Former Bradenton Beach Commissioner Janie Robertson is making a comeback in the political arena.
She claims in a Jan. 31 email to city officials that the “first result of the agenda resolution … is rearing its ugly head” and city clerk Terri Sanclemente is misusing the newly bestowed authority.
Commissioners gave Sanclemente authority Jan. 21 by a resolution proposed by the city attorney to establish consent agendas, wherein commissioners vote once on multiple items that require no discussion. It previously was the mayor’s responsibility.
Six days later Sanclemente included for the Feb. 4 consent agenda an item seeking commission approval for her and deputy clerk Marie Montoya to attend the International Institute of Municipal Clerks Annual Conference, May 21-26, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Sanclemente estimates the cost of the trip at $2,617.90, nearly 75 percent of the $3,500 annual budget for education for the administration department.
“Right off the bat, she ‘buries’ an expensive boondoggle trip to Nebraska for herself and a selected clerk on the consent agenda,” Robertson wrote.
Commissioners have the option of pulling items from the consent agenda during meetings to discuss and then consider the items separately.
Robertson also emailed Jan. 25 a response to the Florida Commission on Ethics complaint made against her in October 2015 by then-Bradenton Beach Mayor Jack Clarke.
“The complaint filed by Jack Clarke against me is false and frivolous,” Robertson wrote.
Robertson told The Islander Jan. 29 that Clarke had the complaint notarized Oct. 26 but did not file it until recently. In the complaint, he alleges Robertson was responsible for mailing a paid political advertisement containing “blatantly false” statements against him and did so with malice.
The complaint alleges Robertson’s comments about Clarke were included in a mailer provided by the campaign of his mayoral opponent, Bill Shearon, but were not reported as an in-kind contribution by Robertson’s campaign.
Robertson believes she did nothing wrong. In her response, she included a copy of her Sept. 27, 2015, campaign treasurer’s report showing a contribution of $300 and a $265 expenditure for mailing materials.
“There was no ‘in-kind’ to report,” she wrote.
Robertson also informed the state commission that Clarke was not her “opposing candidate,” as he states in his complaint. Her opponent was Ralph Cole.
In the Nov. 3, 2015, election, Cole defeated Robertson by 51 votes for the Ward 3 seat. Shearon won the mayoral seat after he and Clarke tied at the polls and Shearon won the tiebreaker, a draw of cards conducted Nov. 4 by Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Michael Bennett.