Lissette Carey, Key West City Commissioner for District IV and Vice Mayor, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the city.
There are a lot of events coming up.
Carey said, “The first one up is going to be the Bight before Christmas, so lighting of the bight, and that’s going to be on Wednesday the 27th at six o’clock, and then the lights will stay on. I know my family and I, we enjoy walking through there any day of the week, once everything is lit up. Then we will have the lighting of the tree at Bay View Park, and that’s all set up and ready to go. That’s going to be on Monday, December 2, at six o’clock. The city is trying the sparkling holiday stroll. So it’s my understanding that both public and private organizations have been asked to participate, and so there’s going to be a little light up display to walk through, and those that do go to the park that evening are going to be able to cast their vote for their favorite so something new, and I’m very excited about that as well. Then we’ve got the city’s holiday parade, and that is on Saturday, December 7, and that’ll start at 6:30 on the corner of Truman and White Street. I know some folks that maybe haven’t been here so long or visiting and participate as spectators of the parade, are always surprised to see how many children actually live in the city of Key West and the surrounding Keys. I’ve heard comment to that like I never knew there were so many kids here. It is wonderful, and everyone’s just so happy and it’s a great way to kick off the holiday season.”
The parade will be broadcast live on Roku TV, on the Keys Living TV channel as well.
Carey added, “We have World AIDS Day. The ceremony is going to be on December 1 at the AIDS Memorial at White Street pier, and that’s at 9am. It’s always the first day of December. There’s lots of other just wonderful events around town, the winter wonderland down at the Coffee Butler amphitheater. I know the children really enjoy that also. Lots of stuff to keep us busy and to be able to celebrate this wonderful island in this great time of year.”
When it comes to city business, the city manager search is a big topic of discussion.
Carey said, “Most of us have conducted all of our interviews. I believe Commissioner Castillo is working through that process now and at our November meeting, we discussed bringing this forward as an action item for the December 12 meeting. We also had some discussion of the possibility of having a special meeting if necessary, if Commissioner Castillo needs a little more time. So we’ll be solidifying that, I’m sure, here in the upcoming weeks. Another exciting thing about that is what’s to come afterwards. So once we have selected the city manager, we’ve had discussions, and we are planning on having a commissioner’s retreat where we can start to prioritize some of the things that this commission, most being new, would like to carry forward through these next couple of years and with our new leadership of mayor, and then we plan on working on our legislative agenda and the things that we would like our lobbyists and our partners to be able to bring forward. So a lot of exciting things.”
The legislative session in Tallahassee will be in March.
Carey said, “I would very much like to be able to go. I know we’ve had some conversations with some of our county representatives to arrive this year at Florida Keys Day, for example, as a united front. There’s so much crossover and we’re all here to advocate for the best thing for Key West as representatives here, but also for the entire Florida Keys. So we’re looking forward to this new season of government here at the city.”
There are a number of very qualified candidates for the city manager position.
Carey said, “I think we are all happy with the process thus far and it’s allowed us to be much more involved. We have the selection committee, and we have five great candidates to choose from and we’re taking our time over this month to get to know them a little better, and study their applications and their background and see who rises to the top?”
City offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday.
Carey said, “I do appreciate the opportunity to speak, and as always, representing my city is really a wonderful thing, and I’m just so honored and proud to be able to do so.”