Primary Election – August 18
Because there are more than 2 candidates running for Clermont mayor, a primary election will be held on August 18 and the candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote will be elected Mayor. If none of the candidates receive a majority vote, the two candidates with the highest number of votes will participate in a run-off on November 3 ballot.
Seat 3 (Mayor): Three candidates are vying for the position of Mayor – Stephen A. Franklin, Tim Murry, Diane Travis
Stephen Franklin
I was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas the great-grandson of the founder and first president of the Union of Boilermakers and Steelworkers. My grandfather and father provided insurance to the vast brotherhood. We were also an avid lake boating family. After moving to Florida in 1966, my parents entered the construction industry as a builder and interior designer and again lived on or near lakes. As a lifelong hunter and fisherman, I have always supported wildlife and habitat conservation. My wife is Lorrie Judy, a Clermont Highlander graduate and part of a family that has been here for over a century.
After studying Mechanical Engineering with an English minor, I entered the Drafting and Design business in 1972 eventually running the Engineering Department for an electronics manufacturing company from 1982 through 1987. We opened our own company in 1987 and I returned to construction as a Custom Home designer which remains my passion and joy.
I brought my family to Clermont in 1999 where we built our own home. Since then I have provided plans for hundreds of families’ homes and done many commercial and remodeling designs. I am familiar with Clermont’s unique challenges.
I became aware of our Council’s misguided attempt to push boating away from the Waterfront Park and tear out part of the ecosystem at Lake Hiawatha Preserve (in violation of the chartered purpose) and locate an insufficient facility there in 2016. Acting quickly with other residents we formed the Clermont Chain of Lakes Foundation and brought suit against the City. As the President, I also engaged the boating community and together we redirected efforts to build what we now enjoy as our new Boating Center in its Master Planned location.
More recently I became aware of a developer’s actions that caused the closing of our established community theater group The Moonlight Players. Again a cause became my quest and together we are presenting a plan for them to build their own theater on part of the City’s Arts and Recreation Center. Providing creative outlets for residents, and with a growing youth theater group, the Players provide quality entertainment bringing viewers from a wide area to our city. This is an asset we cannot lose and I am working to see them prosper and grow.
Clermont faces many challenges and I feel confident I can help us meet them as your Mayor. Managing growth in accordance with established planning, codes, and ordinances has been set aside by the current Council members in favor of higher density. Simply adding more roofs is not the key to our future success as Lake County’s largest city. It places a burden on the City to provide rapidly expanded infrastructure faster than what was planned. Meanwhile, our established communities contain deteriorating roads that are ignored to support this growth. Our largely service-based population increasing cannot afford the American dream of homeownership. We need to return to affordable housing construction both in new homes and apartments or condominiums to satisfy this need. And this should be constrained to clear land in an environmentally responsible manner, maintaining our beautiful green hills until construction is started in phases rather than clearing them wholesale resulting in dust-generating wastelands.
When I began home design many neighborhoods were built by a group of small home builders. This provided diversity as well as greater employment as each had their own managers, crews and subcontractors; rather than tracts of identical homes built by one set of workers. Construction has always been a source of good jobs above basic service work. Bringing more jobs to Clermont within the scope of our technologically educated young adults will help them stay locally employed and our City to become a center of industry. Engineering and manufacturing should be encouraged to locate here, and Industrial space should a greater part of our planning. Olympus and the Wellness Way are slated to be medically oriented, but this only provides one segment of a diversified job spectrum. We need to provide a richer environment of employment.
Revitalizing our aging Downtown has been the focus of our Master Plan which is nearly complete. We have spent a lot to make our streets more attractive but at a high cost of decreased parking. Revenues are being spent to rent vacant lots but those can be developed and we will lose that amenity. If we do not act to purchase land for municipal parking no beautification will attract businesses or allow them to prosper. And again, codes and ordinances have been exempted to allow new construction. They are tasked to require compatibility in appearance between buildings within a historical appearance but recent Council and Planning and Zoning Board actions have ignored that. If not stopped we will have a hodge-podge of dissimilar facades that will not protect our heritage. Businesses that cater to our vast boating community – both residents and visitors – should be allowed on our remaining few lakefront parcels. Self-contained and private-use only businesses do not serve the community well, such as the recently allowed Elyksian Hotel and a proposed apartment complex. The proposed vacation rentals above shops with waterfront deck and docks would. We have to choose carefully what we encourage and allow downtown and on the water, otherwise, our money spent to attract and reinvigorate Downtown will be wasted.
As we move into our City’s bright future careful guidance and adherence to our guidelines must be exercised. I have not seen this done by most of our Council members. A narrow focus will not suffice. I have a broader view and a lower tolerance for deviations from established planning that I believe will benefit Clermont.
Timothy Murry
The fifth child of twelve children, I was born and raised in Clermont. I am a Gulf War Veteran who served more than 22 years in the U.S. Air Force. I retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1998 and began a second career with the U.S. Postal Service in Clermont in 1999. To make good on a childhood dream of returning to Clermont to give back, I moved back to Clermont in 2001 and became active in the community.
In giving back and making a difference in the community, I presently serve on Clermont’s Planning and Zoning Board, served three years on Clermont’s Code Enforcement Board, initiated the process to bring a
Boys and Girl Club to Clermont, serve on South Lake Boys and Girls Club Advisory Board, served on Lake and Sumter County Boys and Girls Club Corporate Board, serve as Vice-Chair of New Jacob’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Board of Trustees and Family Matters Food Program, served three years on East Ridge Middle School Student Advisory Committee, two Citizens Advisory Task Force for Community Development Block Grant, President of Christian Men in Action Community Development Corporation, Vice-President of Lincoln Park South Lake Alliance, INC, member of South Lake Black Achievers, and member Veterans of Foreign Wars.
