Lady Lake Mayor Jim Rietz and challenger Mike Sage appeared Tuesday night before the Property Owners Association at Laurel Manor Recreation Center.
The two Villagers will square off next month for the Ward 5 commission seat, which is located on the Historic Side of The Villages.
The mayor read through a long list of accomplishments achieved on his watch including huge fireworks celebration this past July, made possible in large part to the efforts of the Orange Blossom Gardens Lions Club of which he is a member. He also pointed to the opening of Snooky Park, which has been a source of great pride for the town, and bringing the Community Building into the black for the first time, thanks to rental fees charged for use of the facility.
He also said the town has a low tax rate and the millage rate has not been raised in seven years.
However, the mayor, a 17-year resident of The Villages, said there is still work to do. He said he is working with the Florida Department of Transportation in an effort to establish a designated golf cart crossing over U.S. Hwy. 27/441 for residents of the Historic Side. He said that the flooding of the golf cart bridge during Hurricane Irma in 2017 showed how vulnerable residents of the Historic Side can be when they can’t cross the highway.
The Illinois native also said he is looking forward to the town’s centennial celebration in 2025 and wants to make it memorable.
“It’s my hometown and I want to see it prosper. And I want to see the residents have fun,” Rietz said.
His opponent Mike Sage bought a vacation home on the Historic Side back in the 1990s and has been part of the community for three decades.
Sage said he decided to run after he called Rietz for help and did not receive a return call.
“My commissioner did not return my call,” Sage said.
He said he called other commissioners, who returned his call.
“If you reside in Ward 5, I am going to call you back,” Sage promised.
He pointed out that he is not running for mayor, but rather a commission seat. He explained that the mayor in Lady Lake is chosen by the five-member commission and not directly elected by the voters.
Sage said he wants to see the police department hire more officers and wants to develop a comprehensive road management plan.
The former Connecticut resident said he has reached out to every single voter in Ward 5.
“If you want change, you have to vote,” Sage said.
