Now that another campaign season has come to an end, it is time to pick up the pieces and to put away the rhetoric and bury the animosity of personal political agendas.

Let’s give a moment of thanks to all of the candidates who put their lives on hold as they pursued public office. While some candidates were winners and others were losers, we all won, in that our leaders were chosen by a public process that is democracy in its greatest form.

Personally, I am glad to see this election cycle come to an end. Now I can get back to devoting 100 percent of my time to my job as your county commissioner.

For those who voted for me or supported my campaign for re-election, thank you for your trust. For those of you who supported my worthy opponent, I will strive extra hard in coming years to meet your needs and expectations.

Together we will face great challenges in the coming years, but within those challenges will come opportunities to build a better, more friendly government.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve you.

Thank you.

— Jim Coletta, Golden Gate Estates, Collier County Commissioner, District 5

NAPLES — Incumbent Collier County Commissioner Jim Coletta kept a firm hold on his seat in District 5.

Of the 36,312 registered voters in the district, a large majority of them chose to retain Coletta, a Republican, over challenger Russell Kish, a Democrat.

With all 94 precincts reporting, the unofficial totals gave Coletta 11,817 votes, or 64.2 percent, and Kish 6,589 votes, or 35.8 percent.

(...)

Coletta was overwhelmed with well-wishers Tuesday night.

“I feel great. Very relieved that this is over. I’ve been on the campaign trail almost two years," Coletta said. “I’m so appreciative of all who helped and voted for me, but now I have to work to win the trust of that 33 percent who didn’t vote for me."

(...)

"County Commissioner Dist. 5: Jim Coletta. There is no better definition of a true servant of the people than Jim Coletta, and his open-door attitude to everyone is a great asset to us all."

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Editor, Daily News:

Will you be choosing a candidate on party affiliation or will you be choosing a candidate on experience and qualifications?

I first met Collier County Commissioner Jim Coletta on Collier Boulevard and Pine Ridge Road eight years ago. He was out on the street with his family waving at the passing cars; he was running for the District 5 commission seat.

I asked hubby to turn around; I wanted to know what this guy stood for before I would consider voting for him. Coletta answered some strong questions, then said he had his background biography written and he would drop it off at my home. He did just that.

I read through this very thick volume, listing many years of community service. With each page I became more impressed. He had been working for the betterment of the community as a whole, not just District 5, and he had been working for everyone, not just a segment of the population.

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What was an easy choice in the Republican primary is an easy choice again. Jim Coletta has been an outstanding public servant for the past eight years as the commissioner for Golden Gate Estates, Immokalee and Everglades City. He merits re-election.

As we said in August, he is a friend to business and the underprivileged alike. He champions economic diversification and work-force housing. He beats the drum for better roads and gets results. He leads the fight for better drainage as well as sensible flood maps that save constituents money on their homeowners insurance. He lobbies for impact-fee deferrals for social agencies that ease the costs of services for taxpayers. He has helped guide land-use planning at and around Ave Maria.

He is consistent.

"Republicans in eastern and southern Collier County selected incumbent commissioner Jim Coletta by a margin of nearly 2 to 1.

Coletta will now face Democrat Russel Kish in the Nov. 4 general election.

With 100 percent of the votes unofficially reported by Supervisor of Elections Jennifer Edwards, Coletta received 2,193 votes, or 65.54 percent, compared to challenger Roberto “Bob" Alonso, who received 1,153 votes or 34.46 percent.

“Oh my god," Coletta said, when first told of the voting trend. “Oh my god."

“I’m so relieved that I got that voter confidence. Mr. Alonso put on a great campaign. He brought together a large element. I give him a lot of credit," Coletta said. “I’m going to work very hard to win over (those who voted for Alonso) and I want, very much, to bring Mr. Alonso more into (the fold.) Get him involved in advisory boards and committees."

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Editor, Daily News:

I have been on the Tourist Development Council (TDC) for over four years and served under Collier County Commissioner Jim Coletta last year when he was chairman.

Jim was good in directing the TDC on its mission of managing over $14 million in annual bed-tax receipts. He did his homework in discussing the issues and agenda items and was fair and accommodating.

