NEWSMAKER Q & A: Port Orange's Joie Alexander focused on 'now and what's ahead' early in her ninth year on the County Council

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Photos by Dale Smith / Joie Alexander is all smiles in her first weeks since being sworn in as the district 3 representative on the Volusia County Council, following her overwhelming Nov. 2 election victory over private attorney George Trovato.

Just a year shy of a decade with the Volusia County Council, Joie Alexander was term-limited from the at-large seat before deciding in the 11th hour last year to seek the district 3 seat held by term-limited Jack Hayman. Fighting off the label of career politician, Alexander finished first in the Aug. 24  primary in a field of seven and then easily defeated finalist George Trovato in the Nov. 2 general election with 56-plus percent of the vote.

The Newsmaker Q & A interview was conducted by contributing writer Dale Smith.

PORT ORANGE  -- Joie Alexander believes in sage words spoken by others who have had an impact on her life. Take Will Rogers, for example: "Don't let yesterday use up too much of today."

"I try to stay focused on what's now and ahead, not what's happened in the past," she said. Having grown up poor and a daughter of sharecropper parents in Glennville, Ga., Alexander said she knows what hard work is. And it's this upbringing and work ethic that has driven Alexander to work tirelessly with and for others.

"My father worked me and my two sisters hard and he expected us to help with no complaints," she said. "Today, I can see why. You have to do things yourself in order to move ahead."

Alexander was sworn in earlier this month as Volusia County Councilwoman representing District 3, which encompasses a portion of Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, and Oak Hill. She beat attorney George Travato in the November election.

QUESTION: When did you begin your political career?

ANSWER: "It was in 2002 when I was elected as the At-large member to the county council. I was re-elected four years later."

QUESTION: What do you bring to the table?

ANSWER: "I believe my role on the council is being a watchdog and supporting a team concept, not individuality. It's all about teamwork. I don't shy away from questioning my fellow council members especially when it comes to things that will impact citizens."

QUESTION: Give me an example.

ANSWER: Budget items, for one. I ask for analysis of past years and study what impact, if any, certain budget items would have on the taxpayers, before I make my own decisions. When it comes to land use development issues, I promised constituents before I was elected that I would do my homework first before making decisions.

QUESTION: What are some of the issues the county is still facing heading into 2011?

ANSWER: Controlling the county budget, making smart decisions on economic development and finding a solution to the controversy over beach driving. I still strongly support keeping the beaches open to vehicular traffic, in spite of calls to do otherwise. I favor the incubator idea that's been proposed at Daytona Beach International Airport. The track record shows it's a 5-1 return on every tax dollar for incubator businesses. Every business created there usually stays within the county, so it's good for us. I believe the county council will continue to downsize county government the best they can. We do need to do more with less. We have to make decisions that are good for the taxpayers.

QUESTION: When it comes to combining potential economic growth with a tight county budget, sometimes it's a hard balancing act. How do you justify spending dollars on big things like this?

ANSWER: "The Ocean Center is a good example because it is an economic driver. The county needs to support it the best it can. But at the same time we want to protect the smaller businesses like motels and restaurants that compete for the very same dollars the Ocean Center is trying to get. The Ocean Center is an enterprise and is not operated by tax revenue. The Ocean Center budgets approximately $671,000 for marketing and sales. Of that, about $200,000 is what is available for print media. In addition to the $200,000, there is approximately $60,000 spent in travel, registrations, and trade shows to promote the Ocean Center. The business plan of the Ocean Center is different from most others because the Ocean Center's economic impact is designed to make revenue for everybody else. That in turn helps us (the county). Since property taxes are not used for the Ocean Center, there are three sources of revenue: $6.7 million from Tourist Development Resort Tax collection; $1.2 million in sales tax; and another $1.9 million is generated out of operations. Three percent from the bed tax dollars goes back to pay the bonds on the Ocean Center. As for marketing and advertising for the Ocean Center, we need to know where we're going with those dollars."

QUESTION: What are your proudest accomplishments as a county councilwoman?

ANSWER: "I'm proud to have been a part of enhancing the county's quality of life and the environmental ecosystems for which the county was recognized by the Department of Community Affairs. Former councilman Jack Hayman deserves the credit for this. The council adopted most of the recommendations of the Smart Growth Implementation Committee into the comprehensive plan. Included within this framework was the adoption of the environmental Core Overlay Map which provides for an extra layer of protection of 300,000 acres of the must-save places in our county."

QUESTION: How did you vote on the issue of the county bailing out the American Music Festival?

ANSWER: "I voted to approve since we had already allocated the funds for this. By our action, the money was paid in one lump sum rather than quarterly."

QUESTION: How did you vote regarding the raise the county manager got?

ANSWER: "I was in Georgia attending a family member's funeral and was not present for the vote."

QUESTION: Are you thinking about running for reelection after this 2-year term is up?

ANSWER: "In order to get back to staggering terms, Districts 1, 3, and 5 will be for 2-year terms in 2012 then kick back in to 4-year terms in 2014. Districts 2 and 4 will be four-year again beginning 2012. My current focus is to understand the specific issues and concerns of District 3 while remaining current with the countywide concerns and initiatives."

Newsmaker bio: Joie Alexander

Age: 70

FAST FACTS

Ever since Joie Alexander was elected to the Volusia County Council in 2002 for an at-large seat, she was involved herself in a number of council commitee assignments and civic causes, including:

About the contributing writer:

Dale Smith is a resident of New Smyrna Beach, who has reported on local news in Volusia County since October 2009.  His writing background includes a mix of journalism and public relations in several community newspapers and a p.r. firm in northern Virginia. He attended Barton Academy in Barton, Vt., and the Cambridge (Mass.) School of Broadcasting for radio & TV broadcasting.