1) You are running for sonny mc coy's seat... why?

Because I'm crazy. Because I was told by the angels who are assigned to look over and keep after me to do it. Because we need a new county commissioner in that seat. And because, if I get on the County Commission, there is no way people will be able to disguise the cons and scams that they bring before the County Commission. I will already have been alerted a dream, so that when it comes before the County Commission I will recognize it and know what I am really looking at, instead of what someone else wants me to think I am looking at. 

2) What is most critical in the keys right now

Right now, getting the Gang of Three off the County Commission. Or at least two of them. Maybe the third will leave if he's left there all by his lonesome. After Nov 4, the most important thing is to stop killing the ocean and the reef.

3) How did the county get in such a financial crises

Best as I can tell, not having been on the County Commission, it was a combination of rising real estate taxes with no sign of anything but more of same to come, until it went south in somewhat of a hurry, and lousy stewardship (spending) by this and preceding Gang of Three, and County Administrator Tom Willis. 

4) What are your feelings on affordable housing?

Land costs are still too high for private developers to economically build affordable housing for sale or rent -- my opinion -- without our county and city governments giving private developers an arm and a leg of government money and other kinds of perks that are not in the county's or our cities' best interests. I told a Citizens Not Serfs meeting last week that a way to provide all of the affordable housing we probably need is for owners of stilt homes to be able to enclose gound-level space and rent it out as affordable housing. Falling real estate prices, if they continue, could provide affordable housing for purchase by middle class citizens, but not for the poor working stiffs, without whom the wheels on the Keys overseas railroad, so to speak, would simply come off and leave us with one major train wreck. Where possible, on government land low income rental housing should be built by private contractors for local governments, to be put into the Housing Authority pool as affordable housing. 

5) What is your opinion of Safe Harbor and do you believe there should be allowed a 300 unit hotel?

We need to redevelop that waterfront in way that helps the county and its people as much as the current property owners. I do not include in that definition developers who only recently purchased fee or option rights on said property. I am not in favor of the proposed hotel. We need another hotel (or motel) in the Keys like we need another International Airport in Key West.

6) How do you feel about the airport hotels being proposed and the way the airport hotels came up during the BOCC?

Not in favor of airport hotels. I feel the way Diane Bureldsen ;-) feels about it.

7) What is your opinion of the Development that's been going on in the Keys?

Way too much. We don't need any more new commercial development. I am okay with redevelopment, within reason, of existing properties. For example, I did not feel letting the Spottswoods tear down the Holiday Inn in Key West road and put in Beachside vacation resort was within reason. Nor I did not think letting Pritam Singh tear down the Hampton Inn in Key West and install Parrot Key luxury suites was within reason. I am okay with people building homes on lots they own, if they are going to be full-time residents. I am not in favor of any more residential development, other than for affordable housing, as per my answer to question 4 above.

8) Are you a vindictive person?

Terribly. I want to have Mario tarred-and-feathered, then publicly hung by his little toes. Otherwise, I'm really a sweet guy. Just ask anyone. Actually, if I become vindictive the angels mentioned somewhere way up above will take me to the woodshed in ways I never want to experience again.

9) Sloan, you endorsed Heather Carruthers, your opponent - why?

Yes, I endorsed Heather, a Democrat, because I, a non-affiliated candidate, was worried about splitting the vote in the general election and throwing the election to one of the two Republican candidates, either Sonny McCoy or Carlos Rojos. And because the aforesaid angels told me to endorse Heather. Later, I was told by the same angels, and by my own sentiments, to withdraw my endorsement of Heather because it seemed she was playing it safe in her campaign and not taking risks on issues that might alienate voters. So I am back in that race, speaking to all the issues that come my way, whether they have to do with the County Commission or with something else. I feel obligated to do all I can to pubicly examine and critique candidates for all offices up for this election, whether I end up on the County Commission or not. I feel all candidates for office should be taking the same approach. Otherwise, the voters do not really get to know the candidates before the election.

10) Describe what you saw at the last BOCC meeting.

The last BOCC meeting I attended was when Tom Willi's email was read in the the record, and it seemed clear in it that his consulting firm was doing business with the County/County Commission, even though Tom himself was not making personal appearances but that was being done by other members of his firm. This looked to me like a clear violation of the no-lobby-the-county provision in Tom's termination agreement with the county, which provision he had put on the agenda of that meeting to have waived. Then he withdrew it from the agenda in his email, even as he praised Sonny and Dixie, and exhorted them to campaign hard because any other outcome was frightening. I nearly had to force the County Commission to let the citizens speak to that, after they had opened the door, thanks to Mario's insistance that Tom's email be read into the record. The third and last citizen speaker, I raised bloody hell about it seeming that Tom was getting around the no-lobby provision of his termination agreement. That led to a big argument between Mario and me, after he wised off and twisted what I had said after I was headed back to my seat. I then went back up and spoke some more, over Mario's strong objection, and challenged him to throw me out of the meeting (like he once did to Kay Thacker). Later, I wrote to the County Commission and the County Administator and County Attorney and requested summaries of all county dealings with Tom Willi's consulting firm. To that request I recieved no reply from anyone. By that deafening silence, I am left fearing that there is serious hanky panky going on between the county and Tom Willi. Maybe some things never change.

11) As you go out to campaign, what are citizens telling you they are looking for in their next county commissioner, or what is it they need.

I do not go out to campaign, other than I attend candidate forums and hang out and talk with people I know and meet, and publish daily missives on various topics to goodmorningfloridaykeys.com and goodmorningkeywest.com. Most people I speak with want county commissioners who do not owe anyone any favors, who are not part of the local bubbba system, who will look out for the county and its people and the ocean and the reef and the poor working stiffs and trailer parks, and who oppose developers and politicians. Almost all of the people I talk with want to get rid of the Gang of Three. I tell them that, more than anything else, in this election they need to get rid of the Gang of Three.

12) What are your feelings about Trailer Parks

I have a "Save our trailer parks!" T-shirt, which I wear in rotation with all of my other theme T-shirts. I agree with what Jim Hendrick once told the County Commission: something like, "A special place in hell is reserved for people who buy and tear down trailer parks to build something new there." I would add to that, the same special place is reserved for county commissioners and other government officials who let it happen.

13) What are your feelings about Trauma Star

Replace it as soon as possible with private emergency helicopter service.

14) Should the Social Services in the county been cut

Not as long as the county is/was spending money on stuff it doesn't/didn't absolutely need. Not as long as something else can/could be cut, excluding further cuts in the libraries. I could not believe my ears when I heard the County Commission was considering closing some of our libraries and doing away with senior shuttle and other essential services.