John Albion

In light of election season, a local group called Lehigh Acres First sponsored a special event called “Come Down and Meet The Candidates,” Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social.

This event was held July 15 inside Majestic Golf Club and provided the opportunity for attendees to meet candidates running for various seats including the Lee County Board of Commissioners and Lee County School District.

Attendees heard from candidates including Tiffany Esposito, running for State of House Representatives, District 77; Armor Persons, running for Lee County School District, Seat 5 and John Albion and Mike Greenwell, each running for Lee County Commissioner Seat 5.

First and foremost on most everyone’s mind was the candidates’ commitment to the Lehigh Acres community.

Persons said he got involved because he felt overall that parents were not being heard by the school board members and he wanted to provide that voice.

Mike Greenwell

“People ask me what got me involved in running for the school board. Well I was listening to talk radio like I always do and Matt Caldwell comes on and starts talking about a poster that is in the schools. The poster said that any boy that identifies as a girl can go inside the girls bathroom. I said no, that can’t be happening,” Persons explained. “So I decided to attend the next school board meeting. I’m in the audience listening to the parents who are very upset about the poster, but the school board paid no attention to the parents. The lack of listening to the parents was what really got me involved.”

Two of the candidates running for County Commission Seat 5 also spoke during the evening.

John Albion, who served as a Lee County commissioner in District 5 for 14 years until 2006, spoke briefly about his contributions to Lehigh during his previous tenure.

“When I first came into office there was a two-lane road leading into Lehigh Acres. And our goal was to get that two- lane road up to six lanes by 2010. We accomplished that and got that timeframe moved up to 1998 — completed, not started,” Albion said.

Other key issues on Albion’s list included finding a long-term solution related to septic tanks for Lehigh residents, advancements in bettering the critical and interior roadways into Lehigh Acres and supporting better management solutions for Lake Okeechobee.

Armor Persons

Retired baseball great Mike Greenwell, who now owns a farm in Lee County, also announced his plans to run and spoke briefly about why he decided to make a bid for the District 5 seat.

“I’ve lived off State Road 31 for nearly 32 years. I’ve raised my kids and my family who are now raising their kids there. We have been exploding out there and steadily growing for years, and all the politicians keep telling us the same things. We’re going to fix the roads. We’re going to lower the taxes. Has anyone’s taxes gone down? So what are we paying for?” Greenwell said.

“I’m very proud to be from this town and I’ve gotten to watch it grow, but unfortunately it’s growing in a negative way. We are getting all these rooftops and houses, but we’re not getting the roads or the infrastructure,” Greenwell said.

“We have a great board right now and I think we can get in there and start making some changes. The reason things are not happening in Lehigh, Alva and eastern North Fort Myers, is we are not getting the money. The money is going the other way. So you have to have a strong enough voice to get in there, push the buttons a little bit and raise enough concern, so the money starts coming this way.” Greenwell said. “I’m that person.”

In 2010, The Lehigh Acres First organization started introducing community leaders and residents to political candidates who are seeking support from the citizens of Lehigh Acres.

According to event organizers, Lehigh’s stand as being unincorporated often denies the area the opportunity to have an impact on those who make the laws that govern its residents.