Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd.

Every election feels more important!  Every vote counts!   Please Vote.

Local elections are a microcosm of state and national elections, and they make a big difference in your daily life and quality of life in your local community. The Alliance has reviewed the candidates for our municipal election and is making the following recommendations for your vote!

Fred Cleveland for Mayor

Jennifer Devine for City Commissioner Zone 2

Curtis Hodges for City Commissioner Zone 1

**Remember that All registered city voters can vote for candidates in ALL Zones and for Mayor**

All the recommended candidates have a history of service. Two, Cleveland and Devine have served in the military in combat. There is much more to military service than serving your country. It is the ultimate action of being held accountable, being responsible for other people’s lives, making consequential decisions, not merely giving your opinion.

Hodges has a lifelong commitment to public service and volunteering, mostly here in New Smyrna Beach.

On What Do We Base These Endorsements?

We reviewed the candidates’ published materials, elected office histories, education, service, and work experience. See analysis below.

The two Candidates for Mayor are:

Fred Cleveland

Lisa Martin

The Alliance is endorsing Fred Cleveland for Mayor based on the following:

Mayor Cleveland

·        Has an extensive educational background, including bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and doctorate.

·        He served our country for 28 years, retiring as a Navy Captain, leading and commanding personnel. That experience required making life-or-death decisions and being accountable for them.

·        He has extensive corporate experience, serving as a CEO and/or senior executive in multiple Airlines, and Price Waterhouse Coopers, where decisions impact money.

·        His accomplishments during his four years as mayor, include but are not limited to:

·        After the 500-year flooding, he

·        Partnered with the county and neighboring cities

·        Secured over 13 million for flood mitigation projects

·        Took over responsibility for cleaning canals from the county

·        Secured 7.5 million for stormwater remediation

·        Completed beach and dune restoration from hurricane damage

·        He has addressed public safety issues:

·        Increased fire and rescue compensation

·        Reduced crime by 12%

·        Reduced homelessness by 50%

·        Preserved 416 acres for conservation

·        Implemented 11-member citizen Parking Task Force and subsequent Parking and Mobility office

·        Increased transparency of the budget

Cleveland, in our opinion, has demonstrated clear and thoughtful analysis using science and technology to address the problems facing our town and has voted consistently within legal requirements and the best interests of ALL citizens of our city.

Commissioner Martin

·        Martin does not list any post-high school education, nor does she list any military experience.

·        Martin’s materials say she had a “30-year career in the highly competitive field of communication networking,” Where she “sold custom-designed equipment and systems to multinational governments and corporations.”  Her site doesn’t specify which companies she worked for, sold to, or her level of management responsibility.

·        Martin’s voting record on critical issues is predominantly No, while the issues usually pass 4-1. The Alliance does not think that “Just say No” is a legitimate governing strategy. It may be effective in creating a following, but it does not provide solutions or collaborative problem-solving for your city.

·        Martin does not demonstrate understanding of Robert’s Rules, a critical skill for the mayor position, or the purpose of CRA, which has had a very successful impact in our downtown communities.

·        Martin’s website makes a point that she is “representing the residents,” when in many cases her positions are narrow in scope, such as the color of buildings on Flagler Ave or the importance of a vacant city building at 120 Flagler Ave.

·        Her other positions, in our opinion, are out of step with the process or action under consideration, such as demanding site plans when the issue is merely zoning. Merely advocating “protecting small town lifestyle” does not match the complex issues we face.

·        We were also concerned about Martin’s lack of support for funding for a city police school resource officer to protect the students at Sacred Heart School, her opposition to a church in her neighborhood, and the use of over $335,000 in taxpayer dollars to fund the renovation of her private home and her living expenses during construction.

A mayor doesn’t just represent their town while in town; they also represent New Smyrna in Tallahassee and other venues.  It is critical to have a mayor who understands the importance of representing the city, has a professional and knowledgeable demeanor, a broad understanding of laws and how funding works, as well as someone who can negotiate for their community. Cleveland has demonstrated these skills on many occasions through his life experience and dedicated work.

Candidates for City Commission Zone 2 are:

Jennifer Devine

Cynthia Sniezack

The Alliance is endorsing Jennifer Devine for the following reasons:

Jennifer Devine

·        Was employed as an intern to Senator John McCain.

·        Devine is a former Army Captain who commanded troops in Desert Storm.

·        Was accountable to complete the mission successfully.

·        Coordinated hundreds of vehicles and personnel, without GPS available.

·        Won awards for her performance.

·        Was nearly killed by a Scud missile fired at her location.

·        Worked for DHS evaluating the legality of asylum claims.

·        Devine has a trifecta of a Bachelor’s, a MBA degree, and Law degree. This, coupled with her military training in our opinion, gives her a diverse skill set for identifying and solving problems, approaching them from both procedural and legal perspectives to arrive at logical, defensible solutions.

·        In the private corporate sector worked as Director of Human Resources for Nokia.

·        Earned Storm Water Inspection/ Flooding certification from the University of Florida.

·        Volunteered for many organizations such as Cudas, Habitat for Humanity, and Museum of History, NSB.

80% of our city costs are associated with employees.  Having a commissioner with HR management experience should be invaluable.

These experiences further support her ability not only to identify and suggest solutions to problems, but also to be held accountable for the decision-making in each. This combination of military command experience, legal training and work, and high-level corporate management decision-making, in our opinion, gives her a strong foundation for understanding complex city issues and legal requirements, and the ability to make tough decisions and stand by them.

Cindy Sniezak

·        Sniezak has a BA/BS degree in Management and some initial work in New England before moving to Florida, but no higher-level degrees listed.

·        Worked at Disney (in software development).

·        Did consulting work in a focused area of tolling and software development operations for two state toll authorities, with primary work in back-office (software) development operations.

·        Recently operated her own consulting company.

·        Consultants are primarily involved with making recommendations as opposed to making decisions.

·        Sniezak leans heavily upon her attendance and speaking at city meetings, signaling she is ready to work day one.

Review of these presentations noted numerous occasions when her comments were inaccurate or she misinterpreted the issue, and in many cases,  was corrected by city staff or commissioners.

Zone 1 Commissioner

Curtis Hodges is running for Zone 1 unopposed and is endorsed by the Alliance.

• Curtis Hodges is retired from his roofing and construction company that he owned in Orlando. Curtis has served on the Planning and Zoning Board, The Historic Commission (Board), and the Historic Award Committee. Hodges restored his own home and many other historic buildings in New Smyrna Beach to their original historic design. Hodges repaired the City Museum of History at no charge. He saved $3 million+, the estimate that the city had been given to repair the Historic Woman’s Club. He invested over a million dollars to restore it to its former glory. Hodges is currently rebuilding the Boys and Girls Club at no charge. Curtis Hodges is both a person who gives back to his communities, and a commonsense person. We look forward to and support his future service on the City Commission.

Thank you for reading and we hope you make the same decision we did and vote for Fred Cleveland for Mayor, Jennifer Devine for Zone 2 Commissioner, and Curtis Hodges for Zone 1.