Carol Bacha, Palm Coast Mayor Candidate: The Live Interview

Carol Bacha is one of six candidates in the July 27 special election for Palm Coast mayor. The election was required by charter following the unexpected resignation of Milissa Holland  in mid-May, less than a year into her second term. The candidates who filed to run, all of them paying the $1,140 qualifying fee, are: David Alfin, Kathy Austrino, Bacha, Doug Courtney, Alan Lowe and Cornelia Manfre.

All but Austrino have run for office before, though none successfully. The mayoral term will run until 2024. This is a non-partisan, at-large election. That means all registered voters in Palm Coast–and only Palm Coast–regardless of party or non-party affiliation–Democrats, Republicans, independents and others–may cast a ballot for Palm Coast mayor. But this being a special election, there will not be a runoff. The winner needs only to have one more vote than the candidate next in line. Theoretically, the winner could garner as little as 17 percent of the vote, with the rest of the field splitting the balance.

The mayor is paid $11,400 a year. Like the four council members, the mayor also gets a $1,200 car allowance and a $910 communication allowance each year, so in sum the mayor’s total pay is $13,510.

FlaglerLive submitted identical questions to all candidates, with the understanding that additional questions might be tailored to candidates individually and some follow-up questions may be asked, with all exchanges conducted by email and on the record. All candidates with the exception of Lowe agreed to participate. Lowe had initially said he would do so as well. He then did not answer a follow-up email to confirm.

The Live Interview’s aim is to elicit as much candor and transparency as possible. We have asked candidates to refrain from making campaign speeches or make lists of accomplishments. We have also asked candidates to reasonably document any claim or accusation. Undocumented claims are edited out. Answers are also edited for redundancy, relevance and, where possible, accuracy. If a candidate does not answer a question or appears to be evading a question, that’s noted.

But it’s ultimately up to the reader to judge the quality and sincerity of a candidate’s answers.

The Questions in Summary: Quick Links

• Basics
• Comparison with previous mayors
• Coucil dynamics
• Mayoral power
• Goals
• Continuity or change
• Commercial vehicles
• Next city manager
• Development
• Taxes
• Policing
• LGBTQ
• Character
• Rap sheet

The Basics: Carol Bacha

Place and Date of Birth:
Current job:
Party Affiliation:
Financial Disclosures:
Resume:
Website: BachaForMayor7-27-21.com

1. Palm Coast has had just three mayors, the last two, Jon Netts and Milissa Holland, accounting for 14 of the city’s 21-year history. We assume that with your interest in being mayor, you are familiar with Netts’s and Holland’s years as mayor and their legacy. Tell us how you would compare yourself to them, and whether you see your mayorship as a break from that legacy or as a continuation of it, understanding of course that you’re your own person. Put another way: would Palm Coast residents see your mayoral style in a recognizable light, or would they discover in you someone quite different—radically different?—from your predecessors?

I would hope to be remembered in my legacy as “Your Neighbor” and the the Peoples’ Mayor. Mayor Carol Bacha kept Palm Coast safe from internal and external powers of a few who would put their special interest agenda(s) ahead of the citizens well-being and sustainability in Palm Coast.

That’s understood. But you are not answering the question as posed. Can you try again?

Carol Bacha did not answer the question.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre

 

2. Of Flagler County’s five major government boards (the cities, the county and the school board) the Palm Coast City Council right now is the most splintered, the most unpredictable—not in a constructive way, but a loose-cannon sort of way—and the most prone to doubletakes, to put it gently. First, give us your impression of council dynamics. Second, tell us how you as mayor intend to bring consensus, and whether your aim is to work primarily toward a majority of three, or toward the consensus of the entire board.

My goal as Mayor Candidate Bacha of the City of Palm Carol is to bring consensus by not allowing my position or the City Council Members to use their position as a ‘Bully Pulpit’ in any way shape or form.

