Sometimes a race has more than one viable candidate. The District 1 race for Lee County Commission falls into that category.

Former Cape Coral Councilman A.J. Boyd and Sanibel Council member Carla Johnston, each running without party affiliation, have strengths — Mr. Boyd, his passion for public service and his dedication to the Cape; Ms. Johnston, her zest for new accomplishments and evident intelligence.

Incumbent Bob Janes, though, easily remains the best choice in the District 1 race. His accomplishments while in office are eminently measurable and his steadfast leadership during his two terms on the Lee County board bolsters confidence in his ability to help guide the county through the very real challenges ahead.

Equally important, Mr. Janes has demonstrated the ability to take into account countywide impact while understanding the issues within the district he serves. It’s a delicate balance, one that is not always politically expedient, but one that has served his countywide constituency — and, overall, his Cape Coral/Sanibel/Pine Island constituency — well over the last eight years.

These attributes are what led Mr. Janes to victory in a three-way race in the Republican primary, and these attributes are why Mr. Janes has our endorsement in the general election.

In terms of experience, Mr. Janes’ tenure in public service ranges from the federal level to the local. After a career that included appointments to agencies in the nation’s capital, Mr. Janes continued his service, first as mayor of Sanibel, then on the county commission where he is completing his second term.

An avowed Smart Growth advocate, Mr. Janes was a leading proponent of the state purchase of the 79,000 acre Babcock Ranch for preservation and public use purposes. Also as a Smart Growth proponent, he is an advocate of local community plans, which give unincorporated communities such as Pine Island, Captiva and Lehigh Acres a say in how their areas will develop.

As we stated in our primary endorsement of Mr. Janes, he supports public transportation. He worked to fund the LeeTran bus transfer station in downtown Cape Coral and is a leading advocate of a “park-and-ride” system for Lee County, a program that would make it more comfortable for drivers to combine the use of their auto with the use of public transportation to various areas of Lee County.

Mr. Janes also has been the county board’s leading advocate for numerous human services projects, including a jail diversion program for persons with mental illness, helping to obtain state funds for a triage center, along with multi-agency buy-ins,to better serve those in need.

There are few issues of import and impact that have not caught his attention here in Lee County; there are fewer still that have not benefited. He has achieved his successes through hard work, hands-on dedication, and a proven ability to build consensus.

Mr. Janes’ broad range of experience, coupled with the range of his interests and his tireless efforts to those causes have earned him another term on the Lee County Commission.

We endorse Bob Janes in the Nov. 4 general election for the Lee County Commission, District 1.



— Also running: A.J. Boyd, no party affiliation, and Carla Johnston, no party affiliation.