Jack Clarke has resigned from his office as commissioner and his position as vice mayor to run for mayor of Bradenton Beach effective with the May 19 election. He is running against Mayor Bill Shearon in the mayoral recall election.
Clarke sat down in his city hall office to discuss the election with The Islander.
Islander: With the recall approaching, what’s important for readers to know?
Clarke: That finally the decision about the mayor staying or going is going to be in the hands of the voters. That’s the most significant and important part of it.
Islander: Tell me a little about your background.
Clarke: I was in the Army for three years. I served in Korea, served in Vietnam. I came home from the Army, opened my own business. Sold my own business after almost 30 years. Did some business consulting, did some real estate appraisal. The market went south in the early 2000s. I moved to Florida. That’s pretty much it. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been retired.
Islander: Tell me about your business.
Clarke: I sold motorcycles and motorcycle parts.
Islander: And you are from?
Clarke: Connecticut.
Islander: Tell me about some of the reasons for the need to have an election to determine the fate of the mayor.
Clarke: I don’t know that this qualifies as going forward. This is old news. I’ve put it all out there and I’m not going to sit here and throw darts at the mayor at this stage of the game.
Islander: Communication problems on the dais can be a two-way street or a five-way street. Is it possible that some of the concerns that people have about the mayor could be the result of poor communication that is caused by more than one person?
Clarke: The mayor is temperamentally unsuited for this job. It starts there and develops from there. I don’t believe, based on what I have seen in the last year or so, that any amount of communication would change where we are at today, though I would have welcomed the opportunity.
Islander: Aside from issues related to Mayor Shearon, a mayor has a lot of things on his or her plate. What are some of the issues that you think are important that you would work on with vigor as mayor of Bradenton Beach?
Clarke: My goal is to build a pathway to healing and unity. To do this I am going to need the help of all of the people, including the people who are in the mayor’s camp. Basically I am a solution-oriented and outcome-based guy. Now what does that mean? I like to identify the problems, prioritize them, develop alternatives and resolve those issues without any delay.
Some of the examples going forward: My wife and my supporters will not engage in behavior that will embarrass the office of the mayor and the city of Bradenton Beach.
Basically I seek balance between residential and commercial interests without costly interference with their rights. It is not the right approach to persecute and prosecute our local business people.