MEET THE CANDIDATES: Ocoee City Commission District 4

Two candidates — George Oliver III and Nate Robertson — will face one another in a special election for the Ocoee City Commission District 4 seat. The victor will serve for one year — the remainder of the current term. 

The seat is open because Oliver stepped down to run for Ocoee mayor in 2023. Ages Hart had been serving as interim city commissioner.

The election will be held Tuesday, March 19, with early voting taking place March 4 to 17.  Meet the candidates in our exclusive Q&A. 

Editor's note: Candidates are listed in alphabetical order, by last name.

GEORGE OLIVER III

Age: 56

Family: Father of six: Kerrick, Karte, George, Kameron, Christian and Isaac; husband to my lovely wife, Deborah; we have six grandchildren

 Education: Two associate’s degrees in paralegal studies, litigation and transactional; bachelor’s degree in business management; MBA, University of Phoenix

Employment: U.S. Department of The Treasury 

Experience: Ocoee District 4 Commissioner from 2018 to 2023; Florida Supreme Court-certified mediator; member of the Washington Shores Community Development Board; LBS Foundation Board of Directors; and served as chairman of the Board of TRELS Home for Children, a non-profit organization near Houston, Texas; board member of United Sports Complex, a non-profit organization that supports youth initiatives in and around Orange County

Residency in District 4: 22 years

Why are you running for District 4 commissioner?

I would like to continue to serve as District 4 Commissioner because I have a vision for the city that will allow us to plan for the next 40 years. A vision that will address issues such as sit-down restaurants, retail economic development, infrastructure and a better quality of life for all citizens of Ocoee.

How do you differ from your opponent?

For starters, I served in the seat from 2018-2023 and I bring experience that my opponent just does not have.

1. I will be able to walk into office from day one and pick up where I left off.

2. I have developed relationships with Federal, State, and County Officials that have proven to be valuable to the growth of our city.

3. I have a platform that addresses the issues we face in the district.

4. I have a vision 40 Year Plan not just for the district but for the entire city which can be reviewed at www.Vote4GeorgeOliver.com.

5. My vision for the district and the city is a vision that considers generations to come such as Gen-Z, Gen-Alpha and Gen-Bravo.

This election is for the one year left of the current commissioner term. What are your plans for beyond this term?

Upon re-election, I plan to continue the work I have started. I plan to continue to push for the city to fund a REAL operational audit in an effort to promote transparency. Once we have achieved that goal, I will work to revise our Master Development Plan so that it lines up with responsible spending. I will continue to work with my fellow elected officials as well as the citizens to establish a city-wide Mission and Vision that’s built on Strategic Planning.

This special election has spurred quite a bit of discussion within Ocoee’s government and even some proposed changes to its city charter. What is your opinion on these changes and how the City Commission can move forward?

The Ocoee City Charter states that the city shall conduct a charter review every 10 years. The city conducted a charter review in 2017 to bring recommended charter amendments to the voters in 2018. Therefore, according to our charter, the next charter review board should be commissioned in 2027. However, certain elected officials believe that we needed an emergency charter review in an effort the fix something in the charter they did not like.

It is my opinion that we as elected officials should always stay true to our city charter and never deviate from its guidance, even when we feel that change is necessary. We should respect the wishes of the citizens which is reflected in our charter and commission a charter review board during the ten-year cycle as stated in the charter.

Discuss your ability to work in concert with your fellow commissioners for the betterment of the city of Ocoee.

Over the past five years, from 2018-2023, I have worked with the commission to move our city forward in many ways, such as passing city-wide budgets that lowered our milage rate and saved citizen’s tax dollars. I also played a role in voting on and promoting the building of our new city hall. I have been in support of many of our new city-wide projects that we are currently seeing (e.g. our first wellness park, Unity Park, the expansion and widening of Clarke Road, new traffic lights, infrastructure projects and many more projects that would take to much time to mention). Therefore, I believe that I have already proven that I can work with the commission to continue to move our great city forward.

What are the three most critical issues the city of Ocoee faces in 2024, and what are your solutions to those problems?

Some of the top challenges we face as a city are:

1. The Redevelopment of the West Oaks Mall.

2. More sit-down restaurants

3. Balance between development and infrastructure

4. Financial accountability

5. Building a new school, preferably a K-8 in the Northern area of the city

As for the West Oaks Mall, they are a privately held entity with no debt. The entire city commission has to come together along with staff to form a united front and visit the headquarters to propose a collaborative plan regarding re-development. So far all we’ve gotten is the Mayor taking a trip to Vegas to visit their headquarters and returning empty-handed.

The city could possibly have more sit-down restaurants if we would get out of the box and visit other cities with similar footprints and ask them how were they able to transform a dead or dying area into a bustling array of sit-down restaurants and retail shops. In early 2019, I took a trip (I paid for the trip out of my own pocket) to a city in Pinellas County with similar issues and I met with the Mayor and City Manager to ask them how did they do it, they replied, “Getting Out of the Box” by going to other cities out of the state and in one case out of the country. They were able to attract very nice independently owned sit-down restaurants and retail shops to their city. Upon my return, I mentioned the idea to staff and in a commission meeting and it fell on deaf ears. I believe if I can find other ways to spark their interest (e.g. bring in motivated investors), we could start some dialogue and possibly bring our own solution to the table, together.

The balance between development and infrastructure has to start while we’re negotiating a potential development contract. Infrastructure improvement plans (road improvements; extensions; traffic lights; sidewalks; street lights; 5G; etc...) should be on the forefront of all development discussions.

In 2016, the city commission at that time which included the former District 4 Commissioner Joel Keller, approved an Operational Audit of the city’s finances. However, they never funded the audit. I can only speculate as to why. I will continue to push for the funding of a true operational audit.

