Across dozens of Central Florida cities and other governmental agencies, elected officials struggle to find answers to the questions that beset every local government. Among them: A much smaller group of leaders who wonder if everyone’s asking the right questions.
Contests set for mayor and commission seats in two Seminole cities
From what we’ve seen of Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek, she’s earning a spot in that second group of truly independent thinkers — which is why voters should keep her on for a third term as mayor. While she’s been effective in advancing community needs, including more parks and better solutions to the traffic that entangles Oviedo’s main corridors, she also looks beyond those day-to-day challenges to question the city’s future growth and ways to keep it vibrant, prosperous and livable. (We were particularly impressed with Sladek’s 2022 guest column for the Sentinel, where she tartly observed that a substantial majority of the forested acres clear-cut for development in Oviedo went to house empty cars, not middle-income families.)
Sladek’s not afraid to buck the status quo, even if she ends up on the losing end of a tense City Commission vote – as she did last year, fighting for more flexibility in converting single-family homes to duplexes, and earlier this year, when she advocated additional fees on development to build lower-cost units. But it’s a mistake to tag Sladek as somebody who creates dissension for the sake of feeding her ego. Instead, she’s sparking conversations that could put Oviedo ahead of the game when it comes to grappling with issues of public safety, traffic management and above all, growth. She also seems to be getting better at meeting resistance with persuasion and compromise that keep her initiatives moving.
In her bid for re-election this fall, she’s being challenged by two candidates — Judith Dolores Smith, who served on the City Council from 2019-2021, and Brady Duke, who was among Republicans seeking a congressional seat in 2022. Duke ducked multiple interview requests from the Sentinel, the Oviedo Community News website and others during this election cycle, and offers little insight into what he wants to accomplish as Oviedo’s mayor.
That leaves Smith as Sladek’s only credible challenger. Smith, like Sladek, has deep roots in Oviedo and a firm understanding of the city’s challenges. She agrees with Sladek on many of those challenges, and voices the same strong support for the city’s stable government, including City Manager Bryan Cobb. But Smith’s motto, “change the conversation,” is being read by many as a signal that she won’t be as adamant about pushing for bold solutions to big problems.
Smith is a warm and charismatic presence and would undoubtedly be a popular mayor. But governance isn’t a popularity contest, and if Oviedo leaders don’t challenge the status quo, this charming city will end up as another high-priced bedroom community, doomed to feed itself with high taxes and never-ending sprawl.
That makes Sladek the right choice, right now, for Oviedo’s mayor.
We will be posting our endorsements in local races over the next week. However, we urge voters to not rely solely on our opinions in deciding how to cast a vote. Voters should check the candidates’ campaign websites and social media accounts (if they don’t have either, that should be a red flag). Ask friends and neighbors what they think. Google the candidates and go to the city’s website to see who’s giving money to their campaigns. In addition, we’ve recorded our interviews and posted them in full at OrlandoSentinel.com/opinion.
Election endorsements are the opinion of the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, which consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Insight Editor Jay Reddick and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Sentinel Columnist Scott Maxwell participates in interviews and deliberations. Send emails to insight@orlandosentinel.com.
