Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Bronson Town Council candidates answered questions Thursday about why they are running in the Sept. 14 election and what makes them unique. Some of the answers were eye-openers. Some weren’t.
The candidates’ forum was the only event in advance of the election where candidates could express their views. The Levy County Republican Executive Committee cancelled its Sept. 11 candidates’ forum.
Levy County Commissioners loaned the use of their board meeting room in the Levy County Government Center for the forum. Alicia Tretheway, county procurement coordinator, remained on site after business hours to open up the board room, and turn on the microphones, and later lock up the building.
Alexander Vs. Schuler
The District 3 race pitting Allen Alexander against Sherrie Schuler, both of them newcomers to politics, offered contrasting perspectives.
Schuler was born and raised in Bronson and was educated here in grades K-12, and currently works as a teacher and athletic director at Bronson Middle High School. She holds a Master’s Degree in leadership. She walked into the candidates’ forum at the side of retiring Mayor Beatrice Roberts. Schuler’s father, Franklin, a former mayor was also present.
Alexander arrived with his fiancé Melody LaFlam, a former Bronson Town Council member and resident of Bronson for 25 years. He was raised in a small North Carolina town. He moved to Bronson three years ago. He majored in political science in college. He was a state police officer in North Carolina for 10 years and served with the Governor for 2 years. He is retired as a manager from Bell South where he worked for 23 years. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He successfully ran a small business for 10 years in North Carolina and sold it when he retired. He would serve on the council without pay if elected.
Why Are You Running
The first question of the night from Town Manager Susan Beaudet, who served as the moderator, was to ask why the candidates are running for the town council. Town Intern Sebastian Staknis, a sophomore at the University of Florida, kept watch on time as candidates spoke.
Need for Leadership
Alexander has attended Bronson Town Council meetings for a long time. He participated in the town’s strategic capital needs committee. He said the town needs leadership that can work together to strengthen the local economy.
“I love the Bronson area. I love Levy County. I moved here. I don’t want to live anywhere else,” he said. “I do see that we lack some leadership and we lack cohesiveness on the City Council, which is needed to bring together controlled growth in Bronson. Without that, we’ll be in the same place in five years that we’re in now. We’re basically in a maintenance mode. What I think we need to do is look forward to a 5-year plan as far as growth. I’d like to get the entire community involved on a volunteer basis. I think I’ve done that by knocking on each-and-every door in Bronson. I want to take the opportunity to meet everyone. I’m not from here but my finance’ has lived here for 25 years. She is also my campaign manager.”
Alexander said Bronson doesn’t need a Wal-Mart or a Target or big chain stores. He said it needs more small businesses to grow the town’s tax base and give people a reason to live in Bronson.
Schuler said a lot of what she had planned to say had already been said by other candidates. She was third in line to speak on each subject area. There were five candidates on stage including Councilman Tyler Voorhees who was elected to office without opposition and won’t be on Tuesday’s ballot.
Strong Community Ties
Schuler said she has deep ties to the community that she believes gives her insights about Bronson. She wants to preserve the small-town atmosphere and take advantage of growth as opportunities arise.
“The reason for running is I live and teach in this community. I had many opportunities, but this is home. This is where I can be most effective. Just working at the school and seeing generations come through and helping to shape young minds. But I think it’s also important that they need to be part of the community and work within the community to set an example,” Schuler said. “So as an example, the opportunity is here for me to be part of the town council. If you see fit, I would love to be elected and be able to help bring growth while we still maintain our small-town character for those who love it the way it is. We just want to have more opportunities, not just for our grownups but for our youth, so we keep them here and they don’t feel the need to walk, so they build homes and be here for generations.”
“I work with kids every day who I believe can accomplish great things. We don’t publicize the things here. We have a good school system. It’s not crime-ridden. There are a lot of positive things about Bronson we need to put out there,” she said. “My perspective is that I’m an example of what can come from Bronson.” She explained that she is college-educated and has made a home in Bronson. She said people need to know Bronson is a small town that often comes together to help people who are hurt and need help. She said this part of Bronson needs to be publicized.
