Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Former Lake Wales city commissioner Kris Fitzgerald, who was removed from office after being charged with two felonies, has been found not guilty in a jury trial. Fitzgerald was arrested June 3, 2021 after being sworn in to office in May on the two felony charges. She was released from the Polk County Jail after posting $11,000 bond. Polk Sheriff Grady Judd boasted of the arrest at a press conference, claiming that he had taken a dangerous criminal off the street. "Can you...
On a split vote, Lake Wales City Commissioners Tuesday evening voted themselves an annual raise of $2,400 intended to pay for the cost of local travel and expenses. City Manager James Slaton had proposed the increase at a commission work session last week, saying those expenses were often incurred by commissioners in the course of their duties. Newly-elected Commissioner Danny Krueger argued in favor of the raise, complaining that his 547 miles of travel around the city since...
An apparent lack of clear policies and procedures caused an hour-long display of citizen disappointment and anger at the Lake Wales City Commission meeting Tuesday night following a decision by Mayor Jack Hilligoss to remove a generic resolution recognizing Pride Month from the meeting agenda. Proclamations are commonly used to recognize the accomplishments of community groups and individuals, or special observances and are normally a public relations tool for the city. The...
Marcus Kirby, an associate pastor at HighPoint Church and a trustee of the Lake Wales Charter School Board, is facing felony charges after admitting he stole an estimated $23,690 from two disabled clients while working at the Lake Wales Care Center, according to police. Kirby, 40, was released from the Polk County Jail on Friday after posting $8,000 bond, jail records show, and is under the supervision of Pre-trial Release. He was arrested Wednesday on four allegations of...
The unofficial vote tabulation is completed and It is apparent that Jack Hilligoss and Danny Kreuger will fill the mayoral post and that of city commissioner. With the votes tabulated, Jack Hilligoss has apparently won the three-way race for mayor, with almost 44% of ballots cast. Under the Lake Wales City Charter there are no run-offs in city elections, so a plurality is sufficient for victory. In the City Commission race, Daniel Krueger defeated James Loydd by less than 100...
An anonymous YouTube post surfaced Saturday attacking mayoral candidate Curtis Gibson with a video his campaign manager said he'd created more than a decade ago, when he was an aspiring professional wrestler. In the video, which was viewed dozens of times within hours Saturday, Gibson appears threatening and uses offensive slang. Chevon Baccus, his campaign manager, said he was acting in character as Bad Boy, his wrestling persona, before an upcoming match. An email sent to...
Most Lake Wales voters have received a pair of deceptive postcards mailed by two out-of-town political committees that have caused Sheriff Grady Judd to issue a statement denying that he is supporting any candidates in Tuesday's city elections. The postcards, taken together, falsely imply that Judd has endorsed candidates for mayor and city commission. "I did not and am not endorsing any local candidates," Judd said in response to an email request for comment from Chevon...
An apparent impropriety in the mayoral campaign financing of City Commissioner Jack Hilligoss has caused yet another twist in the closing days of the election. A letter from Lake Wales attorney Richard McKinley addressed to City Clerk Jennifer Nanek, the candidate, and his campaign treasurer Bonnie Barker demands "any and all documentation related to the itemized expenditures" listed on Hilligoss's March 18 campaign finance report. That report, filed with Nanek last week,...
Thursday, March 31 was the final day candidates for two Lake Wales municipal seats could accept contributions, and their final reports, filed Friday, offered a glimpse into their bases of support and the strategies they pursued to attempt to win office. Collectively, the five candidates have spent $27,775 in the last few months to win the support of Lake Wales voters. Three seek to be the city's next mayor, and two others hope to fill an open seat on the City Commission....
As the campaigns that will shape the election of a mayor and city commissioner come to a close, some have asked whether our editorial board will endorse any of the five candidates. We believe a response is in order. The three candidates for mayor, Curtis Gibson, Jack Hilligoss, and Tammy James, agree on much, but offer clear distinctions in their leadership styles and priorities. The two candidates for city commission seat 4, Danny Krueger and James Loydd, differ not only in...
An unexpected third election forum for candidates for Lake Wales mayor and city commission has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 29 at the Lake Wales Arts Center, 1099 SR 60 East. The event was revealed by Chamber President and CEO Skip Alford, who said that the Chamber has a responsibility to the citizens to make sure they are well informed. This will be the third forum of the election cycle. Three candidates for mayor, and two for city commission seat 4, have been invited to...
More than 70 guests gathered Monday evening at the Lake Wales Woman's Club to hear all five candidates for election to two city posts discuss issues and answer questions. Speaking from the stage all five candidates received polite applause following most of their answers, but there were also moments of division. All five candidates were asked the same questions. Mayoral candidates Curtis Gibson, Jack Hilligoss and Tammy James generally agreed on most issues, including that...
