Candidate: Russ Barley

Russ Barley was born in Defuniak Springs and raised his entire life in Freeport. He is the son of Freeport\'s second elected mayor, the late Gene Barley and his wife Hazel . He has one older brother Bob, and two younger siblings, sister T.J. and brother Greg. He was president of Freeports second graduating class in 1966.Following high school he attended Okaloosa-Walton Community College studying business administration . In 1969 he enlisted in the US Navy and served our country for the next 5 years . After leaving the Navy, he continued his education in business admin at Jackson State University in Jackson, MS. Following school, Russ opened his first business in Jackson in 1975. He later sold the business to relocate to Jacksonville, FL in 1978. While in Jacksonville, Russ initially worked for Kuhn Flowers , prior to once again opening his own business in 1982. After many years of success, Russ made the decision to return home to Freeport in 1990 and open Emerald Coast Flowers & Gifts. The business continues to thrive today. Russ was named Walton County Small Business Person Of The Year in 2000. In the floral industry Russ has served on numerous boards at the local, state and national level, and has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards for his service, dedication and leadership. He was elected president of Florida State Florist Association in 2005 and president of the southern chapter board of the national American Institute Of Floral Design. Russ is the proud father of one son, Scott and two beautiful granddaughters, Nikole & Katie. Russ first showed interest in government in 2013 when he made the decision to run for mayor of Freeport. His love for and involvement in the city made him a great choice for the position and he was elected to the office in July of that year. Russ has implemented many things since taking office. His first project was the renovation of Freeport\'s old post office and the creation of The Heritage Center Museum to keep Freeport\'s rich history alive and well for generations to come. He then created BAYFEST, an annual all day event to bring culture and entertainment into the community and to bring the community together as a whole. The mayor\'s ball was also an idea that Russ had to raise funds for less fortunate families of our area to assist in making sure that no child goes without Christmas. It not only provides gifts for the children, but a holiday meal for the entire family . Russ also in 2015 took on the community center renovation and subbed it out himself, doing much of the work himself, saving the city over $100,000.00. Since day one, as promised, Russ has been a \"hands on\" mayor, giving the office full time hours and making himself available to the people by phone, email, text or in person Monday through Friday at city hall. He has a strong love for this community and has worked hard the past four years to improve it\'s image to make it an even greater place to live and visit. Russ is always open to citizen input and welcomes any ideas, suggestions or concern from the people. Along with the city council, Russ has thrown out the welcome mat to businesses wishing to call Freeport home. We have seen 39 new businesses, creating more than 350 jobs in the past four years. Their focus and top priority now is infrastructure to continue this great path that the city is on.They have developed a five to ten year comprehensive initiative plan and are diligently working to make great things happen for the city of Freeport. With the completion of the 331 corridor, the sky truly is the limit. They also hold a weekly strategic planning meeting with each department to assure that all departments in the city are operating at their full potential. Since being elected, Russ and the council have reduced Freeport\'s debt from over $12,000,000.00 to less than $8,000,000.00 in just four years. Russ personally negotiated a deal with the county on a $3,000,000.00 sewer loan and was able to pay $1,000,000.00 toward the debt with a plan for it to be paid in full by 2019. The deal eliminated the loan interest and secured a credit of $400,000.00 plus monies paid already. Now we are looking at every avenue of funding for the much needed infrastructure on 331 from I-10 to the bay which will come at a cost of $30,000,000.00 plus a new sewage plant to handle the anticipated growth at a cost of $15,000,000.00. We are in negotiations with Walton County and Defuniak Springs as One Walton to secure funding for the project. Russ has been dubbed \"THE PEOPLE\'S MAYOR\" for his love, dedication, commitment and service to Freeport and would greatly appreciate your confidence, vote and support on July 11th. Vote to re-elect Russ Barley mayor of Freeport. PROVEN PROGRESS FOR FREEPORT! Thank you and blessings to you all.