It was a kinder, gentler candidate forum.
There was agreement on some — but not all — issues during a forum sponsored Sept. 29 in Bradenton Beach by the League of Women Voters of Manatee County.
About two dozen people attended the city hall debate, pitting Ward 3 Commissioner Janie Robertson and Ralph Cole, a first-time candidate.
Topics ranged from a construction moratorium to forfeiture of office.
Rosalie Shaffer, league president, referenced the vacant city treasurer position when asking a question about employee compensation. Cole and Robertson addressed the open position instead.
Cole said city department heads could select a treasurer with the appropriate skills and qualifications. He suggested getting temporary professional accounting assistance until a treasurer is hired.
Robertson disagreed, saying management of the city’s money is the responsibility of elected officials, not a city clerk or anyone else. “Financial decisions should be controlled by the commission,” she said.
Robertson is running for her fifth two-year term. She termed out in 2011 — based on the city charter rules — after three terms and then decided to run again in 2013. Cole said he is running for office to give the voters a choice and that during the past two years “our city has lost its way.” He did not elaborate.
Both candidates have long personal histories in Bradenton Beach. Cole, 53, is a married father of three grown children who has lived in Bradenton Beach since he was 17. He is owner of Coastal Watersports, which operates on the beach at Silver Surf Gulf Beach Resort, 1301 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach, and has owned a business in Bradenton Beach for 30 years.
Cole said he has the time and knowledge to serve. After all, “I know the history,” said the son of former Mayor Gail Cole.
Robertson, 72, a retired business owner and teacher, said she has been a resident or visitor to Anna Maria Island for 50 years and a Florida resident for 25. She moved to Bradenton Beach 10 years ago and was asked to run for office within a month. Before doing so, she served on committees that worked on the visioning process and the comp plan and served on the scenic highway committee.
Robertson said she voted against the construction moratorium proposed by residents Sept. 17 because it “needed work.” She supported a moratorium proposed by Commissioner Jan Vosburgh at the Oct. 1 commission meeting, but voted against it because it was not properly advertised or prepared by staff.
Cole said he would be in favor of a moratorium for residential areas that want one, “if it’s worded right.” He added that the owners themselves best regulate rental property. “Vacation rentals have been part of the island … for years,” he said. “When you make a new regulation … you might affect something else along the way that takes away people’s rights.”
Shaffer asked the candidates about island traffic congestion, which Cole and Robertson agreed is alleviated somewhat by the island trolley. Both acknowledged that inadequate parking is the nemesis.
Cole suggested relocating Cortez Bridge to a 53rd Street-mainland connection. Robertson noted that proposals have been made for a water taxi and that businesses renting bicycles/Segways offer alternatives. She suggested marketing the island as a place where tourists don’t need a car.
Robertson supports the eight charter amendment ballot questions voters will consider on the Nov. 3 ballot. Shaffer referenced two, the proposed changes in the process by which elected officials may forfeit their office and the proposal to increase the residency requirement to run for commissioner, from nine to 24 months.
Cole said he was happy a proposal to change the mayor’s position and the city’s form of government was not put before voters. The mayor, he said, wears two hats, as a “liaison to the department heads” and as a voting member of the commission.
It’s worked well, he said.
Former Mayor Bill Shearon, who is running against incumbent Mayor Jack Clarke, attended. Clarke was absent from the gallery.
Shearon and Clarke were scheduled to face off in the same forum, until Clarke announced last month he would not participate, saying the issues had not changed since he took office in June.
The forum started off, however, with a snafu at city hall, 107 Gulf Drive N., where no one from the city was present to open the doors to the LWV and the “no parking” signs had not been posted. The parking lot was full and the police department was called to open the door to city hall.
Election information
Voter registration closed Oct. 5. Bradenton Beach voters will be receiving new voter ID cards that inform them to vote this year at the Volunteer Fire Hall, 201 Second St. N., Bradenton Beach.
The polls will open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Voters also may vote by mail. Ballots are available online at votemanatee.com or at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office, 600 301 Blvd. W., suite 108, Bradenton. Call the SOE at 941-741-3823.