Stout wins in District 3
Candidate Marilyn Stout took home the District 3 win in Tuesday’s general election.
Stout ran against candidate Chris Cammarota for the Cape Coral City Council seat, currently held by Councilmember Lenny Nesta. Nesta chose not to seek re-election after serving one four-year term.
On Tuesday, Stout garnered 8,869 votes – nearly 53 percent of the total number cast. Cammarota claimed more than 42 percent of the total number of ballots cast, with 7,145 votes.
In the Sept. 15 primary election, Stout came in as the top vote-getter with about 46 percent, followed by Cammarota with over 29 percent. Jerome “Jerry” Doviak took 25 percent and did not more forward.
“I’m excited,” Stout said on Tuesday of the win. “I look forward to serving with council.”
She was hesitant to immediately lay out priorities for the city, but pointed to upcoming projects.
“The future of the Seven Islands,” Stout said. “I think that’s a fantastic project.”
A reduction in the tax on the city’s electricity was also mentioned.
“I would like to see that cut in half,” she said. “I would really like to see it eliminated.”
Stout added that she believes moving slowly is the right move for the Cape.
“I think our city is headed in a fantastic direction, and I’m happy to be a part of it,” she said.
Cammarota took the loss on Tuesday in stride.
“It’s fine. I’m cool,” he said. “I’m not happy about the outcome, but we did the best we could.”
“I ran a clean campaign,” Cammarota added.
He thanked his team and supporters from the bottom of his heart.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t prevail,” he said.
Asked what advice he had for the city council, Cammarota urged its members to stop pushing for the purchase of the Lee County Electric Cooperative and to move forward with city’s utilities project.
“Spend money wisely. If we can’t afford it, we probably don’t need it,” he said.
“I’d like to see them make the Cape affordable like it used to be,” Cammarota added.
Stout also expressed gratitude for her supporters on Tuesday.
“I thank the voters for voting,” she said. “I wish the voting numbers were higher. This is a privilege, everybody should vote.”
Asked what she thought set her apart, Stout pointed to being a Cape resident for 33 years.
“And doing as much volunteering that I’ve done,” she said.
According to the Lee County Elections website, 39 precincts with 148,464 people could vote in the municipal elections for the Cape and Fort Myers. Thirty out of the 39 precincts were in the Cape.
Voter turnout came in at 14.75 percent, with 21,898 ballots cast between the two cities.
Stout, along with the other winners, will be sworn in Monday at the regular council meeting.