Terry Hutchison, Mitchell Norgart, Linda Penniman and Gary Price are vying for three seats in the February 6, 2018, Naples City Council election. The nonpartisan, at-large election is open to registered voters who live in the City. For election logistics, click here. For City boundaries, click here.
In this post, I’ll share what I learned about the candidates through online research.
Terry Hutchison
Mr. Hutchison’s campaign slogan is “Principled and practical leadership. Common sense for our City, respect for our residents.” His priorities are “sound financial stewardship, management of growth for the benefit of our residents, protection of our City’s environment, and improvements in our City’s ethics policy.” His website is at www.hutchisonnaples.com.
A self-described self-made, successful businessman from humble beginnings, Hutchison was born to a single mother in Indiana who was forced to give him up for adoption when he was five years old. He was adopted by “a loving and devout family who instilled in him the values of integrity, loyalty, and perseverance.”
He attended Seminole State College in Oklahoma and initially worked in the petroleum industry before an industry shift in the 1980s led him eventually to being recruited into a management and marketing role with 7-Eleven.
In 2008, 7-Eleven sent Hutchison to southwest Florida to turn around what was an underperforming district. In two years, he writes, he “revitalized the market in a first-ever transition from corporate-owned stores to franchise-owned stores.” And “the initiative resulted in 7-Eleven rising to the No. 3 spot in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 31st Annual Franchise 500 and honoring Terry with its highest honor: Market Manager of the Year.”
In 2012, Hutchison, his wife Sherri and their two children moved to Naples and purchased a home in the Lake Park community. Now a 7-Eleven franchisee himself, he owns two stores in Naples, including the one at US Hwy 41 and Central Avenue. In 2015, he and other business owners opposed the two-laning of Central Avenue. He joined the Board of the Lake Park Neighborhood Association in 2017 and serves as its President.
Hutchison ran unsuccessfully for Naples City Council in 2016, coming in fifth out of six candidates for the three seats on the ballot. In a 2016 Naples Daily News Editorial Board interview, he said he did not support a proposed parking garage for Fifth Avenue, and that the City Dock should be a “self-funding asset.” In a 2017 Naples Daily News article about his current run for City Council, he said he “would have sided with the people of River Park” in opposing the 7-Eleven project near that low-income neighborhood. And he said that in the wake of Hurricane Irma, Council must consider reining in its capital spending on large projects such as the $20 million Baker Park. “I’m not convinced we’re where we need to be financially to handle that,” he said.
A search of Collier County court records revealed a recent suit against Hutchison by Physicians Regional Medical Center for a past-due amount of $5100. According to court documents, Hutchison promptly responded that he had tried and will try again to set up a “reasonable payment schedule.”
A search of Florida Division of Corporation records revealed Hutchison’s connection to two 7-Elevens and the Lake Park Neighborhood Association, for which he is the registered agent.
Hutchison has endorsements from City Council member Doug Finlay and community leaders Dolph von Arx, John Lehmann, Wynn Phillips, Linda Black, Bill Lutz, and the Board of Directors of the Old Naples Association.
Mitchell Norgart
Mr. Norgart’s campaign platform revolves around the health, safety, and welfare of city residents. He says he will focus on four key issues: sustainability, wise municipal planning, parking and traffic management, and continued cooperation between the City and County.
Norgart has a B.S. Psychology from the University of South Florida and has been a Naples resident for 40 years. He was appointed to the City’s design review board in June 2016 and says he wants to “help maintain its small town feel.” His campaign website is at www.mitchnorgart.com and his Facebook page is here.
Norgart has been a licensed real estate broker in Florida since 1997, although the status of his license is “current/inactive” and his campaign website makes no reference to his being a realtor. According to a Gulf Coast Properties webpage, Norgart’s “career has spanned from executive positions with the Ritz-Carlton Hotels to managing new home sales at Collier’s Reserve Country Club. He also managed his own, in-town boutique real estate brokerage firm specializing in ‘west of 41’ luxury residential construction, sales and listings.”
