CRESTVIEW — Councilman Tom Gordon, candidate for mayor, challenges Mayor David Cadle to debate the city's rise in violent crime.

The city ranks 180th on ValuePenguin's 2014 Safest Cities in Florida Study. Valparaiso and Niceville rank No. 10 and No. 15, respectively; and Fort Walton Beach, No. 86.

In 2012, the last year for which data was available, Crestview had 186 violent crimes and 38 robberies, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics.

“This doesn’t tell the whole story,” a news release from Cadle's office states. “In 2013, (Police) Chief (Tony) Taylor’s first year in office, violent crime decreased 12.2 percent and overall crime decreased 13.1 percent, which is the last full year data are available. For the first six months of 2014, violent crime was down an additional 6 percent.”

“Since the release of damaging crime figures to credible national and local sources, Cadle has said the numbers are wrong, skewed, and not true," Gordon said.

“If David Cadle’s statements are truthful, he should be willing to a debate in a public forum, such as the Crestview Community Center, and let residents and voters decide for themselves the facts and the truthfulness of the candidates.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Gordon challenges Cadle to debate crime

PENSACOLA — WSRE, PBS for the Gulf Coast, wants Northwest Florida residents' questions for Thursday’s broadcast of “Legislative Review: Dialogue with the Delegation.”

The program, moderated by Jeff Weeks, will air live 7-8 p.m. Thursday on WSRE-TV and WNRP News Radio 1620 AM. State legislators will answer constituents’ questions about local issues and priorities for the 2015 legislative session.

Participating legislators include Sens. Don Gaetz (District 1) and Greg Evers (District 2), and Reps. Clay Ingram (District 1), Mike Hill (District 2), Doug Broxson (District 3) and Matt Gaetz (District 4).

Questions may be submitted to questions@wsre.org or wsre.org/facebook. Every question must be accompanied by the person’s name and city of residence.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Questions sought for legislative review program

CRESTVIEW — The Liveoak Lookout Tower at the city's McMahon Environmental Center now bears the registration number 1,000 on the National Historic Lookout Register, and could one day be incorporated into an educational center.

Keith Argow, the organization’s national chairman, presented the registration certificate to Crestview City Councilman Mickey Rytman and Mayor David Cadle on Jan. 22.

Though the national register has nearly 1,100 registered lookout towers, only four are in Florida, Argow said. He said the coveted 1,000 registration number had been reserved for a tower the organization deemed “special,” and Crestview’s landmark was chosen for the honor.

“As we came close to 1,000, it had to be a very special tower,” Argow said. “We are glad to assign it to the Liveoak Fire Lookout.”

HONORING THE PAST

Rytman spearheaded the placement of the more than 60-year-old tower on the registry. He credited retired forester John McMahon, for whom the environmental center is named, for helping preserve the landmark.

“Mr. McMahon has basically saved what you see here today,” Rytman said.

“I’m pleased that the city of Crestview honors its past and its beginnings,” Mayor David Cadle said. “I salute Mickey Rytman for the steps he took to get this tower on the national registry.”

McMahon couldn’t attend the dedication due to illness, but was represented by his wife, Doris, their daughter Laura Pitts, and their grandson, Curtis Pitts.

“John’s real disappointed he couldn’t be here,” Doris McMahon said.

STRUCTURALLY SOUND

After the dedication, Curtis Pitts joined several attendees in a climb up to the top of the tower. Afterward, several climbers remarked on the structure’s soundness.

“Those oak steps are real solid,” Main Street Crestview Association member Cal Zethmayr said.  

The Crestview Kiwanis Club has taken on the refurbishment of the McMahon Environmental Center as a community project.

Business partner Jayne Swift of CH2M Hill said one idea includes incorporating the fire tower’s base into a new museum and education center to replace the existing small museum.

