http://www.myhometownnews.net/index.php?id=66363 Tea Party organizer seeks election to City Council
Posted: 2010 Jan 29 - 00:04
By Jay Meisel
meisel@hometownnewsol.comPORT ST. LUCIE - A year ago, as an organizer of the Tea Party group on the Treasure Coast, Carl Iken protested the city's handling of the group during a festival.
Now, Mr. Iken, 36, has announced he will run on Aug. 24 for the District 1 seat held by Councilwoman Linda Bartz.
Mr. Iken said the city's decision to segregate his group's booth into a corner with a couple of others wasn't the impetus for him to run, but it showed him city officials had lost touch with the general public.
As a council member, Mr. Iken said he would reduce the role of city government, eliminate duplication of services and make it more responsive to the general public.
He said he moved here from New York to experience a better quality of life.
"I moved here for a better life for my family and I believe the city is headed in the wrong direction for that and I feel there are a lot of families who feel the same way," Mr. Iken said.
Mr. Iken said the City Council's decision last year to raise taxes indicates "that they don't seem to care what the people of Port St. Lucie want."
Instead, he said, council members want to advance the agendas of themselves and their friends.
"They seem very detached from the residents of Port St. Lucie," he said.
Mr. Iken said he believes the city should have cut more middle managers than workers. He also said eliminating duplication of services would save money. The city could have St. Lucie County take over building code enforcement for example, he said.
Having the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office take over law enforcement is "something that at least needs to be researched."
There may be a concern over response time, but "then again, we have a county fire department," he said. "We don't have a city fire department."
Mr. Iken said the city focused too much on growth through annexations, something he said he would oppose as a council member.
While adding new residents, he said, "they did not bring in enough business to sustain the infrastructure."
Although the city has brought in biomedical research and digital production companies, those don't produce the type of jobs for which most Port St. Lucie residents are qualified.
Most people in Port St. Lucie, including himself, have to look elsewhere for jobs that will provide an adequate salary, he said.
He works as a field manager for Enterprise Holdings, which owns such companies as Enterprise Rent-A-Car. He oversees car maintenance from Vero Beach to Fort Lauderdale.
Besides attracting jobs that better fit the needs of Port St. Lucie residents, Mr. Iken said, the city should reduce regulations.
It seems, he said, "that you need a permit to do anything on your house."
That discourages people from wanting to buy and restore foreclosed houses, he said.
City officials also should look at reducing the staff of the city attorney's office, he said.
Mr. Iken said he believes city government should handle basic infrastructure and law enforcement.
It shouldn't carry out the role of making the city look pretty, he said, adding that should be the responsibility of residents.
"They've expanded their powers too much," he said of city officials.
His wife, Marci, is a graphic designer and they have two children, Cole, 6 and Mia, 3.