When a mayoral candidate uses a phrase like “by not allowing…” it raises questions about what’s in your powers and what’s not. It is in the right of fellow-council members to use their position as a bully pulpit, within the confines of what’s legally permissible (they may not, for example, use their position as a campaign or politicking platform, though Ed Danko continuously violates that rule by hawking partisan paraphernalia). After answering the original question, can you tell us how you intend to not allow council members to use their positions as bully pulpits?

Carol Bacha did not answer the question.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre

 

3. What is in a mayor’s power, and what isn’t? What is your understanding of when and how, if ever, you may direct or in any way exercise any authority over administrative staff other than the city manager and the city attorney? How would you deal with a problem, perceived or real, regarding a city employee, a manager (not the city manager) or a director?

The Power of the Mayor of the City of Palm Coast is one of Leadership of Vision for our community. As Mayor Candidate Bacha I would assure the City of Palm Coast employees I have Zero Tolerance for any Malfeasance.

You’re not telling us what, in the day-to-day running of the council and as mayor, is in your power, and what’s not. How do you define your leadership as mayor?

Carol Bacha did not answer the question.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre

4. You will have a somewhat abbreviated term of a little over three years, coming in—as all candidates in this election do—without prior experience in office, which will steepen your learning curve. What three specific goals, in that shorter time span, do you think you can realistically achieve as mayor before the next election.

As Bacha Mayor Candidate of the City of Palm Coast, on the top of the list of my 3 main goals to achieve, is to actively seek the help and guidance, through their professional and legally assigned roles, of the Fire Chief, Police Chief, City Manager, City Attorney and the current Department Heads of the City of Palm Coast, to judiciously work to insure the current staffing needs of the City and to bring the City of Palm Coast employees back from the brink of crisis to stability and sustainability going forward.

My second goal in the 3 year plus as Mayor of the City of Palm Coast:

Water management funds as those being received from the Federal Government H.R.1319 -American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 will be applied to their stated usage to ensure each successive round of funds is utilized for the planned projects to occur in our uniquely designed Palm Coast Water Utility service.

Emergency preparedness through takin’ care of business and actively seeing the City Council addresses the fixes proposed and not fixation and stagnation to timely needed change and with WIN WIN Communication with Flagler County, Flagler Beach and Bunnell in preparing for the Coastal Plain Climate changes and additional environmental additives to ensure safety, resilience, home stability for all Citizens of Palm Coast. So through effective Emergency Preparedness and working with current Flagler County Jonathan Lord, County Emergency Manager, the City Manger of Palm Coast, Bunnell, and Flagler Beach, and all related teams of workforce paid and voluntary together we elevate Palm Coast to the top 5 desired cities in all of America to be a resident where We can together: without trauma, freely, live-work-play and pray.

Other than some understandable anxieties among some about their future, depending on the outcome of this election, we were not aware that the city administration itself–as opposed to the council–was in crisis. Why and how do you see it differently? Your second point implies that funds received by the city through the Rescue Act may not be spent judiciously, though there’s no evidence of that. What makes you raise that concern? Your third point portrays you more as an administrator or emergency services director than a mayor, on an issue that has yet to make its first appearance on the city’s stated goals. Should that be your role–on that issue, of all issues?

Carol Bacha did not answer the question.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre

 

5. Former Mayor Milissa Holland had a direct imprint on bringing about the Town Center Innovation District and Arts District and luring the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University to Town Center. Assuming you agree—you may tell us if you do not, and explain why—what are your intentions either in fostering or retrenching from these initiatives, and what will you, as mayor, leave us as imprints of similar consequence?

The imprint I would leave as Mayor of the City of Palm Coast on the Art District in the current Town Center is to actively use the existing land area for art and Artistic Apprenticeship projects serving the needs of all the citizens of Palm Coast in a manner aligned with Health Education and attention to the current Brain Research in place especially dealing with negative influencing of addictions, and positive courses of action for the non-drug solutions to improving Mental Health.

Rather than generalities, might you give us one pragmatic example of what you mean by this, where you would situate it in Town center (the city owns no land there other than its own), and how you’d pay for it?

