By CHRISTOPHER TUFFLEY
christopher.tuffley@newssun.com
AVON PARK -- City council members unanimously approved Mayor Sharon Schuler's nomination of Mike Eldred to the Housing Authority board Monday night.
Eldred is well known around town, partly because of his street cleaning business, Clean Sweep, which he has owned and operated since 1990. Others know him through his community involvement.
Eldred was born with obvious disabilities. This has never kept him from achieving his goals.
It is the first time, according to Arc officials, that a person with disabilities has been named to serve on a city board.
Cam Barnard, of Arc, worked with Eldred for years.
"His speech pattern is different, and sometimes he has to stop and think," she said, "but he can be easily understood. He is self-sufficient, with his own business. He recently moved from a group home to a Housing Authority apartment of his own."
This makes him an excellent candidate for the Housing Authority board, Barnard said, because he has a strong sense of neighborhood.
"He's interested in his community," Barnard added. "He's a doer and has initiative. Mike participates in events and attends Housing Authority meetings and watches city council meetings on television. He's really interested. This is a special oppportunity."
Larry Shoeman, the authority's director, is a big Eldred fan.
"Mike is a very active," he said. "He cares. He's been a regular attendee the last several months. He has a disability, but he communicates well and will be a good representative for his community."
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - www.newssun.com/022713-ct-Eldred