Former law enforcement officer Richard Carr was appointed to the vacant District 4 seat on Cape Coral City Council during a Dec. 13 meeting.
Carr received four of seven total nominating votes before being unanimously approved by Council. The 30-year Cape Coral resident was one of 13 candidates vying for the seat that belonged to Patty Cummings, who was suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis through an executive order in November, as she faces three felony charges and is accused of lying about where she lived when she won the seat in 2022.
Carr works as a Realtor at Palm Paradise Real Estate in Fort Myers, but began his time in Southwest Florida as a captain with the Fort Myers Police Department from 1990 to 2012, before serving as assistant chief at the Naples Police Department from 2012 to 2015. He has a background in public administration and worked as a division manager of code compliance for the city of Cape Coral from 2015 to 2021 and director of professional standards at the School District of Lee County from 2021 to 2022.
“My journey in public service has been an integral part of my life and my identity,” Carr said. Mayor John Gunter and council members Tom Hayden, Keith Long and Bill Steinke gave their nominating votes to Carr. The three other votes went to former council member Jennifer Nelson, David Orlowski and Karen Lee Solgard.
Carr has a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Barry University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 248.
When asked how he could help plan Cape Coral’s future in the next couple decades, Carr said there should be an emphasis on planned growth and collaboration between city leaders and the community.
With 11 months left on his term, Carr intends to learn the job and gain the confidence of the community he now represents. He plans to run for the seat in November 2024.
“I feel very impacted this evening with the decision that you’ve all made and the trust that you’ve given me,” Carr said. “To the citizens, I look forward to gaining your trust the way that I’ve gained the City Council’s trust. I may not be able to get it done in the next two weeks, like I did with [Council], but I hope over my 11 months serving as your City Council member in District 4, I can do that. I will make myself as available as I can. I’ll always be open and forthright with my answers and decision making, and I really, truly look forward to working with this Council and the mayor and the rest of the citizens of this city.”