Carol Bacha did not answer the question.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre

 

6. Three initiatives have drawn considerable attention: Palm Coast Connect, the expansion of the tennis center, and the relaxation of commercial vehicle rules in residential parkways. The first two are in the books, but could see revisions with a different council. The third is in the proposal stage. Tell us your [position on each: would you vote to continue with PCC and the expansion of the tennis center? Would you vote for or against relaxing the commercial-vehicle rule, say, to allow one such vehicle with uncovered commercial lettering be parked in a driveway?

Palm Coast Connect is a current given solution to cut waste of time in paperwork, employee hours and to effectively and efficiently serve those in and out of Palm Coast to meet their everyday needs of City related interactions of septic, sewer, swales (the ditches by our roads), health information and much, much, more. As Mayor Candidate Bacha I would lead a vision to aid in the Cyber Security, and the Internet related Education and Accessibility needs to aid more of our Palm Coast Citizens to use the services of Palm Coast Connect through ongoing training programs and workshops.

I don’t know the in’s and out’s of the current related squabble over funds spent for City Recreation. I do know funds from outside City source’s need to be spent in the manner they were given. What I know about Pickle Ball is it is a relatively new nationwide popular sports event engaging everyday citizens as active sport participants rather than a spectator sport. The more our citizens of Palm Coast are actively engaged in regular physical exercise and socialization appropriate to their age and physical related abilities, WE all save both money and up our quality of life from the Health Benefits gained from being actively involved versus a couch potato consumer who is NOT creatively and actively participating and engaged.

My opinion is any commercial vehicle of a size to fit inside the garages of the common average size Palm Coast house, without special customization of the garage door, should be actively considered to be allowed to park in their own driveways when their vehicle for licensed work use currently bears letters of advertising on it. This is an issue particular to the Code Enforcement. As Bacha Mayor Candidate turned to MAYOR, if permitted by city rules to do so, I would help to collect data to make this change as a win win situation for all involved. If my suggestion meets with approval from the City Attorney, I would suggest some form of registration to ensure safety and operational benefit for citizens and the city to know there are skills available to help us in Emergency situations. I would advocate for a form of Registration for who is involved with the business as advertised on the vehicle. This would also be an aid to police and unwanted illegal activity or partnering. 
In Town Center and/or other privately owned parking lots, registered business homeowners or home owners with registered business-related visitors where the work vehicle is oversize, could find parking and also perhaps connect to a transport service to get where they need to be in Palm Coast after they park. 
Having a business vehicle in Palm Coast is a needed challenge to effectively and efficiently and fairly resolve.

Considering the attention the controversy over the expansion of the city tennis center has drawn, should voters not be concerned that a mayoral candidate now tells them she doesn’t know the ins and outs of the “squabble”? The first part of your answer regarding commercial vehicles is straight-forward (it is, in fact, the sort of answers we’re looking for in every question). But the second part raises concerns. A registration system? That suggests a higher level of snooping, policing and time-intensive record-keeping. Is the city administration prepared to do that, in the wake of its misadventures with the “Difficult Citizens List”? Should residents tolerate a city doing that? 

Carol Bacha did not answer the question.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre

 

7. If you’re elected, you will be responsible with your four colleagues for hiring the next city manager. Looking back at the sort of city and county managers there’s been in Flagler over the past five years or so—Jim Landon, Matt Morton, Larry Newsom, William Whitson, Alvin Jackson, Craig Coffey, Jerry Cameron (and what a boys’ club it’s been)—which of them do you think reflect the temperament and managerial style that most closely aligns with what you’re looking for? How do you define that style in your words?

