Former Naples PD Sergeant Ian Rudnick is running for city council

A former sergeant in the Naples Police Department filed a form last week appointing a treasurer and earmarking a bank account for his campaign, signaling that he is running for city council in February 2022.

Ian Rudnick worked for the NPD for more than 16 years until May of this year, including as a patrolman, SWAT operator, deputy SWAT commander and detective, he said.

Rudnick left the NPD to focus on his real estate career to take care of his wife and 5-year-old daughter, he said.

“I need to be able to provide and store money for your college. It’s nice to be home too, ”he said.

In case you missed it:Naples real estate agent John Dugan is the fourth candidate to run for city council in 2022

Rudnick said he wants to make Naples one of the safest cities in Florida by giving the city the resources it needs to hire and retain first aiders like higher salaries and affordable housing.

“Naples is one of the safest cities in Florida, but it has to stay that way,” said Rudnick.

Growth and development are another priority for Rudnick, he said.

Rudnick said it’s great to keep the city’s “small town feel” but the city needs to prepare for the district’s growth by, for example, maintaining and rehabilitating roads and drainage.

“No matter what we do, the county will keep expanding,” he said.

Related:Naples anti-abortion activist Bill Oppenheimer is running for city council in 2022

Another priority for Rudnick is water quality and preventing the red tide from growing, he said. Rudnick said he remembered the NPD patrol boats in recent years driving a lot of dead fish through the red tide.

“It was sad to see that our surroundings are like that,” he said.

Rudnick said the city should work more closely with government agencies to address this issue without abandoning its duty to look after the well-being of its residents.

“You can look at the things that have been done, that have worked, and see if they can be applied to your city. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel, ”he said.

Rudnick earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Florida Atlantic University.

More:Naples City Councilor Ray Christman is running for re-election in 2022

Stanley Karpf, Rudnick’s campaign treasurer, friend and neighbor, said he supported Rudnick because the city needed “a change of government”. He also said he supported Rudnick because he was a young candidate with a “fresh point of view”.

“He doesn’t owe anyone, nothing. He just runs because he loves his city,” said Karpf.

In March, Councilor Ray Christman became the first person to submit forms to the Naples City Clerk’s office signaling a candidacy for office in 2022.

Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison and Bill Oppenheimer, an anti-abortion activist, filed separately in May, and realtor John Dugan followed suit earlier this month. City Councilor Gary Price is also up for re-election next year.

Bill Oppenheimer withdraws from the city council race

Despite Rudnick’s candidacy, the number of candidates for Naples City Council remained at four as Bill Oppenheimer withdrew from the race earlier this month.

“Mr. Oppenheimer has withdrawn as a candidate,” wrote city clerk Patricia Rambosk in an email on Tuesday.

Oppenheimer is said to have survived a stroke earlier this month. He did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

More election news:The Vice Mayor of Naples, Terry Hutchison, is standing for re-election in 2022

The elections in the city of Naples are impartial and council members are elected at large. The first three votes will be elected to the council seats.

The deadline for registering to vote is January 3rd. Early voting takes place from January 26th to January 29th and the election day is February 1st.

Contact Omar at omar.rodriguezortiz@naplesnews.com and follow him on Twitter as @Omar_fromPR. Support his work by subscribing to the Naples Daily News.

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