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Canale Wants To Return To Commission

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 12, 2008

Ask Jeri Canale for a list of accomplishments, and she'll provide a list: During her term in office, the county commissioners built the Children's Advocacy Center, the Lake Placid Library, the Highlands County administration complex, the new county jail, the new sheriff's office, phase one of Sebring Parkway, the DeSoto City Fire Department and the EMS Operations Building.

The commissioners helped fund the Sebring Airport terminal, the women's abuse shelter and part of the playground for Max Long field. They also expanded the Sebring Library.

Canale, 54, is originally from Hammond, Ind. Her day job is a real estate agent, but she has said she would be a full-time commissioner. She has a husband, a daughter, Elizabeth, two dogs and two birds.

Q: How will you balance the needs of services with calls to cut taxes?

First and foremost our county is not cutting the budget. The budget is more than it was last year. Government sometimes feels the need to scare its constituents by telling them they are going to have to cut services. The responsible thing for our county commissioners to do was to cut the budget so the taxpayers feel some relief to offset the prices of fuel, food and insurance. I believe the county needs to get serious and make some major cuts like the city of Avon Park did. I attended all the county budget hearings, and I have found several ways the county could have made cuts. There is a lot of fluff in the budget. When we need to cut the budget in the future we must start with a zero-based budget, consider the re-accruing expenses, prioritize items of importance and make the cuts. We can also consolidate services using interlocal agreements to cut down on capital expenditures.

Q: Did you support Amendment One and the effects it has had on county revenue?

How will Amendment One affect our county revenue? Amendment One was more about tax cuts then tax reform. Amendment One ensured Save Our Homes portability, up to $500,000 (reduced from 1 million). It doubled the $25,000 homestead exemption and added a $25,000 personal property exemption. It also put a 10 percent cap on assessments for non-homestead property. Even though I supported Amendment One there were several things Amendment One did not cover. Amendment One did not address how our properties were assessed and how to adjust to the changes of the real estate market now. Even with Amendment One, Highlands County's budget still escalated. It was up to the commissioners to further reduce the budget by rolling back the millage rate.

Q: Describe your leadership style.

I have had many leadership roles in my lifetime. I consider myself a transformation leader - one that looks at the big picture. I consider myself a trouble shooter, a visionary not afraid to make the hard decisions. I don't worry about everyone liking me. I worry about making the right decisions that will affect the future of the county and its people. I'm also a consensus builder. I have grown to be a little more diplomatic as I've gotten older. I'm passionate about fixing our government, and I will stay focused on who I represent and serve proudly the people of Highlands County. More information about my leadership roles is at www.jericanale.com

Q: Do you support impact fees? Do you agree that not having them forces residents already living here to foot the bill for growth?

I do support impact fees in a booming economy. However, we do not have a booming economy. If there is no new growth as Highlands County is experiencing now, my guess is the only people that will be paying the impact fees will be the residents of Highlands County and they have already paid for it. I think we need to put taxing people on hold for awhile until our economy stabilizes.

Q: What will be your most important task during your next term?

My most important task during my term is to find ways to stimulate our economy in Highlands County. We can do this by bringing in more and higher paying jobs to our area. My daughter recently graduated from college returned home only to find that Highlands County just isn't competitive in the job market. Our residents, children and our grandchildren deserve to make a decent living. By stimulating our job market this stimulates our economy. More homes will be sold and built and people will spend more money. Because our people have more to spend it all has a trickle down effect to get our economy back to where it needs to be. We can do this by hiring a top gun for our IDA/ EDC director (recruiter for jobs and industry).Instead of hiring through cronyism and nepotism we need to find a highly qualified individual with an outstanding record of producing jobs and getting clean industry into the area. If they don't produce in a certain time slot replace them till we find someone that could help us. I have a lot of faith in Mr. Wright, our new county administrator, to help us find that top gun.

Q: Why should voters select you for county commission?

Why should the voters select me as county commissioner? I am absolutely the best candidate for the position. I have a great record when I was a commissioner 10 years ago when we actually cut the budget. When I was in office we faced difficult challenges a lot like the challenges we have today. When I started the unemployment rate was over 9 percent. The stronghold philosophy of no growth was in effect. However, this did not work well when Highlands County residences were struggling. Growth prevailed and Lakeshore Mall was built about 14 years ago. It produced several jobs to our residents in a time of need and new businesses followed. I want to get Highlands County back on its feet. I want to see our communities thriving. I want to make sure we have clean industry and higher paying jobs for our people. I would also like the county to look into the possibility of providing health insurance benefits to our residents that need affordable insurance somewhat like a group plan with the insured paying their fair share portion. I'm looking forward to serving you. I also want you to know I don't believe in being a lifelong politician. I believe in term limits. I will be a responsible representative of our people using common sense and focusing on the overall picture to make our county the best it can be! I need your vote Nov. 4. Thank you.

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