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?

Truax: Yes

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

Truax: Yes

As we have seen, no accountability for illegal or deadly actions on the part of the police creates an environment where the citizens fear law enforcement officers who act with impunity.

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?

Truax: Yes

I have long held the belief that more guns equate to more deaths. We cannot allow the proliferation of guns in schools, let alone in our communities. I have been endorsed by the Mom’s Demand Action Coalition for my support for restrictions on AK-47 assault style weapons and comprehensive background checks for all weapon purchases, including the elimination of the gun show exemption for screenings.

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?

Truax: Yes

The punishment of incarceration for being poor, without a finding of guilt is antithetical to our idea of equal justice under the law. Being locked up away from family and gainful employment further erodes the social network that supports families in need.

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?

Truax: Yes

The impending catastrophe of the COVID-19 economic and health pandemic will create more homelessness than the Great Recession of ’07-’08. Estimates as high as 28 million families could face eviction in the coming year due to the fallout from lockdowns and inability to earn income.  We need to strengthen our networks of support to allow for housing options for these families immediately. The mental health and addiction treatment resources in our community are greatly lacking. I spearheaded the Coalition for Optimal Behavioral Health and Aging in Lee County which cleared the way for increased mental health services in Lee County. We expanded the service provision of Lee Health System and cleared the way for Park Royal Mental Health Hospital. Prior to our efforts, patients had to be sent as far away as Miami and Port Charlotte for mental health services when they were dually diagnosed with mental and physical impairments.

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?

Truax: Yes

As a rip-wrap and vinyl siding crew member at Habitat for Humanity, I have seen the importance a clean, affordable, home can make to a family in need. I have been at the key hand over ceremonies for many families who worked hard to obtain a decent, affordable home. We need to expand our efforts to redevelop empty lots throughout the county for affordable homes on affordable lots built within our existing infrastructure. I have proposed eliminating the impact fees for homes below $150,000 and creating a sliding scale of 40% for homes under $250,000 and the full fee for homes above $350,000.

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

Truax: Yes

Current rents in Lee County would actually require a minimum wage in the mid $23/hr. range.  Average rents for 933 square feet are $1291/mo. If rent should be approximately 30% of one’s income, a person will need to earn roughly $48,000 to afford a modest 1 bedroom apartment.

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

Truax: Yes

Associate’s Degrees and Certifications in Technical Schools should be affordable and even tuition-free. The administrative costs for public universities have skyrocketed while professor and assistant professor salaries have stagnated. By eliminating the overhead at public institutions, focusing on academics vs. bureaucracy would help reduce the costs for this education.

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

Truax: Yes

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

Truax: Yes

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

Truax: Yes

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.

I would support single district elections to select members of Lee County Commission. Currently, the election is county-wide and has systematically eroded the diverse representation of the County.

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.

I would immediately make a motion for a mask mandate ordinance county-wide upon my election and swearing in on November 17, 2020. I would rely on the guidelines set forth by the CDC and the FL Dept. of Health in creating a phased re-opening once testing, tracking and trending measures are put in place following a sustained 2-week decline in positive tests, deaths and hospitalizations.

For more information about the candidates:

Todd Truax