LAKELAND, Fla. — Four candidates are vying for the open mayor's seat in Lakeland, after the current mayor declined to seek a third term.
The candidates are city commissioner Sara Roberts McCarley, professor Cedrick Valrie, bartender Kaitlin Kramer, and healthcare professional Kay Klymko.
They all bring diverse experience, backgrounds and perspectives. Tampa Bay 28 asked candidates what makes them stand apart from the others.
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“I believe my experience really does. It's very much a multifaceted position when you’re in city commission,” McCarley said.
“I am a servant. I'm a giver and I'm a faithful presence. With that, in tandem with leadership abilities it helps you serve well,” Valrie said.
"This is my home and this will be my home for the rest of my life. There have been many times where my family was struggling and that’s what sparked me to run to begin with,”Kramer said.
Tampa Bay 28 reached out to mayoral candidate Kay Klymko but did not hear back.
The candidates are seeking a four-year term in office. We asked them about the key issues they would tackle if elected mayor.
"Issues like infrastructure, particularly public safety infrastructure. For instance, I want to continue to build relationships and bridges with our community and the local police department. Make sure law enforcement has what they need so that they can continue to serve as they see fit,” Valrie said.
“We need to fix our infrastructure. We have major issues with our infrastructure. Yes, our traffic is really bad. Commute time is becoming very heavy for people. It takes longer for them to get home. It takes longer for first responders to get to people in need,”Kramer said.
“I’ve been serving as a Lakeland city commissioner for the last almost seven years at this point. I want to continue the path that we’ve been doing for the last several years. Affordable housing and infrastructure needs are a priority and maintaining our budget transparency,” McCarley said.
One voter said there are other issues they want to see addressed.
“I think they should go through the books very carefully to find where the waste is. Where there is wasteful spending,” said Saga Stevin.
Another resident said homelessness is a major issue.
“One of the things that keeps coming up most, at least in the downtown area is how are we handling the homeless. I think that is on a lot of people’s priority list,”said Tim Calhoon.
The mayor is an at-large position, so all registered Lakeland voters may cast a ballot in this race.
Polls are open on Nov.4 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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