Placement on the National Historic Lookouts Register qualifies the Crestview tower for grant money that could be used for such a facility, Rytman said.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Liveoak Fire Lookout becomes nationally recognized (VIDEO)

CRESTVIEW — Newly appointed county Public Works Director Jason Autrey recently discussed road projects with community and business leaders, dispelling what he called myths, and offering hope for road improvements.

One major myth, Autrey said, is that more county road money flows south than it does north. Of 11 major projects scheduled for work in the coming years, nine are north of the Shoal River, he said.

One reason, Autrey said, is because all south county roads are paved, while 200 miles of north county roads are still dirt.

Among projects about to begin, or in the planning stages, are paving the short dirt stretch of Okaloosa Lane near Riverside Elementary School and paving the north section of Fairchild Road.

‘THE BIG ONE’

“The big one is P.J. Adams Parkway,” he said during the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce Government Issues Committee's Jan. 14 meeting. “Every time I have a conversation with the state, it starts out with, ‘What can I do with P.J. Adams Parkway?’”

The project has advanced because county officials offered the state Department of Transportation innovative ideas, he said. The original state grant was just for part of the design phase.

“It seems kind of foolish to design a roadway that I can’t build and can’t afford to completely design,” Autrey said.

By redefining the $4.4 million grant to design just the State Road 85 to Interstate 10 segment — with money left over for some construction — the county reduced a $100 million project into more palatable sections, he said.

The Board of County Commissioners must make some tough funding decisions to ensure work on the corridor continues once it begins, Autrey said.

Options will be discussed at the board’s Feb. 3 meeting in Crestview.

NORTH AND SOUTH

A change in the “north vs. south” attitude is also helping the Public Works department tackle roadway issues, Autrey said.

“I hate to say it; there is a separation between the north end and south end,” he said. “There’s a physical separation and a mental separation. But most of the tourism base that supports the south end comes through the north end, and folks down south are starting to get that.”

He described S.R. 85 as “one great funnel down to the Niceville area” that bottlenecks through Crestview. The P.J. Adams-Antioch Road Corridor is expected to relieve that traffic, especially if an interchange at I-10 can be built.

“If you open up an opportunity to get on I-10 to the west, it will improve that situation,” Autrey said. “P.J. Adams is the first step of that. If I have P.J. Adams four-laned to I-10, I can say to the state, ‘I’ve done my part. Now you do yours.’”

The corridor is a preferred option over widening S.R. 85, he said.

“I am a believer in alternate routes instead of widening, because if you have an accident, it shuts down the whole road; but if there’s an alternate route, you have a way around it,” Autrey said.

NO EAST BYPASS

One option unlikely to occur is building an east bypass. Using Live Oak Church Road and Airman’s Road, it would eventually link with Okaloosa Lane.

Because Okaloosa Lane lines up almost precisely with the Duke Field runway, headlights from heavy bypass traffic would adversely affect nighttime flight operations, Autrey said.

Finding a solution for the congestion is a top concern, former chamber president Dennis Mitchell said. 

“We have no future in this region if we don’t get that bottleneck (S.R. 85) taken care of," he said.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: P.J. Adams is ‘the big one'; east bypass is a no-go (VIDEO)

LAUREL HILL — City Councilman Johnny James says he will not cast votes during council meetings while his residency is under investigation.

The Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections office sent out letters to James and 22 other Laurel Hill residents in mid-December stating that a review of records showed they lived in county rather than city jurisdiction.

“This is something new to me,” James said this week.  

He said he believed his property on Robbins Road was, like his neighbors', within the city limits. His property is part of several parcels that former councilman and Mayor Vizell Robbins once owned; they were thought to be annexed by the city in the 1960s.

STILL IN OFFICE

Laurel Hill city attorney Dan Campbell is researching the allegation against James’ residency and will report his findings at the Feb. 5 council meeting.

Meanwhile, he said, James can continue to serve on the council as voters elected him to do.

“Hopefully, this month coming up, everything will be resolved,” James said. “When the next meeting comes, I hope everything will be taken care of.”