A County court records search revealed several lawsuits alleging Norgart’s failure to meet financial obligations. They include a mortgage foreclosure, tens of thousands of dollars in past-due credit card debt, a defaulted boat loan, and default on a lease at the location of the Naples on the Run retail store. For more on these matters, read Naples City Council candidate Mitch Norgart says bad economy led to his money problems published January 21, 2018, in the Naples Daily News.
Linda Penniman
Ms. Penniman was first elected to the Naples City Council in 2014 and currently serves as Vice Mayor. She is running for a second term.
Recently, Penniman voted against raising council and mayor salaries to $40,000 (+70 percent) and $50,000 (+ 67 percent), respectively, having first urged that the matter be put to voters as a ballot initiative. Last year, she filed a complaint with the state ethics panel against fellow council member Sam Saad; the complaint was recently dismissed.
Penniman’s campaign slogan is “Your Voice Matters.” Among her nine campaign initiatives are a focus on affordable workforce housing, continued opposition to the “4th and 4th” garage while seeking more downtown parking for residents, and improved financial management practices. Her campaign website is at www.lindapenniman.com, her City webpage is here and her Facebook page is here.
Penniman grew up in Springfield, IL and lived in St. Louis before moving to Naples in 1976. During her career, she was a fifth-grade teacher, a realtor, and in media industry sales. In Naples, she helped oversee area non-profits focused on philanthropy, education, good-governance, voter outreach and economic development. She participated in Greater Naples Leadership and has served on its Board, the City of Naples Planning Advisory Board, the Collier County Coastal Advisory Committee, and the Moorings Property Owners’ Association Board. She currently serves on the Collier Citizens’ Council, and recently chaired a forum on beach renourishment. She and her husband Nick have two children and five grandchildren.
According to County court records, Penniman is one of 17 defendants including other current and former Council members in a libel or slander suit filed in October 2017 by a former City of Naples fire chief.
Penniman has endorsements from fellow City Council member Doug Finlay and community leaders David and Jeanne Feight and John Lehmann, President – Old Naples Association.
Gary Price
Gary Price’s campaign slogan is “Proven. Principled. Proud to serve.” His platform for Naples includes proven and trusted leadership, financial stewardship, community engagement, preserving the character and culture of Naples, and community safety and security. In his “First 90 Days,” he says he will focus on community engagement, the proposed narrowing of U.S. 41, redevelopment projects, the pension deficit, and public safety.
His campaign website is www.garypricefornaples.com, his Facebook page is here, and he’s @naplesbeach on Twitter.
Price is a 25-year veteran of the financial services industry. A partner with Fifth Avenue Advisors, he manages wealth and real estate assets for a small number of local families, and handles business mergers and acquisitions.
Price has a B.S.B.A. in Finance and Real Estate from Ohio State University and is a Certified Trust Financial Advisor.
He and his wife Kim moved to Naples in 1999 and have two children. He has served as Chair of the City of Naples Planning Advisory Board, the Naples Community Redevelopment Agency and the Collier County Metropolitan Planning Organization.
In addition, he served on the Naples City Council from 2005 – 2014, including two years as Vice Mayor. During that time, he helped oversee plans for the City’s Baker Park, which he said “broke down after the council mismanaged its fundraising effort and a round of public charrettes.”
He says that while he was Chair of the Naples Pension Board (2008-2016), the performance of the Naples pension was among the best in the state. He led Naples’ pension reform efforts, saving the City and taxpayers more than $160,000,000 over 30 years. He recently said that as a council member, he would urge setting aside money each year to pay off the City’s $48 million unfunded pension liability.
He currently serves as Chair of the State of Florida’s Participant Local Government Advisory Council, which helps oversee the management of $8+ billion in public funds, and on the Naples Planning Advisory Board, to which he was reappointed in 2016.
As a candidate for state Senate in 2015, Price said he was “a true conservative” who wanted to focus on “fiscal discipline, local control of education, and children services and elder care reform.” He also said that “money set aside for Amendment 1 has not been allocated according to the wishes of the Florida people,” and in the same article, “noted with pride that he was the only City Council member to vote against a pay increase.” He ended his candidacy for the Senate, citing his son’s health issues.
Campaign Finance
Campaign finance reports as of the date of this post show:
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