Candidate: Joanne Marie Mulvaney

Joanne Mulvaney was born in Plainfield, N.J. Joanne and her family relocated to Port Charlotte Florida in 1979. Joanne enlisted in the U.S Navy from Charlotte County in 1982. Joanne is a graduate of the U.S Naval Dental Technology School in San Diego. After serving her country Joanne returned to Port Charlotte and graduated from Manatee College with an A.A degree and the University of Central Florida with a B.A degree in Public Administration. After graduating Joanne was hired on at Orange County Government in Orlando working in Planning and Zoning. During that time Joanne earned the \"Division Directors Award\" and several S.T.A.R recognition Awards for her outstanding work. During her time in Orlando Joanne married Jerry Mulvaney, a U.S Army veteran who was then serving in Desert Storm. Jerry and Joanne have three children: Adam, Shawn and Daniel. Shawn, a graduate of Charlotte High School, is now serving in the U.S Air Force as a Linguist. Throughout these past twenty years Joanne has volunteered hundreds of hours for domestic violence fundraisers, assisting veterans, envisioning and designing a Veterans Monument etc. Joanne organized a \'Central Florida Domestic Violence Fundraising Tour\' with Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown Simpson and together they raised thousands of dollars for several local Battered Women\'s Shelters in Orlando. Joanne\'s time also focused on \'Feeding the Hungry\" program, which earned her the name \"The Crusader\" by many of the staff and the Chairman of O.C County Linda Chapin. Joanne was Nominated by The Academy of Florida Trial Attorney\'s in 1996 for \"The Governor\'s Peace at Home Award\" which was presented to then Governor Lawton Chiles. Joanne\'s husband Jerry\'s Army unit transferred Jerry to Ft. Gillam in Metro Atlanta so Joanne and her family moved to Ga in 1996. Joanne worked for Henry County Building Dept as a Development Inspector and then Dekalb County Civil Engineering- Land Development as a \'Civil Engineering Review Officer III\'. During this time in Georgia Joanne also envisioned and designed a national Veterans Monument now called The Veterans Wall of Honor, which over a 5.5 year period and through a 501C not for profit Joanne and others who joined her in her vision of building this veterans monument raised several hundred thousand dollars. The Veterans Wall of Honor was Dedicated in Nov. 2008 and serves as a Monument that honors all active duty troops and veterans from all fifty (50) states, peace and war time alike, for veterans who are living and those who have passed away, are all honored at this Monument site. During Joanne\'s time in GA she also donated her time assisting then State Representative Steve Cash in the \'Welfare to Work\' initiatives program. During this time Joanne\'s WWII veteran father was dying from brain cancer and Joanne\'s efforts to obtain V.A Health Care and V.A Nursing Home care was refused by the V.A due to \'budget cuts\' and categories 1-8 which Joanne felt were just \'road blocks\' in allowing veterans into the V.A Health Care and Nursing Home Care system. Joanne met with Congressman, Senators about this atrocity regarding veterans denials by the V.A. Joanne\'s story drew national attention. Chan. 2 News from D.C, Reporter Alison Burns flew into GA by her dying father\'s bedside to interview her dying father. The State of Georgia\'s Senate also took note of Joanne\'s fighting efforts for veterans and her vision of a veterans monument. The Georgia State Senate created Georgia State Resolution 516 which tells the story of Joanne\'s vision and dream, now a reality, the Veterans Wall of Honor, Joanne\'s endless battle with Congress and the V.A regarding veterans right to VA Health Care, and Joanne\'s \'welfare to work\' success story. Joanne gives her late WWII veteran father, Joseph Consalvo, who is interned at Restlawn Cemetery in Port Charlotte, all the credit for the person she is today. A person who was raised that honesty is the best policy, to speak the truth even if you are standing alone in doing so. Joanne is a Conservative Republican. She believes \'public servants\' are to be as frugal as possible with taxpayer money, analyze every penny that is proposed to be spent, eliminate redundant departments, county department expenditures as a means to further save taxpayer money. Joanne graduated from Charlotte County Gov\'t Academy and the Citizens Police Academy. Joanne has been working within her community (now Parkside) since her return to Port Charlotte in 2009, giving ideas to Commissioners on ways to control blight, crime,water quality and water pollution issues, county code updates, one stop shop to expedite permits are just a few of the many ideas and volunteer efforts Joanne has been doing since she moved back to Port Charlotte in 2009. Joanne\'s heartfelt efforts wherever she goes, her recognition by many in communities she has lived in, proves that Joanne\'s words are also backed up by her actions.