CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Changes are coming to the Cape Coral City Council.
On Tuesday, both incumbent council members lost their races.
Fox 4 Senior Reporter Ryan Kruger talked to some of the new council members:
Five new members were elected to the 7-person board, including two former council members.
Jennifer Nelson, who served on the city council from 2017-2022 before narrowly losing to Patty Cummings, re-took her old seat from Richard Carr.
Cummings was removed from office before her term ended after allegations of voter fraud emerged. She eventually pleaded guilty to election fraud and was sentenced to probation.
Carr was appointed to her seat.
“I think (the election) sent an absolute, huge message to our city officials,” Nelson said in an interview with Fox 4.
Nelson ran on a platform of restoring trust and transparency on the council.
She’s also focusing on the city’s long-term growth.
“The number one issue I heard over and over again was traffic. We’re a growing city we’re 50% built out right now,” said Nelson. "Any moves we make, any develops we focus on, anything we do to improve our city, we have to have our infrastructure in mind."
Incumbent Dan Sheppard also lost his race to Laurie Lehmann.
Derrick Donnell, who previously served on the city council, ran on a platform to end a nearly $40,000 a year stipend approved last year by the council.
“How it was done just angered everyone,” Donnell said. "I don’t even think it was the amount, it was just that there was no public input."
Two newcomers are joining the city council.
Joseph Kilraine and Rachel Kaduk won their respective races.
All five new members of the council campaigned against the stipends.
The five new members will be sworn in on Nov. 20.
