Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 166
We as elected officials need to mind our Ps and Qs in order to deliberate action. We need to be knowledgeable on issues that we face and day-to-day challenges in our respective cities. I make it my business to advocate for the things we need to better ourselves and to seek fairness across the board. Meeting with officials from other cities helps me learn and grow as a commissioner. The City of Lake Wales is a member of the Florida League of Cities (FLC), and National League...
Ballots are now available for eligible voters who wish to vote by mail in Florida's Statewide Primary Election on Aug. 18. No stamp is necessary to return the ballot as the return postage is pre-paid. Voters can request a mail ballot by calling the Elections office at 863-534-5888 or by visiting the Supervisor of Elections website at PolkElections.com. Voted ballots must be returned to the Supervisor of Elections by 7 p.m. on Aug. 18....
Lori Edwards, Polk County Supervisor of Elections, reminds voters that there is something for everyone to vote on in the upcoming Aug. 18 election. The Statewide Primary Election ballot includes important non-partisan races. Additionally, members of the Democratic and Republican parties will have the opportunity to choose the candidates representing their party in the November General Election. Florida is a closed primary state. According to Florida law, voters wishing to...
The Lake Wales Charter Review Committee held its organizational meeting Wednesday, June 24, and all five members expressed a willingness to kick in with twice monthly meetings to get the job done by December. The charter details how the city is governed, and any suggested changes will be put to the voters in April 2021. The committee elected consultant and publisher Chevon Baccus as chairperson and college administrator Andy Oguntola as vice chairperson. Other members are all...
Lake Wales city officials are asking commissioners to green light a study to determine the feasibility of building a sports and recreation complex that might attract tournaments and other special events. The study would be one element of an overall recreation master plan that would be funded with recreation impact fees. At their May 19 meeting commissioners will be asked to approve a contract with Clearwater-based Sports Facilities Advisory (SFA) for $42,500 plus travel...
Lake Wales voters Tuesday re-elected Commissioner Robin Gibson for another three-year term. Gibson took 63 percent of the vote against challenger Bob Wood. Turnout was not quite 15 percent, with only 1,420 of the city's approximately 9,770 voters making a choice. The final tally was 898 votes for Gibson and 522 for Wood. The 2019 city election drew a little over 1,800 voters. The COVID-19 virus scare made campaigning difficult and apparently kept some people away from the...
Five days before the April 7 city election, 1,041 Lake Wales citizens had returned their vote by mail ballots. That's about 41 percent of the 2,541 who requested ballots to vote by mail and 82 percent of the total 1,275 who voted by mail in the 2019 city election. Only one race will be decided Tuesday, Seat 5 between incumbent Commissioner Robin Gibson and challenger Bob Wood. Although the Seat 3 race will appear on the ballot, votes won't count because incumbent Commissioner...
The City of Lake Wales continues to be under a declared State of Emergency by Mayor Fultz. There is no curfew at this time. As Covid-19 updates for Florida's residents continue daily, many City of Lake Wales staff have begun working from home, while others continue to work within the City of Lake Wales Municipal Administration Building, 201 West Central Avenue and other facilities. The Lake Wales Municipal Administration Building remains closed to residents and customers until...
The Lake Wales Municipal Election scheduled to take place on Tuesday April 7 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. will go forward with a change. Due to safety concerns related to COVID-19 the polling location originally planned to be at the Municipal Administration Building will be moved to the James P Austin Community Center located at 315 Dr. M. L. King Jr. Blvd. in Lake Wales. The Lake Ashton polling location remains the same. Lake Wales residents in precincts 523, 524, 527, 528, 530, 531...
The Robin Gibson Campaign supports the "strong encouragement" by the Lake Wales city clerk for citizens to vote by mail rather than risk social interaction at the polling places. "Citizens should not lose their right to vote because of concerns about COVID-19," said incumbent Commissioner Robin Gibson in a news release encouraging citizens to vote by mail before the April 7 city election. Gibson said the campaign would like to play a role in facilitating the vote, but...
The deadline is Saturday, March 28 for Lake Wales registered voters to request a vote by mail ballot for the April 7 municipal election. Voters can request the ballot online at PolkElections.com or by calling the elections office at 863-534-5888. Lake Wales voters will be asked to choose between incumbent Commissioner Robin Gibson and challenger Bob Wood for Seat 5. The ballot also will include the Seat 3 race, but those votes won't count as incumbent Commissioner Terrye...
Lake Wales area voters chose Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump as their party candidates for president March 17, with totals that closely mirrored preferences in Polk County and the State of Florida. Just under 85,000 Polk County residents voted in the March 17 Presidential Preference Primary, making voter turnout slightly less than 27 percent. Polk Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards said turnout was about 13 percentage points less than she expected, but given...
