MEET THE CANDIDATES
SEAT 3 – ELIZABETH CASWELL
Elizabeth Caswell
48 Pompano Drive
Ponce Inlet, FL 32127
Phone Number:
860.519.8991
Email Address:
elizcaswell@yahoo.com
Resume:
Read Liz Caswell’s Resume
Why I Am Running for Town Council
The promise of Ponce Inlet’s charter and vision is why I am serving in Seat 3 and would like to continue to do so. The number of towns along the eastern seaboard where residents can enjoy one another, the town’s varied and high-quality amenities, in tranquility and safety, are dwindling. Some would say that a paradise like ours will be lost forever, but for, those who insist and persist in working to ensure that Ponce Inlet is a thriving paradise long after we are gone.
I took up that mantle with my appointment to Town Council earlier this year, and believe my duty extends beyond what happens in monthly council and annual budget meetings. I believe that by integrating ideas from residents, business owners and tourists, we can articulate workable options to the opportunities and challenges that come our way.
I grew up in New England and started my working career in my parents’ health food store and restaurants. Upon finishing my undergraduate degree in Communications, I moved to Connecticut for a job as a credit and collections manager. Six years later, I went to graduate school and completed my MBA in Finance.
Upon completing my master’s degree, CIGNA hired me into their Leadership Development program, working directly for the CFO. This is where I cut my teeth on large projects, including siting, and relocating 1200 employees.
Since then, I have amassed 2 more decades of experience in the financial services and higher education. I served as the Chief of Staff at The Hartford and for The Board of Regents for Higher Education. At Travelers’ I served as Chief Administrative Officer for Enterprise Business Intelligence; and developed analytic tools to assess acquisition targets on behalf of United Healthcare.
I enjoy my current role as researcher, author, and speaker for LLG, Inc., a trade association serving more than 1200 financial institutions worldwide. Publishable work requires deep understanding of the economy, consumers, financial instruments, and industry structure.
My Goals as Your Representative
- Top priority: Demonstrate my commitment to integrity, fiscal accountability, performance management, and community relations
- Increase enforcement and public reporting on the town’s short-term rentals
- Advocate to preserve our no-drive beach status
- Survey property owners for their experiences and interests for our town
- Increase civic and social engagement of PI residents
- Propose an ADA communications solution
- Increase visibility into our grant opportunities and Town readiness to pursue, with specific focus on sea level resiliency and septic/sewer projects
- Understand employee diversity, equity and inclusion training; update to best practices if needed.
- Ensure competent operational leadership and a thriving work environment at the PIFD.
PONCE INLET CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE 2021
ELIZABETH CASWELL – SEAT 3
1. What do you feel are the three most critical issues facing the town and why?
Civic Engagement
- Less than half, 44% of our registered voters voted in last year’s Town Council election (49% 50+; 22% <50 years old)
- Only one to three dozen residents participate in Town Council and other town board meetings
- Disinformation and limited information consumption continue to fuel mistrust and divert town resources from other work
- Boards and councils should more closely reflect the population served.
Aging Population
- 40% of our registered voters are 70+ years old. Another 40% are 50-70 years old.
- Ninety-one percent of older Americans want to live independently at home as long as possible; home modifications or relocation may be required
- We will need to focus more on disabled and senior citizens with solutions for mobility, access, social engagement and other support services
- Our pipeline of residents prepared for and interested in town leadership roles is small.
Cultural & Environmental Pressures
- Each year our ability to maintain home rule must be defended. Short term rentals are a critical area where losing home rule would increase the volume and potentially the quality of the visitors coming to our town.
- So far, beach driving and parking on the beach in PI (outside of Surf beach) is off the table.
Since the county doesn’t consistently enforce the current ordinances, I’d rather stick to picking up the trash we already accumulate on our PI no-drive beach. Beach parking is a perennial challenge. I recommend we install appropriate signage and public notification of the parking ordinances in Ponce Inlet. We don’t provide additional beach parking, and we enforce our existing ordinances. If you can’t find a legal parking spot, resident or not, you are not parking.
- Non-service dogs on the beach was recently voted down in Ormond. Whatever side of the debate you are on, you make valid points. I am not for dogs being on our beach. We are hard at work here in Ponce protecting our shoreline and wildlife. I resist any further encroachment of it.
