Erbrick wins District 5 seat
Rana Erbrick proved victorious in the District 5 city council race, besting William “Scott” Morris for the seat.
Erbrick garnered 8,485 votes for 53.45 percent of the total vote; while Morris pulled 7,389 votes for 46.55 percent.
Erbrick thanked supporters, volunteers and campaign staff during the victory party at her southeast Cape home on Tuesday night.
“I’m especially thankful to the voters for their confidence in me,” she added.
Erbrick emerged victorious from what was a packed field of District 5 candidates during the primary election, and now the general election.
She said her victory was a result of hard work and countless hours of door-to-door campaigning, during which she said she wore out two pair of shoes.
When the polls closed and the results started rolling in, Erbrick said there were some anxious moments as Scott took the lead with early voting and absentee ballots, but as the precincts were counted she said a feeling of calm settled in as the numbers starting tipping in her favor.
Now, Erbrick is faced with trying to steer the city through the back end of the housing bust, a solution to the utilities expansion conundrum and diversifying the Cape’s tax base.
That all starts Monday when she’ll be asked to make a decision on a proposed “infill assessment” project, which could prove to be a controversial subject.
“We’re going right into an intense public hearing,” she said.
Meanwhile, Morris congratulated Erbrick on her victory and said he was not disappointed in the overall results.
“I do wish her well, absolutely,” Morris said. “Of the slate, or perceived slate, two of us – Dave (Stokes) and myself – lost, but it’s a victory for Cape Coral today.
“I want to thank her for running a clean campaign; we both did,” Morris added. “Unfortunately, I came out on the losing end.”
Erbrick replaces outgoing council member Erick Kuehn, who was appointed to the seat when Eric Grill was suspended by Gov. Charlie Crist two years ago.
Kuehn opted not the run for the seat.