Letter to the Editor: DellaSala #1

I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who supported and helped our campaign. It was a great effort that we put forth. Sanford is such an amazing place. I love living here and I love participating in community service here.  I remain cautiously optimistic about the future of Sanford.  
We must remain alert and aware of the decisions that are being made by the new commission in January. We need to work together to ensure that decisions are in line with Sanford’s long-term goals and our citizens, and benefit us all.
Let’s pay attention to the “Catalyst Project” before it is too late. These apartment complexes will add 220 residential units while taking away hundreds of existing parking places all around downtown.  Marina Island will soon be sporting a four-story Assisted Living Facility on what should be a prime location for something that benefits Sanford and our community who own the land, and not just the developer who leases it. It’s called “Marina Island” for a reason.  Perhaps it should be restored to its intended use.
We need to tell our city commissioners and Mayor to stop allowing open-ended contracts with developers. The city commission’s first approval of a project should not be their last and certainly, our voices should be heard when a project, like Marina Island, falls short of the promises and stalls. Sanford is a prized place to start a business. Let’s make our decisions that way and not jump to the first developer with an idea and no funding.
It is deeply saddening to know that our police and fire departments have had flat budgets for several years, are under staffed, have not had cost of living raises in years, and are not being paid competitively, all while constantly having to defend their pensions. I will continue to make people aware of their cause.
It concerns me that our kids are walking to school or school buses on roads that are prone to speeding and there are missing segments of sidewalks to keep them safe. We need to petition our city to add the much needed sidewalks in areas of concern and work with our police department to enforce speed limits.  
It troubles me that it is extremely difficult to start a business downtown due to lack of technology and procedures in city hall, and regulations that are not being applied correctly. There are 71 recommendations by Management Partners on how to improve city hall that we paid a lot of money to learn. It’s time to start implementing them.
I am very concerned that while the city has difficulty with maintaining our existing parks and easements, and can’t afford sidewalks, that they are considering taking over a large portion of U.S. 17-92 from the Department of Transportation. There are valid alternatives to expanding the RiverWalk that do not require us to take on this monumental burden within our already strained budget.
Our mayor is up for re-election in two years. Our voices have been heard. We lost to his candidate by a mere 114 votes while running a campaign on half the budget. Let’s keep the momentum going and stay together in our support of each other, Sanford, and our community. The message is clear. In two years, let’s turn that message into a reality. Please stay in touch with me on Facebook at Steve 4 Sanford.

Sincerely,
Steve DellaSala