Lake Wales registered voters who have moved or changed their name are encouraged to update their record with the Elections Office before the April 7 Municipal Elections. It's also important to notify the Elections Office if your signature has changed. Many changes can be made by calling the Elections Office at (863) 534-5888. Changes can also be made online at PolkElections.com. "An address change may mean a voter has moved into or out of the city limits, an important detail...
Just under 316,000 Polk County residents are eligible to vote Tuesday, March 17 in Florida's Presidential Preference Primary. As of the Feb. 18 registration deadline, Polk had 160,589 Republicans and 155,335 Democrats. Florida is a closed primary state so those registered as independents or with no party affiliation are not eligible to vote in the primaries, which are held to help major parties select their candidates for president. As of Jan. 31, Florida had 4,793,897...
Greg Massey says he won't withdraw as a candidate for Lake Wales City Commission despite the likelihood he is ineligible to run because he never had his voting rights restored after felony convictions for second degree murder and armed burglary. "As it stands right now, until the supervisor of elections says I can't run, I'm moving ahead," Massey said. The city charter requires candidates to be registered voters and city residents for at least one year. Massey, 56, moved to...
The four candidates in the April 7 Lake Wales City Commission election will answer questions and meet the public at a forum on Monday, March 16. The candidate forum is being sponsored by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council, the Lake Wales Arts Council, Rotary on the Ridge and LakeWalesNews.net. Candidates will set up tables with campaign literature and meet informally with attendees during a reception starting at 5:30 p.m. in the Michael...
Lake Wales City Commissioner Terrye Howell has been declared re-elected for another 3-year term following the withdrawal of her opponent Greg Massey. Massey submitted a signed statement to Lake Wales City Clerk Jennifer Nanek Tuesday, March 10 indicating his decision to end his campaign. It is possible Massey would have been ruled ineligible to run since he had a felony conviction for second degree murder and hadn't had his voting rights restored. City officials were awaiting...
Sample ballots for the March 17 Presidential Preference Primary Election are available online at PolkElections.com. The upcoming election is open to voters registered with the Democratic or Republican parties who will choose their nominee for the presidential election in November. As of Feb. 26 Polk County had 160,551 registered Republicans and 155,399 registered Democrats. The 128,569 Polk voters who are registered with minor parties or no party affiliation are not permitted...
In addition to his wife Jean, Robin Gibson has two major loves – the Lake Wales Charter Schools system he helped create and historic downtown, which he is committed to help redevelop. It was a tough choice, but Deputy Mayor Gibson announced at the March 3 city commission meeting he will give up his job as general counsel for the charter schools to avoid an ethical conflict. His resignation takes effect March 15. Gibson said the potential sale of the city's 1919 school p...
Both Lake Wales city commission incumbents have drawn opposition for the upcoming municipal election Tuesday, April 7. Gregory Barnard Massey is challenging longtime Commissioner Terrye Howell for Seat 3. Massey has lived in Lake Wales for 15 years and regularly attends commission meetings, but this is his first run for public office. Howell has been a city commissioner since 2005, except for one year when the district boundaries changed and her new seat was not yet up for...
Floridians will have the opportunity to make their choice for Presidential candidates on March 17th, but only members of the Republican or Democrat parties are eligible to cast a ballot. Florida is one of 12 states that have closed primary elections. Only registered Democrats are eligible to vote in the Democratic Presidential Primary and only registered Republicans are eligible to vote in the Republican Presidential Primary. Voters wishing to participate in the Presidential...
Supervisor of Elections, Lori Edwards reminds voters to double check their party affiliation in advance of the March 17 Presidential Preference Primary election. Florida is a closed primary state. According to Florida law, people may vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of that party prior to the closing of registration 29 days prior to Election Day. "It's easy to change your party affiliation if you want to participate in the election, but you must...
The regular municipal election for the City of Lake Wales will be held on Tuesday, April 7 to elect commissioners for Seats 3 and 5. Both incumbents, Terrye Howell in Seat 3 and Robin Gibson in Seat 5, say they plan to seek re-election. Howell has been a city commissioner since 2005, except for one year when the district boundaries changed and her new seat was not yet up for election. Gibson was first elected in 2016 and then re-elected without opposition in 2018. Voters last...
Lake Wales City Commissioners and the mayor may be getting a pay raise, but it will be April 2021 at the earliest. Commissioners at their Dec. 2 meeting asked City Manager Ken Fields to look into the possibility of a significant boost in pay. The current annual rate is about $4,817 for commissioners and $7,226, who by charter gets 50 percent more, plus he receives a $300 per month car allowance. They also are eligible for city health insurance and the get whatever cost of...
Polk Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards is thrilled that Florida has joined a consortium of states to clean up voter lists to reduce the potential for fraud. "This is something I have been advocating for about five years," said Edwards. By joining the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), Edwards said Florida supervisors now will be able to cross-check their voter rolls against those of other states. The issue is especially important to Florida because of the...