- A third of our registered voters have lived here for ten years or less. New residents bring talents and ideas that evolve the culture. We need to learn more about the people who live here now, engage talent, fresh thinking, as well as historical perspectives required for thoughtful decision-making.
2. When you hear something that concerns you I town, what steps would you take to see that this concern is resolved?
I am a firm believer that everything is “figure out-able”. The first thing I do is to do research on what is known and create a set of viable options for consideration by those with expertise on a topic. I consult with experts and citizens to test that we are solving the correct problem, and not creating unintended, or unexpected consequences. Any option I endorse will contemplate our strategic plan priorities and long-term expense implications.
For example, let’s suppose that we decide we want to hire 3 more staff in town, at a fully-loaded (benefits included) cost of $95,000 apiece. Yes, that can be done. Yes, that provides additional resources to service the town. I would ask: What is the opportunity or challenge we are addressing? Will these additional resources, creating a new operating cost “run rate” for the town, provide what we need? The cost of this particular scenario is approximately .3 mils. We either find another place to cut spending, or we embrace a tax increase.
When you speak with me, you will notice that I focus on ensuring I understand the essence of the conversation, tell you what, if anything, I will do, and follow through to ensure I’ve addressed the need. I do not promise to resolve every issue to every citizen’s satisfaction, but I will check into issues and resolve what I can.
3. What are your views on the town’s Visioning Statement?
I came to Ponce Inlet for the beach. I became an owner based on the Vision Statement, and what I perceived as fair and thorough ordinances in place to ensure the realization of the vision. Just as so many of us have come from other places and learned to respect the culture here, we need to encourage, endorse, demand that our town vision is not trampled upon in the name of economic necessity, greed, loss of home rule, and other destructive drivers.
As our resident base continues to grow and diversify, more small scale service businesses may be encouraged to begin operating in Ponce Inlet. It can be difficult for the economics of our small haven to appear to be an attractive site, yet there are new models of that support cost sharing of office and retail space, employee benefits and insurance, creating financial flexibility for start-ups and businesses that could make a Ponce Inlet location work.
4. How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process?
Please refer to my response to question 2. I believe that my duty as a councilmember includes receiving a steady flow of information regarding the health and well-being our town, our staff and our residents. As has been my practice for years in the corporate world, and privately with my circle of family and friends, I consistently make time to deepen connections with people I know, and to forge new connections with people I don’t.
I particularly enjoy speaking with people with whom I may differ on issues. It is one of the best ways I know to challenge my own assumptions, to learn new information, and to understand what the best decision is in each situation.
Another way I remain apprised of the activities and needs in town is through maintaining knowledge of agendas and decisions made by our Planning, Code Enforcement, Cultural & Historic, and Essential Advisory boards, and engaging board member expertise to deepen my knowledge.
I continue to support holding quarterly Town Hall meetings, with all five councilmembers present. We should do deep dive listening and learning sessions during those times. Mostly the citizens will talk to councilmembers and ask questions. Unlike the Citizen’s Participation portion of town meetings and a town hall meeting facilitated by one councilmember, we will be at liberty to answer questions completely and accurately, given the full council will be available for discussion.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page 1 – Town of Ponce Inlet, Citizens for Ponce Inlet (CFPI)
Page 2 – Candidates Forum, Ponce Inlet Election 2021
Page 3 – Meet the Candidates – Seat 1 (Mayor) – Tony Goudie
Page 4 – Meet the Candidates – Seat 1 (Mayor) – Lois Paritsky
Page 5 – Meet the Candidates – Seat 3 – Elizabeth Caswell
Page 6 – Meet the Candidates – Seat 3 – David Loh
Page 7 – Meet the Candidates – Seat 5 – Gary Smith
Page 8 – Garden Club of Ponce Inlet
Page 9 – Ponce Animal Welfare (PAW), Women’s Club
Page 10 – Ponce Inlet Lions Club
Page 11 – PICCI, PI Lighthouse Assoc., PI Veterans Memorial Assoc.
Page 12 – Marine Science Center
Page 13 – Ponce Church