Steven Barry, Candidate Escambia County Commission District 5

August 14, 2020

NorthEscambia.com asked the three candidates for Escambia County Commission District 5 to answer a series of questions. In alphabetical order, here are candidates with a link to their video and written answers.

Steven Barry
John Reading (did not respond)
Megan Walters

Early voting continues through Saturday, and the polls will be open Tuesday, August 18 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Candidate: Steven Barry, Escambia County Commissioner District 5

Occupation:

Certified Financial Planner

Education:

B.A. Financial Accounting, University of West Florida, 1997

Criminal Record (traffic citations excluded):

None

Top Five Priorities:

1) Continuing to improve transportation infrastructure
2) Forging ahead bettering financial position of the county
3) Dealing with the Covid crisis
4) Divesting the public interest in outlying field 8 in Beulah
5) Improving all types of communication to the citizens

What , if anything, can you do to help ensure access to broadband internet access for residents of District 5, and ensure that the providers maintain an acceptable quality of service?

Through working on constituent concerns, I have become intimately aware the cable company franchises are granted and regulated through the State of Florida, rather than Escambia County. There are very few if any, performance measures or guidelines the companies are required to meet to maintain their franchise, other than not being able to discriminate against citizens or to not offer service in certain areas or neighborhoods. There are affordable low-income options with various providers, but firm consistent requirements for reliability of service, or speed and quality of service do not currently exist in the state requirements for franchisees. The great news is that the CARES ACT dollars the county has received can be used to provide for and to improve rural broadband access throughout District 5, and I am confident I can advocate successfully on our behalf to secure substantial dollars to do so.

What more can be done by the District 5 commissioner about trains stopped for long time periods across Highway 29 and/or Becks Lake Road in Cantonment?


I am very thankful for the help we received from Senator Doug Broxson to gather all the stakeholders together to improve the situation greatly with the trains blocking both the Beck’s Lake Road area crossing and Highway 29, just south of Muscogee Road. Our meetings also included International Paper, CSX, and Alabama Gulf Rail, which controls the rail storage area just west of Highway 29, east of the International Paper mill. We received support from AGR to reduce the number of rail cars stored in the area, thereby reducing the impact of the train when it is working at the rail crossing Highway 29. Best of all, we were able to convince CSX to reroute the cargo it was moving on the north-south rail line that was not bound for Pensacola, to a different route, resulting in a tremendous decline in the blocking of the crossing at Beck’s Lake Road.

What will you do, if anything, to improve roads and bridges in District 5? How do you fund improvements?

I plan to continue advocating successfully on our board for District 5 to secure the dollars to improve the road s and bridges of District 5. Since 2012, my constituents have benefitted from an unprecedented level of production, maximizing the return of their tax dollars to our community. In less than eight years, we have paved 37 dirt roads, totaling over 30 miles, resurfaced 83 roads, totaling over 50 miles, repaired, or replaced 57 bridges, and completed 13 large road widening and drainage projects. Most of these improvements have been funded with local option sales tax dollars, and I expect that dynamic to continue.

How do we improve public safety in District 5, both fire and EMS? How do you fund any improvements?

I will ensure that the allocation of county public safety resources matches the changing dynamic of Escambia County and District 5. Most of the growth in the future will be in District 5, and the allocation of resources should match more closely. As more people move into our community, we need a larger piece of the public safety financial pie. Through responsible financial management, attention to procurement, and controlling overtime expenses, we can make certain that there are enough resources to work with. I believe we have enough revenue to be successful, if we manage it prudently, so I have not in the past and do not support raising fees or taxes now.

Should any tax or MSBU be raised, and for what purpose?

I do not support raising the MSBU or any tax or fee.

What will you do, if anything, to continue dirt road paving in District 5? And what dirt road do you believe will be the very last paved in D5?

We have made considerable progress on dirt road paving, but I understand there is still much more work to do. We have been able to stretch the limited tax dollars by doing quite a bit of the preparatory work by the road department, and they have done a fantastic job and saved citizens millions of dollars, which have then been able to be used to pave even more roads. Relatively recently, at a board meeting, someone asked me if dirt roads were still a big issue in District 5, and I responded, “If you or your loved ones live on one, or you travel them regularly, then absolutely they are”. Conditions and circumstances are constantly changing with roads, so I would not be comfortable guessing which may be the last dirt road to be paved.

