Incumbent Viviana Janer faces challenger Beulah Farquharson for the district 2 seat on the Osceola County Commission.
The News-Gazette asked each candidate to answer questions leading up to voting, below are their responses.
Osceola News-Gazette: We’re still recovering from the pandemic. What would a complete recovery look like as it pertains to the County?
Viviana Janer: Our residents and businesses recovering from the pandemic has been a top priority, from assistance with rents and mortgages to providing educational opportunities for those who wished to change careers. Complete recovery for me, is that our residents and economy are even stronger than before the pandemic. We are already starting to see signs of this in our tourism sector.
Beulah Farquharson: A start to the recovery process would be the public not accepting this newspaper’s over-and-over again endorsements of the 12, 14, 8-year incumbents to keep their seats for another four-year term. Only new leadership can help Osceola County see brighter days in its future to overcome the stigma of the pandemic, and this Commission seat is the last chance County residents have for change. Osceola County will be changing for many years to come, and its goal should never be to become complete as a County, but ever changing to keep up with its growth during good and not so good times. Covid-19 appears to be reoccuring like the flu, and some people get flu shots every single year, and that may be the case for people with Covid-19. Osceola County government has always worked through the flu season. So Osceola County must become complete now, in its pandemic responses, by providing top notch customer service to its resident’, and better than before Covid-19 happened. Complete fully functional county offices and services without the pandemic-Covid-19 being used as the buzz word for excuses of county governments’ non compliance, and stop the elimination and narrowing down of staff members.
Q: Far more residents leave Osceola County for work than work in-county (or residents elsewhere come here to work). How can the county attract more businesses to come to Osceola and set up shop?
BF: This paper has been asking this question for over 30 years, so apparently, Osceola County and the Osceola Chamber and the Realtors’ association have all failed at this. “Promises made, promises not kept,” since this question is still necessary to ask. The current commission openly giving contracts only to their cronies is part of the problem. The County can also start by being a leader and paying its own government employees a livable starting wage of $15 per hour today, not years from now. There are thousands of big companies looking to move their offices around. Aggressive research and implementing a plan to lure companies paying a livable wage starting salary, while offering corporate incentives that benefit Osceola County residents, the potential employees, is a winning formula for bringing more sustainable businesses to our county.
VJ: A couple of ways, first with our land use allowing more of a commercial/residential mix versus purely residential. The second is in our economic development attracting businesses that pay higher wages than previously found in Osceola. Under my tenure on the board, we have attracted businesses bringing hundreds of jobs at good wages. In addition, our longer term efforts in attracting technology jobs at NeoCity is forecast to bring thousands of new high wage jobs.
ONG: Speaking of who’s moving around, talk about what the county has done to address infrastructure, and what needs to be done next?
VJ: Osceola County is investing historic amounts in transportation improvements, almost $2 billion in the next few years, that includes $1.4 Billion from outside partners, which really stretches our local tax dollars. In district 2, we have also continued to invest in sidewalks, trails and in storm water drainage improvements.
BF: Current incumbent commissioners have been in office for a combined total of 38+ years, so they are all equally responsible for the chaotic transportation infrastructure failure that we all drive amongst every day; a slow drag traffic congestion nightmare, every which way you turn in Osceola County, while the County is collecting $100 million from BVL alone over the past 20 years, and no more than $5 million was spent in BVL for any type of infrastructure. Where is the money? The County has built the Osceola Parkway to nowhere, years ago, and have continued the course with the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the Poinciana Parkway to nowhere, too. While driving around Osceola County’s regular streets and roads on a daily basis is an all-day traffic jam. Longtime stale incumbent commissioners got us into this mess. New leadership and fresh ideas will get us out it.
Q: What should the leading consideration be when the County considers vendors and other business contracts?
BF: The current process is just for political show. Electing me as your new county commissioner will guarantee all things will become equal in the process.
The leading consideration should be a vendor from Osceola County who meet all criteria required for the bid/business contract, and the Bids/contracts should not be out of criteria and financial reach for Osceola County businesses/vendors. If it is a very large project and no Osceola County business qualifies to hold the main contract, one criteria could be that the successful non Osceola County bid winner should be required to first contract with one or more Osceola County vendors who bid who can fulfill a portion of the contract. Osceola County tax payers and the business who cater to Osceola County residents deserve the first crack at getting Osceola County government business.
Janer: Osceola County depends on having trustworthy suppliers and vendors, fortunately we count on experienced teams that select and provide recommendations to the board having the benefit of subject matter experts vet contracts, vendors and suppliers prior to board voting on items.
Q: What boards or local organizations have you sat on or joined that would enhance your abilities on the County Commission?
Janer: I would like our residents to know that I am an accountant and MBA with 20 years of experience in corporate America, giving me the ability to really understand budgets, which is a key job of a County Commissioner. Next, I my eight years, I also either serve or have served on the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission (SunRail), Florida Association of Counties (FAC) Board of Directors, the Tourist Development Council, Metroplan Orlando (our regional planning board), LYNX, the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council and many others.
Farquharson: Community, Civic, Political, Fun 1994-2002 Board Member Osceola County School District Interschool Community Council, 1996 Leadership Osceola County- Alumni, Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber of Commerce, Former Chamber member. 1998 Creator and Sponsor of the All Expense Paid Vacation including Airfare for the Osceola County Principal and Teacher of the Year. Community Negotiator/ Advocate-Activist, Osceola County, since 1991, Executive Board, Community Vision of Osceola County, 1996-2002, Director, Buenaventura Lakes Chamber of Commerce 2000, (BICC) 1994-2000 Member, Florida Association of Mortgage Brokers, 2002-2006, Board Member, Governor Bush Appointment, Florida School Readiness Board, 1998-2000 Appointed by Former Commissioner Charles Owens, Secretary, Board Member-Osceola Library Advisory Board, Appointed to Buenaventura Lakes Municipal Benefit Union Bd. (MSBU), National Member Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Co-Chair, Save Osceola, 2002-2006, National Organization for Women, 2000, National Organization for Female Executives, 2002 Precinct Captain, Democratic Party, 2004-2020, Member, Spirit of 76 Gun Club, 1991-2004, Precinct Captain, Republican Party, 1991-2004. FYI: The following boards one can only sit on once elected to a county commission seat, for any county in central Florida: Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission (Sun Rail), Lynx Oversight Board, Florida Association of Counties (FAC), Legislative Executive Committee, The Tourist Development Council, and, the Metro Plan Orlando, LYNX, or attending the FAC Institute of County Government.
