Candidate: JOE ELLIOTT

Background:

• My wife Barbara and I have been married for 49 years, lived in 10 states, in the Villages for the last 10 years and in Wildwood for a little more than four

• Residence: 5643 Fernandez Court, The Villages, Florida, 32163

Experience: 

• Served as the elected CDD Supervisor in District 8 of The Villages until moving to Wildwood in October of 2015

• Served as the Wildwood Commissioner; Group 3 since 2016

• Retired from NASA with over 30 years of experience in aeronautical research, project and program management and at the National Level multi-agency program development, management and oversight

Education:

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering - Old Dominion University; Norfolk Va 
• Master of Engineering Management - George Washington University; Washington DC

Community Activities: 

   Past:

• Member; Villages Architectural Review Committee
• Executive Vice President; Village Homeowners Association
• President; VHA Community Foundation, 501-C3 
• Member; Sumter County Zoning and Adjustment Board 
• Member; Sumter County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee
• Attended Citizen Police Academy for both Sumter County and the City of Wildwood

   Current:

• Florida League of Cities; Transportation Policy Committee
• Member Lake & Sumter County Metropolitan Planning Organization
• Member of Sumter County Tourist Development Council

Observations:

• Growth: The last four years has seen the population of Wildwood increase to 12,887 (up 60% from 2016) And the taxable value increase from $624M to over 1.6 Billion (an increase of 250%) for the same time frame. The issue is how to accommodate that growth without abandoning what initially brought us to this area and to create the City that will attract the desirable businesses to improve our quality of life.
• Fiscal Responsibility: Balance both sides of the financial equation: hold the line on taxes, and the other side, hold the line on spending, all while providing the services to ensure continued success of our City. – to a first order ‘Don’t spend what you don’t have’.
•  Manage City Services: Ensure that the needs of Wildwood, it's businesses and residents are recognized equally and that the resources of the city are employed effectively. Just as the rising tide floats all boats, our efforts must provide a healthy environment to the businesses and residents in the entire 45 plus square miles of our city.