MEET THE CANDIDATES: Frank Krens, Windermere Town Council

Frank Krens is one of five candidates vying for a seat on Windermere Town Council.


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Age: 78

Family: Married 42 years to Diane. Son Joe, daughter-in-Law Layla, granddaughter Emma

Education: Bachelors in Aerospace Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, 1968.

Relevant experience: Resident of Windermere since 1979, relationships with many residents, business owners, Town Staff, and Town Council members and mayors past and present; helped generate five-year strategic plans for three town committees that I currently serve on: LRP, Tree Board, and Historic Preservation Board; contributed to the Town’s comprehensive plan rewrite as a member of the Long-Range Planning (LRP) Committee; 13 years on the Tree Board, 11 years as secretary, currently chairman; Past President of the Rotary Club of Windermere, member since 2013 with other roles including youth services coordinator, secretary, treasurer and membership chair; organized combined Rotary/Town of Windermere Memorial Day and Veterans Day observance events for the past few years. My work experience is also relevant. 47 years in aerospace achieving the level of company vice president for business development for a major aerospace company. A two-year stint in Windermere real estate after retirement.

Years as Windermere resident: 45


Why do you want to serve on Town Council? 

I thoroughly love this town — the sense of community, caring, cooperation and friendship — and the town’s charm and natural beauty. I want to continue to help preserve what we have and make it better. I have enjoyed and learned from community service over the years, built relationships and applied my experience and skill set. I believe I am well-prepared to serve on Town Council.


If elected, what would be your top three priorities for the town?

  1. Improve traffic safety for pedestrians and provide for emergencies. The pedestrian crosswalk signals that we have are good but not enough. Distracted and careless drivers ignore them. Given the solid and sometimes stationary traffic pipeline through town, emergency vehicles and first responders can’t quickly get to situations where lives and property are at stake.
  2. Protect our environment. Keep the dirt roads, but do more to control/mitigate the runoff into the lakes. Consider using barriers or more settling ponds like the project at Fernwood Park. Slow/mitigate the continuing loss of mature tree canopy through better education of developers, real estate agents, and residents, through better enforcement of the Tree Ordinance with its now higher penalties, through tree-succession planting projects of native and Florida friendly trees, and through continuation of the annual tree giveaway. Educate residents to resist predatory weekend door-knocking tree removal companies. Enforce our ‘No Soliciting’ rules, if possible ban non-emergency tree removal on weekends. Evaluate the effectiveness of our trash recycling service and explore better options.
  3. Strengthen the Town’s decision-making process on potentially contentious issues. One way could be to involve the town’s committees early in the process to collect data and evaluate alternatives. Tree Board helped in that way recently when it was recognized that our penalties for violating the Town’s Tree Ordinance were too low. Tree Board researched what other Florida municipalities charge and what it costs to replant and then presented data and analysis to support a Town Council decision to raise the penalties. It was done quickly and the data and rationale are clear, supportable, and there for all to see. Using Town committees and/or other resources to support Town Council in that way should provide a stronger and more supportable basis for decisions and result in decisions that are more likely to stick.


Why should residents vote for you? 

I will strive to do what is best for the town and our residents. I’m retired and have the time, the energy and the will. I have long-term involvement, relationships and knowledge in town matters, and I have technical, organizational and communication skills, a positive attitude, and a healthy sense of humor. I don’t have a business and am not seeking personal gain.


If you had a magic wand, what is one change you would make immediately and why?

Add more traffic and pedestrian alert/warning devices - another high visibility crosswalk on 6th Avenue and one on Maguire between the elementary school and OARS. These are high activity crossing areas with potential for accidents. I would explore other mechanisms such as bump strips to increase situational awareness for drivers and pedestrians. It could save lives.


As always, traffic is a concern in the town of Windermere. How do you strike a balance between growth (including hosting events that attract people to the town) with maintaining Windermere’s small-town charm? 

I trust what residents say – the outspoken ones and the quiet ones who sometimes need to be asked. In a recent session set up to gauge preferences and sentiment regarding the future configuration and use of Town Square, there was strong support for the farmers market but little support for Food Truck Night. Participants favored a Town Square that is an inviting place for small, casual and regular gatherings of town residents more than a place for big noisy events.


Evaluate the town’s ability to communicate effectively with its residents. Are there changes you’d like to see made to ensure timely communication and transparency? 

Good/great: I am a strong proponent of transparency, and our town is run that way. The budget reviews of all projects and cost areas are highly detailed and clearly presented in public forum. Town staff communicates business, schedule, organization, project and historical information effectively with the residents primarily through the town’s website. I find town staff responsive to requests for information. Current business, decisions and information gathering is done effectively through Town Council meetings and workshops and volunteer committees. Town staff communicates with the volunteer committees effectively via email and within the constraints of the Sunshine Law. General items of interest are communicated effectively through the Town’s Facebook page, the quarterly Gazette, newspaper articles, and word of mouth. (Police) Chief (Dave) Ogden’s Windermere Safety Watch puts out timely safety alerts and crime reports. Rotary and Garden Club help get the word out through their memberships. 

Not so good: In spite of all that, some residents don’t get the word and feel they are not informed on a timely basis. I think the town is making progress through its public workshops and “charrettes” but the workshops are often lightly attended. More direct mailing, door hangers and digital messaging to all residents on critical issues and information on major decisions may help. The website still needs work.

 

author

Liz Ramos

Senior Editor Liz Ramos previously covered education and community for the East County Observer. Before moving to Florida, Liz was an education reporter for the Lynchburg News & Advance in Virginia for two years after graduating from the Missouri School of Journalism.

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