WATCH: Cocoa Village Neighborhood Coalition Host Cocoa City Council Candidate Forum at Cocoa Library

Set for the Catherine Scheinberg Rood Central Library meeting room 1

WATCH: Cocoa Village Neighborhood Coalition Host Cocoa City Council Candidate Forum at Cocoa Library

WATCH: Cocoa Village Neighborhood Coalition Host Cocoa City Council Candidate Forum at Cocoa Library

BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA, FLORIDA – The Cocoa Village Neighborhood Coalition is hosting a Candidate Forum for the City of Cocoa District 1 and District 4 city council seats on Thursday, Sept. 15, at the Catherine Scheinberg Rood Central Library meeting room 1.

The Candidate Forum will begin at 6 p.m. and ends at 7:15 p.m. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Space Coast Daily is the exclusive media sponsor and will live stream the event HERE.

The Cocoa Village Neighborhood Coalition is comprised of over 900 members and works to increase understanding of local policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. The organization does not endorse any candidate or party.

“The purpose of the forum is to give the audience and voting community an idea of where each candidate stands on various issues and to give citizens first-hand information to assist them in making informed decisions,” saida Cocoa Village Neighborhood Coalition official.

“It is anticipated questions posed, may give candidates a better understanding of issues important to their constituents. Primary questions will be developed by the forum moderator and residents of the City of Cocoa. Our aim is to provide a fair, honest event that allows all candidates to demonstrate their strengths and communicate their policy positions so the public can make informed decisions.”

The forum moderator will be Norman Moody, who is the editor of Senior Life of Florida and assignment editor for Viera Voice. He has served as advisory board vice chair for the Salvation Army Central-North Brevard, director-volunteer Through Eyes of Children, and board member of Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation.

Candidates will receive a list of potential forum topics before the scheduled event. Questions to the candidates by residents may be submitted to Askaquestion2022@Gmail.com

COCOA CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 CANDIDATES

■ Ed Green is a U.S. Army Veteran and a retired Federal Aviation Administration
executive with over 36 years of experience in management, budgets,
planning, labor relations, operations, and project management. He
 recently served on the Cocoa Redistricting Commission and is the deputy
chairman of the Cocoa Code Enforcement Board. He holds a Master of
Science degree in management and leadership. He lives in Cocoa Village
 with his wife Marilyn.

■ Alex Goins: I am so proud to represent District 1 for the City of Cocoa. I have always had a passion for serving and volunteering in my community as I watched my parents, James and Betty Goins, volunteer for many years and hours for various community organizations.

■ Demetrius Thomas is originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and relocated to Cocoa, Florida in June of 2020. Thomas said his interest in the Cocoa City government was immediate upon his arrival when he spoke with a few people that live in District 1 and expressed his desire to serve.

Thomas previously served on the City Code Enforcement and currently serves on the Police Advisory Board. His political experience goes back to 2014 in the State of Alabama and his background includes law enforcement, ordained elder, non-profit organization for troubled teens in Alabama, State of Alabama Bail Bonds Association, funeral industry and mortuary transport service.

COCOA CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 4 CANDIDATES

■ Jennifer Kenny is a long-time resident of Central Florida, where she dedicated her life to community service and helping others. As a single mother, Jennifer served an electrical apprenticeship with IBEW Local Union 606, obtaining her Electrical Journeyman license.

After a 20-year career in the electrical industry, while dedicating countless hours to volunteering with her Local Union throughout the community, Jennifer decided to follow her heart to pursue her passion for helping others. She applied for and was offered the position of Central Florida AFL-CIO Community Service Liaison to Heart of Florida United Way. During her tenure with United Way, she assisted individuals in the region with issues ranging from housing, unemployment, food assistance and other quality of life issues.

Kenny’s work with United Way prepared the way for her next opportunity. She would spend the next decade as an advocate for senior citizens with the Alliance for Retired Americans. Prior to retiring she went back to her roots with IBEW and spent six years as an Assistant Business Manager. She continues to serve as a member of the Career Source Brevard Board of Directors. Her mission continues to be to help others to achieve success in their chosen profession and promotes advanced job training opportunities for both youth and adult workers.

Kenny resides in Cocoa Florida where she attends local city meetings and events, engaging with the community whenever possible, spending time with her family and most importantly caring for her elderly parent.

■ Lorraine Koss was elected to Cocoa City Council in 2018. During her term, she has championed stormwater management, green infrastructure, waterfront beautification, smart growth, traffic calming, and public engagement, to name a few.

She has worked in public service all her life retiring as Deputy Director of the U.S. Water Alliance. She was elected to the Executive Committee of the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization and the Leadership Circle of ELEVATE BREVARD: Cocoa, an initiative to increase Cocoa residents’ employment preparedness. Koss is a Board Member of the Space Coast Economic Development Commission.

Koss is a Brevard County appointee and first chair to the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Citizen Oversight Committee and serves on the Brevard County Planning & Zoning Board. Koss founded the Cocoa Sustainability Advisory Board and has served on the Utilities Advisory Board since 2014. She also founded the first Space Coast Solar Coop in 2015. She has a master’s degree in Environmental Management from Duke University.

She is married to Lawrence Koss who works at Kennedy Space Center researching how to use water efficiently in space for growing food. Koss is a military Mom with two sons that served five tours in Iraq. She has one grandson.

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