed feelings about the CRAs, half the time they don't have a quorum, and Avon Park is Avon Park -- all together. We need to improve all parts of town. God put us on this Earth to take care of it. People need to take care of what they have, not just tear it up.

Avon Park has a very low percentage of taxes. I'm a Christian, and I don't believe in taxing a worship center or service center. But if a church has other properties that make money, like rental property or a trailer park, they should pay the taxes on that.

Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, it's what God would want you to do. Make money -- pay tax.

I'm willing to put the time into being a city councilman. The role of the city council in to be around town, checking on departments checking on the town. The city council needs to listen to the people, and the people need to come to meetings.

My goal is to make Avon Park a place where people will want to raise a family.

A message? If you don't vote, keep your mouth shut.