James said if his residency had been suspect, the matter should have surfaced when he first ran for office in 2007, or when he was re-elected in 2013.

“When I first ran, nobody raised a flag up,” he said. “Somebody missed doing their job. I already did one term. This comes up so far into my second term.”

NOT VOTING

James said he was surprised when he received the Supervisor of Elections’ letter.

“I did not know. I did not know,” James said. “I wasn’t aware of it before, but now I am.”

To avoid casting votes that might later be challenged, James said he will continue to do his job, but won’t vote on matters before the council.

“I’m going to stay focused,” James said. “I’m going to sit in the councilman’s seat but I’m not going to vote on anything. I don’t want to keep doing things like that now that I know.”

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Councilman with out-of-town residency says he will cast no more votes

OKALOOSA ISLAND — Okaloosa County Commission Chairman Nathan Boyles has scheduled a Jan. 27 workshop with fellow commissioners and departments to discuss strategic planning for 2015.

“This workshop (set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Emerald Coast Convention Center) will give the commission and county staff the opportunity to select concrete, achievable goals for Okaloosa County government based upon priorities developed through constituent input," Boyles said.

In addition, county commissioners and tourism leaders will attend the Jan. 21 Tourism Summit luncheon at the Emerald Coast Convention Center, along with a Jan. 28 “Topping Out” Ceremony for the Okaloosa County Administration Building. The 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ceremony, hosted by contractor Lord & Sons at 1250 Eglin Parkway, includes a tour and lunch.

More than one commissioner will attend these events, according to a county spokesperson. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: County planning: Strategic workshop scheduled for next week

LAUREL HILL — City Councilman Johnny James — and nearly two dozen other Laurel Hill residents — actually live outside city limits, according to a review by Okaloosa County Property Appraiser Pete Smith.

The news that they are actually county voters may surprise many of the 23 affected residents, but the revelation could cost James his council seat.

Mayor Robby Adams said the matter has been turned over to city attorney Dan Campbell, who is reviewing Laurel Hill’s boundaries with the city’s engineer.

Campbell said he is not ready to render an opinion on the legality of James remaining on the council and the validity of any of his votes since the mid-December notification.

“I cannot give my opinion as to that question until I have had the opportunity to review the facts and consult with the city engineer,” Campbell said. “If there are issues relating to the facts or law, the question may have to be answered in court.”

‘AN INTERESTING SITUATION’

“All votes (James) made prior to it coming to his attention that he lived outside the limits would be valid,” Supervisor of Elections candidate and absentee coordinator Ray Bolden said. “Now that it has come to his attention, it is kind of a sticky wicket for him.”

City Council Chairman Larry Hendren said he discussed the matter with Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux, and said Lux never encountered a similar circumstance.

“I’m letting the attorney tell us what to do next,” Hendren said. “That’s what you do. You pay him for legal advice. It is an interesting situation. I don’t know where we’re going to go.”

James lives on a Robbins Road parcel that was believed to have been annexed to the city with several other Robbins family properties in the 1960s, Adams said. However, the county Future Land Use map shows the parcel is zoned county rural residential.

James did not immediately return a call from the News Bulletin concerning the matter.

POSSIBLE ANNEXATION

An easy solution would be for James to request his property be annexed into the city limits, as neighboring, contiguous properties are already within Laurel Hill, Adams said.

“Paul (Lux) said it’s just a matter of annexing it in and letting him keep his seat,” Adams said.

But until the matter is settled, whether in court or in council, James will retain his council seat, Adams said.

“Dan (Campbell) said he can stay in his position until the determination is made,” he said. “He (James) was elected by a majority of the citizens.”

However, Bolden said until the matter is resolved, the city and James should be cautious, as any votes he cast since being notified of his county residency could be challenged.

“He should do the right thing,” Bolden said. “Because he is aware that he is not living in the city limits, he should not be voting up there on city issues.”

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill councilman lives outside city limits, appraiser says