Lake Wales has been blessed by the creation of the Lake Wales Charter Schools system nearly two decades ago. Now representing seven schools educating students in grades 1 through 12, the system has received nationwide attention for its innovative methods. Competition between schools for the attention of parents and students has been a positive. The mere existence of the quasi-independent district was likely motivation for improvements at Polk County School System's McLaughlin...
Given an opportunity to help heal the community after a divisive search for a new charter school superintendent, two city commissioners said "no." A resolution presented to the city commission Tuesday night by Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson offered a welcome to the incoming Superintendent Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich, who was chosen after a nearly year-long process. Commissioners Jack Hilligoss and Daniel Williams voted down the resolution, which failed on a 2-2 vote in the absence of...
With some $4 million in interest payments riding on the decision, three city commissioners gave direction to staff at Wednesday's workshop to pursue a 30-year bond rather than shorter-term bank loans to finance the $18.5 million earmarked for the Lake Wales Connected plan. The most-significant action ever undertaken by the City of Lake Wales or its related Community Redevelopment Agency, the huge investment is intended to breathe new life into the venerable heart of the city,...
A review of city commission meeting videos has revealed that only one commissioner has missed a significant number of meetings. Commissioner Daniel Williams has been absent from 12 meetings since being sworn in only ten months ago. William’s absences included seven of 20 regular city commission meetings, four CRA meetings, and one agenda workshop. The review was conducted after the recent absences of two commissioners and the forced departure of a third left the board w...
As a pair of contested city elections move toward a climactic vote on April 5 citizens will have another opportunity to see and hear the five vying for the two open seats. A forum will take place Monday afternoon, March 14, beginning at 5:00, a time chosen by organizers to allow working people to stop in before heading home, according to Juanita Zwaryczuk, co-president of the sponsoring American Association of University Women. The cosponsoring GFWC Lake Wales Women's Club...
A day after a bare three-member quorum at the Community Redevelopment Agency meeting gave city staff direction on the form of a planned $18.5 million dollar bond issue in the absence of commissioners Jack Hilligoss and Daniel Williams, Mayor Eugene Fultz voiced his frustration at the absence of the same two commissioners at the City Commission's 2:00 pm Wednesday agenda workshop. Vice Mayor Robin Gibson, who attended both meetings, had let his fellow commissioners know that...
Private investment in the Lincoln Avenue commercial district, one of the goals of the Lake Wales Connected plan, seems to have begun even before the first spade of dirt is turned. In a presentation before the Community Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday, representatives of restaurant operator Whadda-Wing LLC and NuJak Construction described their plans to construct a new restaurant building on a parcel at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and A Street. It's the third new...
Two candidates for mayor and a single commission candidate discussed their visions for the future of Lake Wales Monday evening at a community forum, with broad agreement on most issues, but with a few significant differences emerging in their positions. Curtis Gibson and Tammy James, both pursuing the mayoral post, and James Loydd, seeking the district 4 commission seat, all accepted invitations to the forum, sponsored by Rotary on the Ridge and LakeWalesNews.Net. About 25...
After expressing concerns about the lack of success achieved by the Lake Wales Housing Authority, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) changed their tune after a joint meeting with the Smith & Henzy Advisory Group, the consultants for the Housing Authority. A December discussion had led to the CRA had issuing a letter to the Authority on December 16 threatening to withhold the million dollars they had pledged toward the project, recognized as an important part of the Lake...
Lake Wales voters will have an opportunity to see and hear most of the candidates seeking to represent them in city government on Monday. A forum sponsored by Rotary on the Ridge and LakeWalesNews.Net will be held at the law offices of Bill Ouelette, 151 East Central Avenue beginning at 7:00 pm. Three of the five remaining candidates will speak and answer questions during the event, which will also be streamed via Facebook. Brandon Alvarado will return as moderator of the annu...
Six candidates have qualified for election to two open seats in the City of Lake Wales government in the April 5 municipal elections. Voters will have an opportunity to choose a new mayor and a District 4 city commissioner. Qualifying opened at noon Monday and closes at the same hour on Friday. Three candidates for mayor of Lake Wales include former Commissioner Curtis Gibson, current Commissioner Jack Hilligoss, and political newcomer Tammy James, a downtown investor and...
The Lake Wales Charter School Board of Trustees is expected to choose a new superintendent of schools Tuesday to run seven local schools and maintain the standard of excellence achieved by former Superintendent Jesse Jackson. Jackson, who built an award-winning program with the help of principals and staff members, resigned in February, leaving the trustees to find a replacement. The fraught selection process continues to generate community concern. A nationwide search for...
Four of the six expected candidates wasted no time in filing their paperwork for city elections after the qualifying period opened at noon Monday. They will each be a candidate for one of two open seats in Lake Wales government. Both the mayor and a city commission position will be on the April 5 ballot. Tammy James, a candidate for mayor, was first to arrive at the office of City Clerk Jennifer Nanek. Her two opponents, Jack Hilligoss and Curtis Gibson, arrived during the...