I believe our current Interim City Manager Denise Bevan is defining her own style as coming up through the ranks and addressing courteously and courageously the leadership tasks at hand. My futuristic role, as legally defined of the Mayor of the City of Palm Coast, is to support her efforts and see she is free of any bullying or malfeasance. The choice to find a City Manager from within the existing City Employees is an act of the Palm Coast City Council I would continue to both agree and to add whatever additional staffing needs our current City Manager(s) see fit to request.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre

 

8. Apartment housing in Palm Coast: Too much? Too little? What would you do about it? By what criteria other than zoning would you approve or reject apartment complexes? Would you approve raising the density and height of multi-family, or apartment, structures in select areas of the city zoned for the purpose? Same question regarding residential construction (too little? Too much?), keeping the following graph in mind, which shows the highest number of monthly permits for single-family and duplex homes in Palm Coast since August 2005:

 

In light of the current tragedy 6/24/2021 of the Miami Beach Condo collapse and having lived most of my adult life in Florida: first in Miami, then Titusville, and later Orlando before coming to Palm Coast, I would encourage the review all current growth-related plans. I would also want to advocate for building codes in new construction with a higher wind protection rate. I would advocate to revisit all our wet land usage, our urban forests and unique canal systems and their maintenance and needs in light of any planned future land use growth. This will help us in our sustainability issues as well as not to lose the insurability of our homes and buildings in Palm Coast.

But you’re not answering the specific questions about apartments, zoning, height restrictions and so on. 

Carol Bacha did not answer the question.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre

 

9. At the June 8 Palm Coast City Council workshop, Councilman Ed Danko said: “I will not be voting for any tax increase. I expect our taxes to be the same. So that’s going to mean a millage rate rollback. That’s the only thing I’m going to vote for.” His statement prefaces budget season, so the city administration had not yet had a chance to present its budget numbers or any evidence, and the statement precludes so much as accounting for new revenue from new construction. Do you agree with the statement as an a priori position? Is it responsible as a matter of governance? The county is seeking to increase the small-county sales surtax by half a percent, which would double Palm Coast’s current revenue of around $3.3 million from that tax. The county is seeking palm Coast’s support for that increase. Would you support or oppose it?

We are in a time of economic flux. I can only state related to taxes, I would first off be attentive to the variables and lookout for the needs of the current citizens of Palm Coast to sustain their homes and for their family’s growth needs. Especially I would to do what is best needed to address our sustainable and protectable residential home costs so collectively we are not adversely affected by the eruption of increasingly higher homeowner’s insurance. Home insurance increase is now a given with our home value increase. We must creatively approach taxes in some sliding scale format. Attention to again our collective sustainable needs of residential family budget balancing with the priority need of home mortgage package payments to deal with both rising taxes related to home value and to home owner’s insurance, as well as cost issues related to hopefully temporary increases in materials needed for home repair and improvement.

An admission: we just don’t understand your answer, and it appears again very distant from the question asked. Can you try again?

Carol Bacha did not answer the question.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre

 

10. Palm Coast relies on the sheriff for policing. Is there anything you would change about the contract? Do you favor an independent police department for the city, now or in the near future? After the city manager in July 2019 challenged Sheriff Rick Staly’s request for additional deputies in Palm Coast that year, calling the request “nebulous,” the sheriff commissioned a University of North Florida study that by one measure found last June that Flagler would need 70 more deputies by 2025. The sheriff has said that even if 70 is unattainable, a sizeable addition to the ranks would be necessary in Palm Coast and the county even as crime is at a historic low. Do you agree? If so, how would you fund the additional deputies, especially if you take a no-tax approach? What would you cut to fund what would cost well over $100,000 per deputy per year?

As Bacha for Mayor Candidate of the City of Palm Coast I see our current and growth-related Safety needs to be in continuum of updates and communication exchanges within the City of Palm Coast and with Flagler County, and in our Regional, National, and International partnerships and related organizations as the Health Department and Flagler County Schools. Given the security issues known, unknown and yet to be understood, and those Safety issues yet to be advised on appropriate to my role and job description etc. if I am elected Mayor, I would in any case not put in written detail police and sheriff staffing in a publicly distributed internet available forum.
In regards to future staffing needs for Safety Officers, I have ideas of a nature similarly to how I was invited to Palm Coast with a sustainable home mortgage package to color what ideas I may be permissible to share in this matter to maintain our current Safety and Emergency workers and provide for quality assurance in staffing increase assessment and planning.

