Winter Springs City Commission Candidates Make their Pitch to Voters 

Utility bills and political civility topped the list of concerns of residents and Winter Springs City Commission candidates who filled the Tuscawilla Country Club clubhouse on Sept. 17 for a forum hosted by the Tuscawilla Homeowners Association and moderated by Oviedo Community News Editor-In-Chief Megan Stokes. 

Mayoral challenger Jesse Phillips opened by sharing his own issues with his water bill. 

“We’ve got to get our utility bills under control,” Phillips said. “We’ve got to address the fact that the water rates are still going to go up if we don’t do something. There’s more hikes in the future.” 

While Phillips was concerned with more increases down the line, District 4 Commissioner Cade Resnick guaranteed voters they’ve seen the cost ceiling.

“We have wastewater treatment plants that are coming forward,” Resnick said. “Those will be in place for you, they do cost significantly but that is already attributed into our budget. So, I promise to everybody here, we have a just cost of living moving forward.”

Winter Springs Mayor Kevin McCann stressed the importance of funding infrastructure and highlighted water quality improvements since the city’s water system was found to be in violation of federal and state water quality standards in 2017. 

McCann also acknowledged Winter Springs residents are feeling the costs. 

“We’re moving the needle, but it is going to be painful,” McCann said. “We can’t leave it for the next generation.” 

The city is currently in the middle of a more than $150 million water system update, primarily focused on replacing the city’s two aging wastewater treatment plants.

District 2 candidate Ken Spalthoff’s proposed fix for combating rising water bills included revisiting a 10-year plan aimed at expanding reclaimed water connections to neighborhoods across the city. 

“It’s one-tenth practically the cost of regular potable water,” Spalthoff said. “I think that would aid tremendously in reducing everyone’s water bill and utility bill. We already have the studies in place, and I think that would be a wonderful way to start working on reducing our utility bills.” 

Sitting District 2 Commissioner Victoria Bruce, like McCann, said the increased monthly water bills were necessary but relief should be coming down the line. 

“We have $150 million of debt service that needs to be paid back,” Bruce said. “Although that is hard, those are hard numbers, it’s reality. These rates will stop in the next three or so years and they will come back down, but we appreciate the investment that each one of our residents is putting in to make sure that we can flush our toilets.”

Civility

While there were almost no direct shots against opponents, candidates did spend much of the night addressing the regular working dynamic of the Winter Springs City Commission’s current make-up. 

Resnick made the only pointed accusation of the night when he said District 4 candidate Pastor Kyle Stewart nearly bankrupted the Highlands Homeowners Association and neglected the neighborhood clubhouse to work on “pet projects” as a member of the board. 

“I was one member on a board of five,” Stewart said. “Those of you who have served on homeowners associations, unless Hitler or Caesar is on that board, the chances of one person actually running everything is very, very low.”

As for his fellow sitting commissioners, Resnick said he looks forward to another term in office working with the incumbents. 

“I’d like to continue working with the commission,” Resnick said. “This group that we have right now, it’s a good team, and we’ve worked well to work off each other for the proper ordinances to move forward.” 

Stewart disagreed. 

“I find it to be very interesting that there was a comment made that there’s a good group,” Stewart said. “This is one of the most contentious groups of commissioners that we have seen in Winter Springs history. They have verbally gotten into sparring matches, individuals have called each other out and have tried to force each other to publicly apologize in the middle of City Commission meetings.” 

McCann recognized the tension that Stewart mentioned, and took his share of the blame in not being able to foster more harmony on the City Commission dais. 

“I made it my mission to lower the temperature of discord in Winter Springs,” McCann said. “To this day, it breaks my heart when I look on social media, and when I hear some of us. There’s just a real anger, and it does take place in the City Commission. I have not been successful in completing that task, but we do have a lot to be proud of.”

The night ended with McCann challenging Phillips to a live one-on-one debate with no questions offered in advance. 

Phillips used his closing statement to give McCann a brief but forceful response. 

“What are you doing right now?” Phillips said. “Let’s go bro, I have been waiting five years to get these issues addressed so I am ready to go. I have been told to sit down and shut up, as I have been raising these issues for five years. It’s about time.”