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 hand on experience of preparing operating budgets, continuative plans, capital expense budgets, overseeing renovation/new construction projects, and daily operation of the facilities, will be valuable assets in this position. In addition, the experiences and skills I’ve acquired working with others in Europe, Saudi Arabia, and throughout the United States will be needed in this position when working with entities, clubs, organizations, developments, and people from various walks of life. By no means will I enter this position knowing all the details of the position, but I do know that I possess the experience, skills, and ability to perform and be effective in the position.
I currently reside in the community I grew up in with wife Kassier and 15-year-old stepdaughter Karissa. I am also the father of two, daughter Tiffany and son Timothy II. My educational background includes three Associate in Arts Degrees, Bachelor of Science Degree in (Management/Human Resources), and Master of Business Administration.
I am running for Mayor of Clermont to be the voice for sensible growth that focuses 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 of residents moving from Clermont due to the rising cost of living. I will work with the 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.
Sensible growth should include a mixture of homes, apartments, senior living, and affordable/workforce housing, to meet the needs of all the residents. Little attention has been given to affordable/workforce housing and there is a great need for affordable/workforce housing in Clermont. The lack of affordable/workforce housing is contributing to homelessness (to include veterans), a limited employee pool, and residents moving out of Clermont due to the rising cost of living in Clermont. It is time to increase the number of affordable/workforce housing in Clermont to help bring these conditions under control.
It is time to expand city/public transportation to help reduce traffic congestion and increase quality of life for Clermont residents. Better public transportation can improve the quality of life for senior residents that do not drive by providing them a means to independently move about the city. A better public transportation system will contribute to Clermont’s economy by providing residents without personal transportation a means to patronize entities throughout the city.
The three most important challenges facing Clermont are quality of life, public safety, and fiscal responsibility. As the city continues to grow resident’s quality of life is diminishing with increased traffic, the rising cost of living, and attacks on natural resources. Crime also increases with growth therefore, to keep the public safe we must make sure the police and fire departments are adequately manned. With the loss of revenue due to COVID-19, fiscal responsibility is a must to help maintain customer service levels.
Diane Travis
I was born and raised in Chicago, IL., and have lived in Clermont since 1992.
After serving six years on the City Council, helping to implement our Master Plan, I want to see the plan through to completion. I also believe that our city and country are facing an unprecedented, challenging time when experienced leadership is more important than ever. We have a special city, and I want to make sure that the hills and lakes and other things we treasure about Clermont are protected. Serving the community and improving the quality of life of others is the most rewarding experience I can imagine. It would be an honor to serve as mayor.
The three most important challenges that the city faces are
- The health and well-being of our citizens. While we continue to battle a pandemic, keeping our residents safe and well has to be a top priority, especially our most vulnerable residents, including our children, seniors, and people with health conditions. While we do so, we also must keep up the level of service that citizens have come to expect.
- Affordable housing. We are in an affordable housing crunch. It affects everyone, from young families, professionals, veterans and seniors who want to move here to businesses that have a hard time finding help because it is too expensive for hourly workers to live here. Clermont has some of the highest rents in Central Florida, and the city has to take the lead in addressing this problem.
- Roads and transportation. The City must work with the County, State and builders to make sure new roads and traffic are considered as Clermont grows. We were successful in making sure this happened with the Wellness Way plan, and I want to make sure that kind of planning continues. It’s also important that our police department monitors traffic concerns for the safety of all who share our roads. I believe my experience serving on the regional transportation board will be a plus in dealing with these issues
In addition to the previous concerns I mentioned, I would like to focus on helping the small, local businesses and restaurants that have suffered a big hit during this pandemic. We especially need to continue working to enhance 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.
I think there have been some great strides on the state roads and county roads, like widening Hwy 27 going south and soon Hwy 27 going north. The new turnpike exit is a blessing and the expansion of Citrus Grove Road is wonderful. Now if we could get Hartwood Marsh road widened, Hancock rd extension, Citrus Tower repaved and Hook street extension finished that would be AWESOME J These roads are not in the city so we need to work closely with the county and state.
I want to thank the voters who have trusted and supported me for the past six years as I served on the city council. I humbly ask for your vote for Mayor of this wonderful city that we all love. It would be an honor to serve you, and I encourage you to exercise your vote, whether by absentee ballot or early voting, which begins August 8, or at our primary election on August 18. Many sacrificed their lives so that we could have the freedom we enjoy here in America and that includes the privilege of voting.
November 3
Seat 1: Timothy Bates (incumbent) and Joa Macnalie
Seat 5: William R. Garbarino and Michele Barnard Pines
City of Clermont Precincts
Clermont City Center, 620 W. Montrose St.
Kings Ridge Clubhouse, 1900 Kings Ridge Blvd.
Legends Clubhouse, 1690 Legendary Blvd.
Cooper Memorial Library, 2525 Oakley Seaver Drive
Family Christian Center, 2500 S. U.S. Highway 27
Summit Greens Clubhouse, 1190 Summit Greens Blvd.
Heritage Hills Clubhouse, 3195 Heritage Hills Blvd.
Clermont Arts and Recreation Center, 3700 S. U.S. Highway 27
Clermont Baptist Church, 16115 Old Highway 50
