The following is a paid announcement of intent to seek public office submitted by the candidate. The deadline for all submissions has passed. To advertise, please call 904-964-6305 or email [email protected].
Hello to you. My name is Michael Heeder, and I am running for the Starke City Commission to represent District 1 and serve the city.
As a little bit of background, I am a small business owner in Starke and currently serve as your 911 Coordinator in Bradford County. I also work in the Emergency Management Division of the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office. In times of major emergencies and disasters, I work with a great team that provides support to public safety and serves the community.
I have over 38 years of public safety experience, having retired from Gainesville Fire Rescue as a fire captain and paramedic, and most recently with Bradford County as a volunteer firefighter, finally hanging up the old fire helmet for good last year.
My business is the Funtastic Fire Brigade, a firefighter-themed entertainment service that covers all ages for special events and programs, with a special focus on teaching fire safety to children to help keep families safe.
I bring a proactive mindset to the commission, coming up with ways to save our taxpayer money, expand our community development and build up our infrastructure to make Starke a place we can be proud of. I have created community events and programs, like our Splash Bash event, the Touch A Truck program, and other creative outlets to support and enhance economic development and tourism. These programs will bring in revenue that will help our city grow.
In 1962, President John Kennedy, speaking at Rice University about going to the moon, said that we strive to accomplish tasks and goals “not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.” Running for an elected office is a lot like space travel, because it should bring out our best to serve our citizens.
Nobody should run for office thinking it’s some cakewalk assignment. It’s not. You are elected to do a job – a very important job. People vote because they want a say in how their city is managed. That vote is their voice. They want to be heard. And we need to listen.
As your City Commissioner, I am listening. The city of Starke’s Election Day is August 23, the same day as the August Primary, and I very much appreciate your vote for Starke City Commission District 1.
This announcement was paid by Michael Heeder for City Commission.