Partin Vs. Kjeseth
The race for the District 1 seat pits incumbent Robert Partin, a lifelong resident of Bronson who spent 20 years in the insurance industry and who has served on the council for 16 to 17 years by his estimate, against Mark Kjeseth, a Bronson realtor who spent 30 years working in the hotel industry and has lived in Bronson for a year.
Partin said he has lived in Bronson all his life except for when he moved away to work. But he said he came back to his hometown.
Speaking the Language
“I’m a lifelong resident of Bronson – lived here all my life. This is home where I place everything in. I was on the council for 10 to 12 years, then I got off. I did my work. I came home and then I retired. I just want what’s best for Bronson. Bronson is a challenge. The challenge is to give the very best to our citizens. We’re small but we are a vibrant town to do things. Sometimes that goal is to reach high. To do this you have to be creative – those opportunities we have with grants and stuff. We worked on it for years. You’re seeing the fruits of some of that today. That’s where we’re seeing the hard work of people like the mayor (Beatrice Roberts) sitting back there. You have to be willing to stand up. I’m here. I love it. I want what’s best for Bronson.”
Partin said all the candidates are individuals. He said that’s the American way.
“What I bring to the table is the ability to work with people. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’m a businessperson – I’ve got 20 years in the insurance field. I call it speaking the language. If you have the ability to go out into this community and listen to this person; just being able to down and listen and take the time and effort and be willing to go out there with people. Bronson is growing. The county is growing. We have to be able to control this somewhat. I want what’s best for Bronson. “That’s what I bring to the table,” Partin said.
Bronson Needs Own Identity
Kjeseth, Partin’s opponent in District 1, said he comes to the table with the perspective of a person who has lived in Bronson for a year, owns a small business, and is in the real estate industry.
“I’ve only been in Bronson a year and in that year, I have grown to love this town very passionately. I think there are a lot of opportunities for appropriate development and growth to increase job opportunities and revenue,” Kjeseth said. “There is a lot of opportunity on the part of the council to make that happen strategically. I have also been going to all the council meetings and I have been to all the capital planning project meetings. There were a lot of ideas that came through that process and a lot of opportunities to make Bronson as great as I know it could be.”
“The reason I’m running – I also am not planning to move anywhere – this will be my retirement community. There is an abundance of opportunities from many facets that Bronson can be more vibrant than it currently is. I do think the people of Bronson – and I’ve met quite a few myself doing door-knocking – people want change – people want an opportunity to develop and live in a place where there are things to do, a place to live and grow.”
Kjeseth said his perspective of Bronson in the short time he has lived here is that it’s Levy County, and it’s the county seat.
“But Bronson doesn’t have its town identity. People think of Bronson, from what I’ve heard and even doing some door-knocking, is that you go there for the courthouse, you go there for the Division of Motor Vehicles, you go there for the health department, and that’s it,” he said. “Even Blue Springs is in the county, so I agree with Mr. Alexander, there’s a need for small businesses to thrive in Bronson and the community wants that as well. I also agree we do not need a Wal-Mart or Target or any more big box stores because that will take away from the small-town feel that is Bronson. What we need, I feel, are services. We need a pharmacy, we need an urgent care, we need a dentist – services people could use immediately that will draw more people as development comes. There is a development on Main Street, but we need services that drive people here; services that have a purpose to serve the community.”
Someone corrected him on the statement about the pharmacy. There is a very small pharmacy that operates next door to Subway. Kjeseth said he wasn’t aware of the pharmacy.
Young Perspective
Voorhees, who wasn’t required to be part of the forum since he has no opposition and won’t be on Tuesday’s ballot, said the reason he is running for office is that he has lived in Bronson all 22 years of his life and he thinks his youth can provide the council with a unique perspective.
“I just think being on the council, being young, gives me a different perspective; I give the view of how the younger generation sees stuff going on in the town, what they would like to see and just looking forward to working with everyone and trying to get some new businesses and new growth in Bronson and keeping it good for people who live here people who want to live here,” he said.
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Town of Bronson Candidates Forum September 9, 2021; Posted September 10, 2021