How will you manage growth and development in District 5? Please address your answer in at least two parts — the more populated areas of the district and the more rural, agricultural areas.


It is especially important for a community to have a long-range comprehensive plan that makes available an ample supply of land for residential, commercial, and recreational development, and sets aside permanent meaningful green spaces. The plan should also protect environmentally sensitive areas while maintaining a balance between environmental concerns and reasonable needs for the future growth of the community. Sufficient infrastructure becomes the largest issue in the more populated areas, and as the local option sales tax fund is our primary source of funds for constructing and updating our infrastructure, wisely managing that cash flow and fund balance is paramount to ensuring the resources are available when needed. In the less populated areas, some degree of residential growth is also coming. I think it very reasonable to have a future land use category whose density matches a zoning category of one unit per four acres. I believe that will also help with the problem that many farmers are having where they have one home on a parcel they farm and would like to sell the home, but currently to do so would require them to sell 20 acres, and potentially lose the ability to farm the acres that the buyer of the home may not need or want. It would also make it much more affordable for people who would like to live in rural areas to move there.

How does Escambia County react and prepare for economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic?

The Covid pandemic provides so many issues, both health and economic related. We have citizens currently sick, and citizens who have passed. We have businesses still struggling, and businesses which have closed and will not reopen. Congress has taken considerable financial actions to help businesses and individuals, but those measures are coming to an end and it is unclear what further measures may be taken. The timely and prudent disbursement of the CARES ACT funds we receive will be a great focus of the board over the next few months. Until there is a vaccine, or some other medical information emerges that eases the fear and anxiety felt by so many people, the Covid crisis will consume a tremendous amount of the county’s time and resources.
What can Escambia County do to ensure the continued success and growth of smaller businesses in D5, especially in light of the pandemic?

We must continue to focus on the health of our small businesses, as we know 80% of the new jobs created over the next five years will come from our small business partners. I will ensure our local small businesses are a big part of the county’s CARES ACT funding package, and that we have grant terms to impact positively the largest number of businesses we are able. We can also do a much better job of communicating the resources the county has access to which can aid our small business partners.

Do you support or oppose the Escambia Children’s Trust?

I supported the Escambia Children’s Trust being on the ballot for the voters to decide whether they support the initiative. I need to see more details about the operational aspects of the board and exactly how the organization will be run, and how the tax dollars will be spent before I decide on my personal vote in November.

Century has had their obvious share of economic and infrastructure problems in recent years. How can/should Escambia County assist?

I will continue to anything I can to support the Town and the citizens of Century. I will make certain a portion of CARES ACT funding is spent within the town limits as our board moves forward with our disbursement plan. We will continue to provide considerable support for the CRA (Community Redevelopment Area) efforts that the town has recently made. I placed a project in the BP Restore plan for $ 486,000 to support the town’s wastewater plant improvements and will see to it that the project comes to fruition. Also, I support the use of county CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds to help with clean up at the Alger Sullivan mill site, which should happen soon.

Your Top 5 favorite spots in D5 to spend time for enjoyment when you are not working:

Ashton Brosnaham facility, the playground at Ascend Park, nature trail at UWF, new walking track and demonstration garden at Stefani Extension, events at the beautiful 4-H property in Molino

Your Top 5 bingeable shows:

The Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Veep, and Seinfeld

Your Top 5 favorite songs on your current playlist:

Some Things Never Change, Into the Unknown, All in Alabama, The Conversation, Shriner’s Convention

Top 5 favorite foods (and restaurant name, if it’s a restaurant dish):

Pizza, ice cream, lime popsicles, black beans and rice, cream corn from Filly’s in Cantonment

Best kept secret of District 5:

4-H Property in Molino

Comments

2 Responses to “Steven Barry, Candidate Escambia County Commission District 5”

  1. James on October 1st, 2020 9:05 am

    We have lived and and traveled the west end of Tobias Rd for more than 30 years. We would like very much to have a wider, paved road ; one that is not used by nonresidential drivers to use as a play area; to travel on for the remainder of our lives.
    Thanks for taking this into consideration

  2. Matt on August 16th, 2020 1:04 am

    Thank you for all you do for our Community!

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under General