Cape Coral voters to elect new mayor

CAPE CORAL, Fla. One of seven candidates will replace Cape Coral Mayor Marni Sawicki after her term expires in November.

Sawicki announced her decision not to run for re-election in March. She cited a desire to “focus my energies on building my company when my term ends” in a lengthy Facebook post.

Seven candidates have filed to run for the office: Derrick L. Donnell, Rana M. Erbrick, Michael Hollow, Kevin Koch, April Freeman, Joe Coviello and Dan Sheppard.

One Cape Coral resident asked for, “Someone who gets in there and does what they say and not just get elected.”

Other residents hope the new mayor will get rid of the city’s controversial fire service assessment, which costs the average homeowner about $110 a year.

“Maybe they’ll change that when these new council members get in. I just don’t think that’s fair to the people,” a nearby resident said.

Voters are currently receiving their ballots in the mail as primary voting begins in September and the general election is set for Nov. 7.