U.S. Air Force Reserve Chaplain Vince Cummings will formally announce his candidacy for Cape Coral mayor in the November 2013 election at noon Wednesday at the Iwo Jima monument, located at Ecological Park.

Pledging to work hard for citizens and business owners, he is the first to announce his run for the seat.

According to a prepared statement released Tuesday, Cummings was raised in Cape Coral and is a Cape Coral High School Class of 1990 graduate. He was appointed to the city’s budget review committee earlier this year. He additionally served on the historical and cultural resources advisory board, where he was the youngest citizen to chair a municipal advisory panel in the early 1990s.

Cummings retired from the Air Force Reserve earlier this year after almost 23 years of service, including combat service in Iraq, but he was asked by senior defense officials to return to traditional service in the U.S. Army Reserve. He holds the rank of major and is assigned to the 478th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) in Miami.

Cummings also serves as a member of the Florida Military Funeral Honors Team for central and Southwest Florida. In this capacity, he presents the American flag to the next of kin of deceased U.S. soldiers on a daily basis.

According to the release, Cummings is ready to tackle the hard challenges that Cape Coral is facing with a positive “can do” attitude. He is also looking forward to working with business leaders and citizens to make the community attractive to prospective newcomers.

On his Web site, www.vincecummings.com, he pledges the following:

– To reduce taxes through elimination of inefficiencies in municipal spending.

– To nurture a business friendly environment that rewards start-ups and job creators.

– To advocate growth and investment for and within established local companies.

– To increase veteran owned businesses, housing and health care services.

– To champion the establishment of a medical school on the location of Academic Village.

– To ensure delivery of quality services from the Lee County government at a fair price.