Alan Lowe and David Alfin position themselves in race to be Palm Coast mayor

Palm Coast Observer
News

Mayoral candidate David Alfin positioned himself as a consensus builder with an even temperament and broad experience in industry organizations, while mayoral candidate Alan Lowe positioned himself as being in touch with the real concerns of the residents and having experience running his own businesses.

The two men were guests on WNZF’s “Free For All Friday” on May 21.

On the issues

Matt Morton

When asked on WNZF May 2 if he supports City Manager Matt Morton, mayoral candidate Alan Lowe was unenthusiastic. He only said that Morton may be able to “flourish” with the right City Council. Mayoral candidate Alfin said he fully supports Morton.

Council meetings

In an apparent critique of Alfin, who has not been a visible presence at past City Council meetings, Lowe reiterated that he has been to all but one of the council meetings in the past year or so. Lowe said he has heard many residents make repeated complaints about traffic and other issues, and he feels they aren’t being listened to.

“I have my finger on the pulse of the city, and I think if people are supportive and willing to put me in that position, they will find that their voice comes into City Hall,” Lowe said.

'A good citizen'

When asked what makes the two candidates different, David Alfin said, “I am first and foremost a good citizen who believes in the process." It was an apparent reference to Alan Lowe’s decision to file court paperwork to renounce his U.S. citizenship in 1992. Lowe has since said the paperwork was invalid and that it was a temporary desire; he enjoys his citizenship today.

After an interview with Boston Whaler, which hosted a groundbreaking and tour on May 21, while the show was being recorded live, both candidates praised the company for bringing jobs to Palm Coast.

Alfin, a board member of the Flagler Home Builders Association, said the city needs to “wrap our arms around” Boston Whaler and make them successful.

Lowe said the city should bring back its Economic Development Department, so that a department head could get involved with recruiting employees for the construction industry and others.

What makes Alfin and Lowe different?

Alfin said: “I have involved myself in numerous boards and organizations, including the Realtors Association, the Chamber of Commerce; I’m also the president of the Flagler County Education Foundation. So I have a lot of passion to develop and grow the city of Palm Coast.”

Lowe responded that he has been in Palm Coast for about 38 years and has been self-employed for all but five of them. “I understand the self-employed business atmosphere in Palm Coast. It’s not great. … It’s getting a lot better, I’ll give you that, but we still need to tune it up a little bit. ... We need to ensure the success of our businesses instead of putting excessive pressure on them.”

Lowe said the city should add a suggestion box and said the city’s recent attempts to survey business leaders didn’t go far enough.

Alfin said he stands for collaboration and consensus. “It would be our job to listen to the largest majority of voters out there. … If we can form a consensus, we can project back to the community that we know what we’re doing and we’re doing a good job.”