During his first commission meeting May 21 as mayor-elect, Jack Clarke said he will nominate his successor for the Ward 1 commission seat without first advertising the position.
The seat, he said, “is an appointment based on the nomination of the mayor, not an advertisement.”
Clarke, who will be sworn in at 1 p.m. Monday, June 1, said May 20 that he will name his Ward 1 successor at a June 4 meeting. Commissioners will vote on Clarke’s choice. Any candidate for the seat must meet city qualifications for office, including being a resident of Ward 1 for two years.
In a May 13 email to acting clerk Terri Sanclemente, Commissioner Janie Robertson said past mayors unilaterally determined who would fill ward vacancies, including one case where a candidate had 100 signatures in support but was not selected.
“We don’t want to have that fiasco happen again,” Robertson wrote.
Clarke assumed the role of mayor-elect on defeating incumbent Bill Shearon in the May 19 recall election.
In other actions May 21, commissioners approved two invoices totaling $4,208.75 from LTA Engineers of Bradenton for work related to the city’s new stormwater utility ordinance and the city-owned beach access across Gulf Drive from city hall.
They also approved two invoices for $3,588.50 from Blalock Walters, a Bradenton-based law firm. A portion of the legal fees was for the Cast-n-Cage Restaurant eviction lawsuit, which the city won. The remainder was related to the global settlement of four lawsuits against the city, which is pending.
Commissioners also approved a fireworks display for Friday, July 3, at the Beachhouse Restaurant, 200 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach, and a special event, the Anna Maria Island Privateers Fourth of July Parade, to be held Saturday, July 4.
Commissioners also heard a second reading and gave final approval to an ordinance terminating the current employee medical insurance program. The city is transferring insurance coverage from Self-Insured Plan LLC to United Healthcare for a savings of 39 percent.
Meanwhile, commissioners approved termite extermination service at city hall for Manatee Termite and Pest Control. Other bids came from Island Pest and Termite Control and Fahey Pest Management.
Manatee’s bid was $1,950. Island’s was $3,895 while Fahey’s was $2,174.
Commissioners reached consensus to have staff research the installation of a pickleball net at the basketball court at Herb Dolan Park. They discussed the game, liability concerns and that installation would be paid for by resident Mike Norman, who requested the court.
Either basketball or pickleball players would be able to use the court.
Coquina Beach Cafe, which serves alcohol to patrons, is required to hire off-duty police officers at night. Citing no alcohol-related disturbances since the arrangement went in effect a year ago, commissioners agreed to limit the police presence to Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends.
During their May 20 workshop on the request for proposal for the new restaurant on the Historic Bridge Street Pier, commissioners discussed the necessity of requiring the new concessionaire to provide a pier-based bait shop.
Recognizing that it could be months before a new restaurant is open for business on the pier, John Maguire of Cortez spoke to the need to keep the bait shop open.
Maguire even offered to sell bait from his pontoon boat, off the pier’s floating dock.