Showing Up for Racial Justice SWFL e-mailed all candidates for Cape Coral City Council a questionnaire on issues relating to racial justice. (To see candidate responses from other races on the ballot in Southwest Florida, click here.)

Responses were received from:

Louis C. Navarra (District 5 candidate)

Robert Welsh (District 5 candidate)

Jessica Cosden (District 7 candidate)

The following candidates in this primary race did not respond:

Bryan DeLaHunt (District 2 candidate)

Todd Maurer (District 2 candidate)

Dan Sheppard (District 2 candidate)

Chris Cammarota (District 3 candidate)

Tom Hayden (District 3 candidate)

Joseph Kilraine (District 3 candidate)

Edward Nichols (District 3 candidate)

Patty L. Cummings (District 7 candidate)

Derrick Donnell (District 7 candidate)

Below are the responses from the candidates who responded to our questionnaire.

1. Do you support the Movement for Black Lives?

Cosden: Yes

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: Yes

2. Are you committed to identifying and eliminating racial disparities within the jurisdiction or scope of the elected office for which you seek?

Cosden: Yes

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: Yes

3. Investments in social services and community programs consistently have shown to reduce poverty and crime. Do you support reducing the budgets of law enforcement agencies and reallocating funds to social services and community programs?

Cosden: Decline to answer

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: No

COSDEN: I don’t believe it has to be one or the other; I believe we can have both. In certain cities, defunding and/or dismantling the police department makes sense. But I believe that in Cape Coral, we can fund the police department AND fund these other vital services. I had a long talk with the Police Chief after the George Floyd tragedy, and learned that our Police Department is doing a lot to ensure something like that never happens here. I DO support increased funding for mental health, education, and community programs.

4. Do you support efforts for increased accountability and public transparency for law enforcement officers who engage in improper policing, excessive and deadly use of force, and other instances of brutality against citizens?

Cosden: Yes

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: Yes

5. In instances of officer-involved shootings resulting in the death or injury of a civilian, do you support an independent agency unaffiliated with local law enforcement to investigate these instances, with the authority to bring charges against an officer if use of excessive force is determined?

Cosden: Yes

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: No

6. Do you support an end to qualified immunity for law enforcement officers?

Cosden: Yes

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: No

WELSH: I believe there is room for reform.

7. Do you support efforts to remove armed law enforcement officers from schools, as well as armed teachers and staff, and instead hire more counselors and mental health professionals to serve students?

Cosden: Decline to answer

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: Decline to answer

COSDEN: Absolutely NO armed teachers and staff in our schools. When it comes to SROs, I have seen firsthand the positive impact of SROs in Cape Coral schools. Children and teens who may be initially afraid of police officers see them every day and develop genuine relationships. However, I AM in favor of taking away their ability to make arrests based on petty offenses. I work with at-risk girls and I have seen what can happen to a student who becomes part of the criminal justice system at a young age. SROs should build relationships and trust with students, not arrest them.

NAVARRA: Waste of money. They sit around socialize with secretaries and staff. Walk around school once to “make it look good.”

WELSH: I support efforts to hire more counselors and mental health professionals to serve students. I do not support efforts to remove armed law enforcement officers, teachers and staff from schools.

8. The cash bail system keeps more than 70% of people charged, but not convicted, for a crime in local jails for several weeks or months due to an inability to afford bail. This disproportionately affects people of color and poorer folks. Do you support efforts to eliminate or reform the cash bail system?

Cosden: Yes

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: Yes

NAVARRA: Innocent till proven guilty.

9. Do you support increasing funding to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness, as well as mental health services and court diversion programs that prioritize mental health and treatment for addiction over incarceration?

Cosden: Yes

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: Yes

10. Do you support efforts to address the rising cost of housing by working with federal, state and local agencies to build more affordable housing for renters and homeowners?

Cosden: Yes

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: Yes

WELSH: I would prefer to support unsubsidized housing solutions, that would take the burden off the tax payers.

11. Do you support a $15 minimum wage and labor policies including fair scheduling and paycheck fairness protections?

Cosden: Decline to answer

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: Decline to answer

COSDEN: This is not an issue I will ever face as a City Councilmember (not within our scope), and I don’t have enough information to honestly answer this question.

WELSH: I support increased pay for workers.

12. Do you support efforts to provide relief for student loan debt and to make some public colleges and universities tuition-free?

Cosden: Decline to answer

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: Decline to answer

COSDEN: This is not an issue I will ever face as a City Councilmember (not within our scope), and I don’t have enough information to honestly answer this question.

WELSH: I would support tuition-free advanced education.

13. Do you support efforts to provide universal Pre-K education for all young children?

Cosden: Yes

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: Decline to answer

14. Do you support the decriminalization of marijuana for recreational use?

Cosden: Yes

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: Yes

15. Do you support the removal of objects glorifying the Confederacy from public spaces?

Cosden: Yes

Navarra: Yes

Welsh: Decline to answer

NAVARRA: Put in museums like the Smithsonian.

16. Briefly list any proposals or policies you will pursue to promote racial justice in the community and ensure the voices of people of color are represented through the elected office you seek.

COSDEN: I have supported, and will continue to support, the concept of community policing as described by President Obama. The idea is that police officers develop positive rather than adversarial relationships with those in the community. I am also committed to examining every new law to be sure that we aren’t inadvertently creating racial inequity.

NAVARRA: Police reform for the Cape Coral Police Dept. Also, an audit of them. Black lives matter; all lives matter.

17. Communities of color represent an overwhelming majority of individuals whose jobs are considered essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. Briefly describe your plans to protect essential workers and their families from the health and economic effects of the pandemic.

COSDEN: The federal government recently gave Cape Coral $634,000 to distribute to those affected by COVID-19. It was originally suggested that a large portion go to business owners, but I made the successful motion to reallocate, with more funding for rent and mortgage assistance to help low-income residents (many essential workers fall into this category). I will also be pushing for expanded hardship deferral guidelines for the utilities assessments, coming next year. People who are hit hardest by COVID-19 do not need a new costly bill in their mailbox. Thank you so much for your consideration.

NAVARRA: Follow Dr. Fauci’s advice. Not Dr. Trump. Pay the medical costs for a worker who gets COVID–19 on the job.

For more information about the candidates:

Re-Elect Jessica Cosden

Louis Navarra

Robert Welsh