Staffing levels, at a minimum, and all budgeting details relating to law enforcement, as to any other spending by local government agencies, are public records and must be available for public inspection. Were you not aware of that? We’re not sure how the question relates to mortgages, but to bring the matter back to its basics; do you favor an autonomous police department for Palm Coast? Do you see the council approving a vast expansion of its contract with the sheriff? 

Carol Bacha did not answer the question.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre

 

11. Would you agree to a rainbow flag-raising ceremony on city grounds on par with, say, those for the Portuguese or Filipino flags? What would you do as mayor to ensure inclusion and diversity—not only of the LGBTQ community, but of all groups, equally?

City Events need to go through the plan approved process in a timely manner. It is NOT up to me to change the rules. Given our weather variables, and any additional or new health variables, Event size needs to be monitored and known in advance for safety and security concerns whoever is involved in a non-discriminatory manner.

And the first part of the question?

Carol Bacha did not answer the question.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre

 

12. Tell us about you as a person: your character, your temperament, your foibles. If we were writing your obituary, what headline would sum you up, your birth and death years aside?

ADVOCATE – is how a former news editor related to my personal affect in the multiplicity of my experiences and job-related skills, of Nurse, Nun, Musician, Teacher, Non-Profit Director and Business Self-Employment with Florida Cities. I believe I am teachable; I use available resources creatively, wisely effectively, and perhaps more to the side of “Penny Saver/pitcher/pincher. Foibles at times may be related to my CINDERELLA-NESS.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre

 

13. Have you ever been charged with a felony or a misdemeanor anywhere in Flagler, Florida or the United States (other than a speeding ticket), or faced a civil action other than a divorce, but including bankruptcies, or faced any investigative or disciplinary action through a professional board such as the bar, a medical board or real estate ethics and other such professional supervisory boards? If so, please explain in detail, including cases where charges or claims did not lead to conviction or disciplinary action.

With the need to resolve a roof repair extension of an unknown and yet to be determined amount of time, I had to quickly make an 11th hour action of bankruptcy to save my home from next day foreclosure. The bankruptcy completion is in the final closing stage with all monies presently owed resolved. I again have an affordable mortgage package back in place. The detailed paperwork complete and finalization by the Trustee is set to end very shortly. For the most part, I exercised being my own ADVOCATE.

The final result to not lose the home the City of Palm Coast assisted me to obtain through the earlier NSP3 program to move here as a first-time home buyer! My thankfulness to the City of Palm Coast and the existing 10-year forgivable soft lien through 2024 that granted me down payment and closing cost assistance to obtain my first ever owned home This Palm Coast partnership program with federal resources greatly impacted my decision to run as a Mayor Candidate in this Special Election of 7-27-21 (July 27, 2021).

In resolving my hurricane related and needed home repair, I advocated for another citizen of Flagler County to save their hurricane damaged home and turn back both adversarial and apathetic efforts not in her favor and of similar nature to my experience with out-of-town governmental 3rd parties assigned to help. I had learned to ask questions developed from my knowledge bank of my own situation when related challenges of being told ‘you are on the top of the list’ yet no actions were eminent to resolve the much-needed repair and in her case replacement of our storm damaged homes. In helping my neighbor, I helped myself also to problem solve identifying issues of ineffectiveness of communication in the loosely aligned program workers, the lack of applying the needed connecting factors – there were no building contractors assigned from Rebuild Florida specific to Flagler County, thus the inability to resolve the problems at hand stood undone. Through finding resources of a higher level of professional advocacy for myself, I was able to share this very valuable resource to aid my neighbor to save her storm damaged home and, in the process, found a forever friend.

How the others answered:
David Alfin | Kathy Austrino | Doug Courtney | Alan Lowe | Cornelia Manfre