For every home that’s built in the city of Ocoee, we pay a little over $8,000 per home to the school board. If I did the math for a period of, let’s say 10 years of development, I believe we could have had two schools built by now. Unfortunately, our past leadership team didn’t see fit to put any pressure on the school board. We have to do what our counterparts to the north (Apopka) did, they came together and went to the school board and demanded a new school and they got it done.

What is the one unique and critical quality you would bring to the Ocoee City Commission, and why is that important for citizens in District 4?

I am the Commissioner who will hold the entire leadership team accountable. I am willing to work hard for the citizens of Ocoee and I think we deserve better than what we have previously experienced in past leadership. Ocoee is a great city and I would like to help make it even greater. I believe in fighting for what’s right and holding leadership accountable, including myself. I also believe in the idea of #ONEOCOEE.

As Americans, we live in an increasingly polarized society. What is the solution to finding common ground – and is that something that can be fostered from a position on the City Commissions?

I am currently working to foster positive relationships through community partners like churches, small businesses, and the community at large who have shown interest in helping to find that common ground. In December of 2020, I was able to convince the commission to have a workshop on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The goal was to have a structured conversation amongst the commission and city department heads in an effort to understand each other a little more. From there, the plan was to move that structured conversation to the community at large. This is where the mantra of  #ONEOCOEE can be used to unite all Ocoee communities.

NATE ROBERTSON

Age: 41

Family: Married to wife, Kristin, for 17 years; two boys, Rylan, 15, and Rhys, 3

Education: Bachelor’s degree from Union University, Jackson, Tennessee, 2004

Employment: Vice president for Sidewalk Advocates for Life since 2022; senior strategic account lead and other roles for RxCrossroads by McKesson (2011-22)

Experience: Fiona Jackson Center for Pregnancy board member; licensed minister; member, Kids Ministry team at Kingdom Culture Church; student body vice president at Union University in 2003.

Residency in District 4: Since January 2020

Why are you running for District 4 commissioner? 

I am running for District 4 commissioner because of a desire to be a servant leader and a voice for the residents of my district. I am running because I want to make sure that Ocoee continues to be a great city to live and raise a family in. I am running because of my wife and two boys and because I want to see Ocoee remain a great city for generations to come.

How do you differ from your opponent? 

This race is not about my opponent. I am not running because of him. I do, however, believe I have a unique ability to bring people together to ensure that the concerns of the residents of District 4 are heard and acted upon.

This election is for the one year left of the current commissioner term. What are your plans for beyond this term? 

Right now, I am fully focused on winning the District 4 seat and serving the district and city well for this 11-month term. I desire to continue to be a servant leader in whatever capacity I can. I do not currently know what my plans are beyond this term, but I will continue to serve my community wherever I can. 

This special election has spurred quite a bit of discussion within Ocoee’s government and even some proposed changes to its city charter. What is your opinion on these changes and how the City Commission can move forward? 

It’s apparent that there has been room for multiple interpretations of certain aspects of the city charter. Efforts to make the city charter clearly understood by the plain reading are important, and I support that. In my work with contracts and SOWs, it is critical that language is clear and plain to guarantee that all parties understand their expectations and obligations. During this election, Ocoee voters will vote on 13 charter amendments, and from the last commission meeting in February, there is a proposal to place more on the November ballot. I believe all of these efforts help to bring clarity to the charter and ensure that the voters are involved in these possible changes. 

Discuss your ability to work in concert with your fellow commissioners for the betterment of the city of Ocoee. 

I believe I will work very well with my fellow commissioners, if elected, for the betterment of the city by understanding the issues before us, listening to everyone’s perspective and weighing out my own opinion related to the needs of the city before making a decision on how I will act. It is vitally important that everyone understands that each commissioner and the mayor have one vote and it takes three votes to pass anything. 

What are the three most critical issues the city of Ocoee faces in 2024, and what are your solutions to those problems?

1. Traffic and roads. Ocoee needs to continue to work on traffic and roads throughout the city and continue to strengthen the city/county partnership regarding traffic, roads and traffic signals. I want to be a part of making sure that the concerns of residents are heard and that I assist in working on solutions. The Clarke Road expansion being completed is key to assisting with traffic concerns. I would like to advocate for an analysis regarding speed on city roads and what traffic calming solutions might be available to us at a reasonable expense. 

2. Development. Ocoee is continuing to develop both residentially and commercially. This is a critical issue, though not necessarily a problem. I want to make sure that concerns are listened to and answers are provided back to residents regarding continued development. I will work with the city staff to understand the current and proposed developments and assist where I can on development concerns. 

3. Property taxes. Ocoee has reduced property taxes for the last several years and I believe it is critical that we continue to see a reduction for our residents. I look forward to reviewing the next budget and working with the city staff to understand our needs and how property taxes can continue to be reduced. 

What is the one unique and critical quality you would bring to the Ocoee City Commission, and why is that important for citizens in District 4? 

I bring an extensive background in strategic business development which includes process management with an eye to increasing efficiencies and reducing cost. I believe my critical thinking skills will greatly assist me in helping District 4 have the representation that it deserves. 

As Americans, we live in an increasingly polarized society. What is the solution to finding common ground — and is that something that can be fostered from a position on the City Commission? 

The City Commission does not focus on the larger discussions of societal polarization but it can work to move the issues of the city forward and build a strong community for everyone. 

The truth is our polarized society comes from an unwillingness to discuss hard issues without name-calling and anger. We will never agree on everything, but I believe that there is a long list of things that we can all agree on and we should work together on to move our communities forward instead of focusing on the things that divide us. The reality is that the City Commission is a very focused government body that must remain steadfastly focused on the issues of the city (roads, safety, parks, water, development and property taxes) and not the greater issues of county, state and national government.