Although I cannot vote for Jim because I live in another district, I urge his re-election.

Murray H. Hendel, Naples

Online Source

August 13, 2008 by Mark Strain.

In less than two weeks, voters in District 5 will be asked to choose between two candidates running for the office of county commissioner. As everyone in the district knows, the incumbent is Jim Coletta, who has served his district with dedication and untiring enthusiasm. There may be reasons to seek changes for many other elected offices on the primary ballot, but considering a change from Commissioner Coletta is unwarranted for many reasons.

For decades, the focus of Collier County has been on developing the infrastructure to make the lives of citizens in the high-value coastal area as comfortable as possible. Prior administrations clearly outlined needs for constant improvements to the “coastal area of Collier" using tax resources, many times acquired from not only that area, but the eastern part of the county, as well. In the past, the western portion of the county saw its hoped-for improvements become reality one after another, while District 5 and other inland areas experienced one delay after another in realizing the same conveniences.

That all changed when Jim Coletta became District 5’s elected official to the Board of Commissioners. Rather than see more improvement derailed in our area, Jim has insisted on prioritizing budget needs for improvements within the District. During his time in office, we have benefitted from vast improvements to our road system, our parks and libraries; changes that balance development with environmental concerns for our rural farm lands and the realization that Immokalee is becoming the agricultural and industrial hub of this county, along with all the business incentives and job creation benefits that will bring.

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Editor, Daily News:

Thank you, Collier County, for preventing “big government," also known as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, from imposing flood insurance on Golden Gate Estates homeowners.

County Manager Jim Mudd and Development Services Administrator Joe Schmitt, along with county engineers Stan Chrzanowski and Robert Wiley, have done a great job of staying on top of this issue. Commissioner Jim Coletta was also personally involved, traveling to Atlanta and meeting with FEMA. I do not mean to single out Coletta, as the entire county board supported resolutions in opposition to FEMA’s misguided studies and conclusions.

FEMA proposed in 2000 to change the flood zone for Golden Gate Estates from D to A. Flood zone D means “undetermined" and flood insurance is available but not required. Flood zone A means there is a 1 percent annual chance of flooding and therefore flood insurance is mandatory if you have a mortgage.

A house with a replacement cost of $100,000 would expect a premium of about $1,000 per year. Therefore, if every home (and guest home) were required to purchase flood insurance every year, the annual cost to Estates residents could easily top $50 million. “Thank you" to them all.

The cost of living is high enough without having to pay the federal government another $1,000 to $2,000 per year for something we do not need.

David Farmer, Golden Gate Estates

Dear Editor:

Almost decade ago, prior to moving to Naples, I had a telephone conversation
with Jim Coletta. He was then the President of the Golden Gate Estates Area
Civic Association. We had never met or talked before, but he graciously
spent 45 minutes answering my questions about Naples and Collier County. A
few months after our phone conversation, he was elected Commissioner for
District 5.

From the day he first took office to the present day he has worked
tirelessly and effectively on behalf of Estates residents. Working closely
with state and federal agencies, Jim Coletta was the driving force in
identifying and implementing the security measures Collier County needed in
the post 9/11 world. His leadership shaped the County's response to West
Nile Virus and brought mosquito control services to all the Estates. Without
his tireless efforts, Golden Gate Boulevard and Immokalee Road would still
be backed up for miles daily.

As Commissioner, Jim Coletta has worked ceaselessly for the good of
residents of District 5 and has consistently exemplified the highest
standards of ethical conduct.

Commissioner Jim Coletta will get my vote on August 26th because he is a
living example of a true public servant.

Dr. Sparks Lunney, Golden Gate Estates

Russel Tuff writes today

"The Republican ticket for Collier Commission District 5 is an easy choice. Incumbent Jim Coletta’s dedication, sincerity, and incorruptibility speak for themselves. In addition, he has represented his constituents well. He and I have had our differences, but he’s a politician who can set opinions aside and still move forward. He knows the issues and the challenges of his district better than anyone, and has made good progress on a board that doesn’t always see a need to invest in Eastern Collier County."

Read the complete article on this month's primary elections