OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Ocala residents gathered Wednesday for the opportunity to meet and interact with their new mayor and other city leaders.
Mayor Ben Marciano was joined by Councilman Ire Bethea, City Manager Pete Lee, and Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place for the event dubbed “Let’s Talk.”
During the town hall-style event, Marciano shared with the crowd his vision for the future and discussed major issues facing the city.
Balken talked about some of the struggles within the police department. He shared that the Ocala Police Department’s biggest challenge is recruitment and retention of officers.
He also discussed gun violence and added that much of the crime that goes on in Ocala can be attributed to repeat offenders. He said they spend a lot of money and resources catching the “same bad guys over and over again.”
Afterwards, the tables turned, and residents shared their feedback with city leaders.
Many residents expressed concerns about a lack of resources in West Ocala compared to other areas of the city.
“I want it to be one Ocala. I want it to look like one Ocala like not over there [East Ocala] looks nice and clean and crisp and then over here [West Ocala] in the ghetto it looks like a slum,” said Angela McCants, an Ocala resident and president of the Poinciana Heights Homeowner’s Task Force. “We shouldn’t have to live like that. We should be one big happy family, one Ocala.”
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Francine Edwards, a district aide for Florida Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson (D-District 20), added that there’s a lot of growth going on in the city and the county as a whole but worries about access to grocery stores in West Ocala.
“There’s Family Dollars and there’s Dollar Generals, that’s a food desert to me,” said Edwards. “That’s doesn’t work for me as far as grocery stores and having fresh fruits and vegetables for our young people, for everyone in order to have a nutritious life.”
She added that it is important to make sure resources like those grocery stores, pharmacies, and “everything that you would have downtown” are “equitable for everyone.”
“We toured West Ocala, and we see people using their convenience store for a grocery store. We can’t have that,” responded Marciano. “We got to get healthy food options for people here. We know the importance of healthy food and we’re going to do whatever we can to make that happen.”
Citizens also shared concerns about sidewalks, streetlights, homelessness, road lines, traffic, code enforcement and whether officers were held accountable for their actions.
Marciano expressed the importance of community outreach.
He specifically highlighted physical and mental health resources available but a lack of community awareness about them.
Some of those resources include mentorship programs through the police and fire departments and free programs at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center, including use of the gym.
He added that he plans to start a “Workout with the Mayor.” The first one will be held Saturday, May 4, at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center. Marciano says he also plans to host workouts at parks and fitness challenges within school systems to get kids active.
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“We want to get you out in the community, and we want to bring people together and hopefully plant a seed of fitness,” said Marciano.