Carol Soustek can be found in any number of committee meetings at Holmes Beach City Hall. And now she can be found seated on the dais.
Holmes Beach commissioners appointed Soustek to the commission at their Nov. 25 meeting.
“I’m very happy to be sitting up here right now,” Soustek said. “I want to tell you how important it is to me to be sitting up here with this group. I admire this group a great deal.”
Soustek ran and lost the race for a commission seat in 2013. She has since chaired a city traffic committee and served on other committees. She is a longtime volunteer with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch.
The commission followed its swearing-in ceremony with a meeting the same day to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Commissioner David Zaccagnino. He resigned his commission seat effective with the Nov. 4 election to make a bid for mayor.
Prior to resigning, Zaccagnino had served nine years on the commission. He lost to Bob Johnson.
Commissioners were tasked with selecting a fifth commissioner that would fulfill the one-year remainder of Zaccagnino’s term.
City clerk Stacey Johnston said there is no language referring to the procedure for making the appointment. So the commission determined procedure and the swearing in for the new commissioner.
They chose Soustek.
Soustek “has been a great citizen for 25 years here and for 23 years a great volunteer in the community. She worked on a committee that actually got something done. I’d be proud to have her on the commission,” said Commissioner Marvin Grossman.
Commissioner Jean Peelen agreed with Grossman about Soustek’s qualifications, but asked commissioners to take two weeks to solicit interest from community members.
Peelen said the delay would promote transparency and “community inclusion.”
However, Peelen stood alone; all other commissioners wanted to appoint and swear-in Soustek that night.
“I think we need to get on with our business. We have so many things coming up. I feel we have a good candidate. We did a lot of searching leading up to the election,” said Grossman.
Grossman moved to appoint Soustek to the commission and Commissioner Pat Morton seconded. The motion carried 4-0.