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City News: CRA Meeting Agenda 12-20-11
December 17th, 2011

City News: CRA Meeting Cancelled
November 30th, 2011

City News: CITY MEETING “IF IT’S NOT IN THE BUDGET, IT’S NOT IN THE BUDGET”
November 16th, 2011

City News: 11-1-11 City Commission Meeting
November 3rd, 2011

City News: CITY OKAYS DRONE PROJECT; COASTAL CLEANUP REVEALS FEWER RECYCLABLES OVERBOARD
October 20th, 2011

City News: Cedar Key City Meeting Agenda
October 18th, 2011

City News: BRIEF CRA MEETING ADOPTS BUDGET, EMPLOYEE MANUAL
October 6th, 2011

City News: COMMISSIONERS ADOPT 2011-2012 BUDGET OVER MAYOR DAVIS’S “NO” VOTE
September 28th, 2011

City News: CEDAR KEY CONFORMS LOCAL LAW TO FLORIDA’S HB 45 PRO-GUN LEGISLATION;
September 22nd, 2011

City News: CITY’S FORMAL BUDGET HEARING PROCESS BEGINS THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 15
September 14th, 2011

City News: WALT BROWN OUT AS BUILDING INSPECTOR; OTHER CITY BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 6 - REVISED
September 13th, 2011

City News: A MARINA WISH LIST FOR CEDAR KEY
August 31st, 2011

City News: BROKEN SEWER PIPES, NEW INSURANCE RATES - BUMP BUDGET WORKSHOP
August 31st, 2011

City News: City Commission Report 8-16-2011
August 17th, 2011

City News: City Meeting Agenda 8-8-2011
August 6th, 2011

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Margy Vanlandingham`s Reply To The Candidates Forum Questions

Margy Vanlandingham`s Reply To The Candidates Forum Questions

ANNOUNCEMENT

1. Please list your accomplishments while serving in office, or what you wish to accomplish were you elected.

"Put the City on firmer financial ground, fix the Second Street historical district, and tighten up on the City`s growth management laws. Basically secure the future of Cedar Key as it has largely been for years."

2. What do you believe are issues facing Cedar Key today and in the next term?

"In the short-term, the most pressing issue will undoubtedly be money. As is true in most cities across Florida, property values have declined since the recession started in 2008, and with that decline came decreased ad valorem tax revenues. For Cedar Key, again like most Florida cities, that meant a decline in the single largest source of funds used to run the City operations. It may take several more years before we see this tax situation reverse itself."

3. What long-range issues do you foresee? What are you prepared to do about them?

"In the long-term, I see the preservation of the physical and cultural and visual elements of Cedar Key as the thorniest issue. It is really quite amazing to me to consider how little the island has changed since I first came across the #4 bridge almost 50 years. Yes, I know my born-here friends will disagree with me because they have the multi-generational memory that us landed-here people can never have, BUT the relative change here is quite remarkably small and quite historically valuable. I will work to do what I can to preserve our water-based and historical culture, while not neglecting necessary infrastructure and safety improvements. But I will also not accept the "growth is inevitable" and "we must move into modernity" kinds of overgeneralizations put forth by people who may want us to "move forward" just so they can profit from those changes. We are an island, and an isolated one at that. There is only so much growth that is possible, and most of that will be "infill" kinds of development, not expansion-into-the-open-spaces or "sprawl" kinds of development. I will listen carefully to any development proposals based on "smart growth" assumptions because they just do not properly describe the development opportunities and challenges that actually exist here in Cedar Key. Oh, and beware of strangers offering free stuff."

4. What about the budget? What can you do to save taxpayers money?

"Budget matters are always important to a City, especially a small city, because there is a very short tether between the taxpayers and the taxspenders. I cannot make any promises with any degree of certainty about how much money I might be able to save the taxpayers because I have not yet had the opportunity to gather up all of the required budget numbers, and certainly then have not had the time to do a thorough analysis of the figures. I can promise the citizens of Cedar Key that I will do this, if elected, and that I have the expertise to do this in a meaningful and intelligible way. My background is finance. I know that I can help the City here."

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