Cape Coral residents are mobilizing to recall Mayor John Gunter, expressing dissatisfaction with recent city decisions and gathering thousands of signatures to initiate the process.
Kyle L'Hommedieu, who moved to Cape Coral in 2017, is leading the effort, saying, "I chose to make it my home. I started my business here, and I, in my opinion, I've seen it go into a direction that I don't like."
He is partnering with local businesses to set up signing stations and going door to door to gather support.
"I've had, even Cape Coral city employees, reach out to me to thank me," L'Hommedieu said.
He explained that the plan to convert part of Yellow Fever Creek Preserve into a storage facility was the tipping point for him, stating, "That's basically why I started this. I said, we need to take the city back. This city is for the citizens, not their plate playpen."
Residents are also unhappy with other decisions, such as renovations to Jaycee Park and the costly utilities extension project.
Ralph Guzzo, another Cape Coral resident, expressed his frustration, saying, "He's a poor excuse for a mayor. He's a disgrace. It's a shame to have him representing the taxpayers of Cape Coral," Guzzo said. "I'll probably move. And there's a lot of people that are moving, out of the Cape. There's a lot of inventory. It's terrible. People have to leave. They can't afford it anymore."
In response, Mayor Gunter emphasized that the criticized decisions were made collectively by the city council. "First, they're entitled to their opinion, but again, we've made all of our decisions, as a council by a majority vote," he said.
Reflecting on his tenure, Gunter acknowledged one decision he wished had been handled differently, stating, "The only decision that I can honestly say that we could have done a better job at that, of all of the discussions I've had in seven and a half years is probably the stipend, and it's not because of the stipend. It's maybe how it went about in the process."
Mayor Gunter maintains an open-door policy and invites residents to discuss any concerns they have about his leadership at city hall.
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