Lisa Conley, lisa.conley@naplesnews.com; 239-213-5308Published 7:23 p.m. ET Feb. 6, 2018 | Updated 10:03 p.m. ET Feb. 6, 2018
Naples voters elected incumbent Linda Penniman, former Councilman Gary Price and newcomer Terry Hutchison to the City Council on Tuesday.
Penniman got 2,865 votes, or 31.2 percent; Price 2,791 votes, or 30.4 percent; Hutchison 2,375 votes, or 25.9 percent; and Mitch Norgart 1,149 votes, or 12.5 percent.
The results are considered preliminary until the county canvassing board certifies the election, though the results are not expected to change.
The top three vote-getters won office in the nonpartisan at-large election to the seven-member council. Councilmen Sam Saad and Doug Finlay could not run for re-election because of term limits. Penniman was running for a second term. Price sought a third four-year term after serving on the council from 2005-14.
Norgart, a longtime Naples real estate broker, was making his first run for the council.
Hutchison, a local 7-Eleven franchise owner, won his first term after a failed bid for the council in 2016. He is the newest Naples resident, compared with the other candidates, having lived in the city for less than five years. He said his win signifies that voters want someone in office who will do the right thing. "I think voters sensed that my message was genuine and coming from my heart," he said. "I think they also knew that I'm going to do what I've committed to."
Ensuring taxpayers' money is well-managed and redevelopment and new development in Naples is "done in such a way that it maintains the character of the city" are among those commitments, Hutchison said.
Penniman said her first-place finish is an indication voters "want people who they can trust." Her first priority in her new term will be getting the city's budget under control.
"We've been on way too much of a spending spree, so we really need to take a hard look at our budget," she said. Like Hutchison, she also plans to keep a careful eye on the city's growth.
"Collier County is one of the hottest commodities in the country right now, and that puts us in a tremendous bargaining position," she said. "We can say, 'OK, if you want to come here, let me tell you the rules, and if you don't want to play by those rules, you can go somewhere else.' "
Price, who celebrated his victory at Bellasera Resort, said the first two things he wants to do are listen to the needs of the Community Redevelopment Agency at its meeting Thursday and get reacquainted with the city's budget.
He also said the election results clearly show that voters have trust in and care about the people who represent them.
"People are engaged and involved, and I'm grateful for all the effort they put in," he said.
Norgart, who made his concession speech after the preliminary votes came in around 7:30 p.m., said he doesn’t plan to let his defeat stop him from pursuing a government position. He would like to serve at the state level someday, he said.
The new councilors will be sworn in at the Feb. 21 council meeting.