ST. LUCIE COUNTY − The St. Lucie County Commission District 3 Republican primary is pitting a veteran incumbent against a political newcomer who said she feels people’s voices aren’t being heard.
Incumbent Linda Bartz, a former longtime Port St. Lucie City Council member, is being challenged in the Aug. 20 primary by Erin Lowry, who owns The Barn at Oleander LLC, a wedding business, and also is a speech therapist.
The winner will face a write-in candidate in the Nov. 5 general election.
Bartz, 73, said working with the City of Port St. Lucie on traffic and development are important issues.
Portions of Port St. Lucie, particularly the Tradition area west of Interstate 95, have boomed in recent years, and areas in unincorporated St. Lucie County also are growing.
“How do we address that? How do we work together to make sure that we are not overburdening our roads?” Bartz said. “We need to work together on that, and I think we are working together to come to some resolutions.”
Lowry, 48, said she’s lived in the area for 26 years, noting it had been slower growing. The last two years, she said, have “exploded.”
“Traffic is an issue … Our infrastructure is not really in place, our roads aren't handling it well,” Lowry said. “When I get in there, I really want to look at what's the best way to have smarter growth.”
Bartz said it's important to ensure "development is happening in the right way, that we are instituting policies and procedures, and talking about commercial development.”
Lowry said she wants to “keep St. Lucie County from looking like Fort Lauderdale.”
“I think we need to just kind of take a look at the whole thing overall and make some better decisions for what the community wants,” Lowry said.
Bartz said she’s hopeful about getting a Federal Aviation Administration certification to allow for commercial passenger flights at the Treasure Coast International Airport in Fort Pierce.
She also noted efforts, with the help of Florida Rep. Dana Trabulsy, to help start lowering inmate medical costs.
Lowry said she watched former President Donald Trump, and said she thought those in business “run good working communities.”
“As a county commissioner, I think you need to be business-minded,” Lowry said.
Lowry said people feel as if they’re not being heard.
“I want to bring a sense of approachability and friendliness to the board where people feel more comfortable … to have better relationships with the community, so that they don't feel like we're against them,” Lowry said. “We're here to represent them.”
Bartz said she’s proud of efforts to reduce millage rates in the county. She also said her assignment to the Opioid Abatement Funding Advisory Board was important, noting she has a family member struggling with addiction.
“We know that we need more recovery centers. We know that we need more beds. We know that we need to address mental health,” Bartz said.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY COMMISSION DISTRICT 3
Position: County Commissioner
Term: Four years
Salary: $100,178
Who can vote: St. Lucie County registered Republican voters
Next steps: The winner on Aug. 20 will face a write-in candidate in the Nov. 5 general election.
Linda Bartz, incumbent
Age: 73
Profession: current St. Lucie County commissioner
Time in office: St. Lucie County Commission since 2016; Port St. Lucie City Council 2006 - 2016
Erin Lowry
Age: 48
Profession: Owner of The Barn at Oleander LLC; speech therapist
Time in office: None
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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com .
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Traffic, growth top of mind for political newcomer, incumbent in SLC Commission District 3
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