Three Anna Maria candidates are preparing for the final stretch of their campaigns.
In Anna Maria, where there are 1,173 active voters, three people — incumbents Nancy Yetter and Chuck Webb and first-time candidate Brian Seymour — are running for two commission seats in the Nov. 8 election. The top two vote-getters will take two-year terms on the dais.
For mayor, only incumbent Dan Murphy qualified and he automatically will be re-elected.
The mayor earns $1,633 monthly, and commissioners are paid a monthly stipend of $500.
Seymour makes first bid for seat
Brian Seymour, owner and manager of the Anna Maria General Store, is making his first run for elected office in the city.
“I’ve been thinking about it for several years,” Seymour said. “I really focused the first seven years in Anna Maria on building my business and now I feel like I’m in a position where it’s time to give back.”
Seymour moved to Anna Maria in 2008 from Fairfax, Virginia. At his store, he employs his sister and eight others.
In his free time, he enjoys golf and travel.
Seymour said he is running for commission because “the current commission has become stagnant on mainly one issue, the vacation rentals. There are a lot of other issues that need attention. I think we need to … move on and focus on other pressing issues.”
The city should prioritize improving availability of annual rentals rather than focus on vacation rentals, Seymour said.
“There’s a real shortage of annual rentals,” he said. “Six out of eight of my associates used to live in the city of Anna Maria. Now I’m the only one left.”
The lack of annuals is driving out the city’s service industry employees, the island’s largest source of employment, Seymour said.
“I really think that there’s a time for change and I feel that time is now,” he said.
Other issues Seymour would focus on include flood control and drainage, as well as “the aging infrastructure throughout the city,” including the city pier, and developing the city pier park, Seymour said.
“It’s great that we have bathrooms and trees, but we never do anything with them,” he said of the park.
Webb seeks re-election
Chuck Webb is seeking a fifth commission term.
An Orlando native, Webb moved to Anna Maria in 1999 with wife Flora and their two children. He was first elected to the commission in 2001 and served two terms, but took a hiatus. He was re-elected in 2014.
Webb founded a law practice, Webb, Wells and Williams, P.A., in Holmes Beach after moving to Anna Maria.
He has been a strong advocate for the city’s vacation rental ordinance and has repeatedly voted against settlement offers for homeowners who have filed Bert Harris claims against the city in response to the VRO.
For his 2014 re-election campaign, Webb said his primary goal was to protect and maintain the city’s “old Florida” feel.
Webb did not respond to calls or emails from The Islander for comment Oct. 4, Oct. 5 and Oct. 7.
Yetter seeks third term
Nancy Yetter is seeking a third term as city commissioner.
She has a degree in business management and finance from Indiana Central University and she entered the retail advertising and marketing field post-graduation.
Yetter and husband Michael permanently relocated to Anna Maria in 2007.
Before her election to the city commission in 2012, Yetter was vice chair of the planning and zoning board.
She says she debated a third term.
“My husband is retired now. He wanted me to spend more time with him traveling,” Yetter said. “But I just felt it was more important at this point to continue the job that I’ve started.”
That job includes addressing the vacation rental ordinance and subsequent influx of Bert Harris claims. In recent months, Yetter has voted against offering settlements to property owners who filed Bert Harris claims against the city.
“I stick to my word,” Yetter said. “I listen to residents as to what they want and I try to keep an open mind and follow what they’re wanting. I don’t follow my own agenda, it’s whatever the residents are telling me they want or think is important to them.”
Along with defending the VRO, Yetter wants to prioritize infrastructure improvements. “We have to control flooding more than we’ve been able to do so far, and improve our roads and the parking situation,” she said. “We need to qualify for the beach renourishment, we need to control traffic.”
Yetter said the city needs to follow recommendations from the Urban Land Institute, which evaluated the island in 2015 and delivered its results in a comprehensive study.
In particular, the city should follow ULI’s recommendation of controlling traffic by limiting parking in the city, Yetter said.
“We need to reduce the number of parking places as much as we can,” Yetter said, adding “I would like to stay away from paid parking.”
Yetter said her goal is “to give back to the community.”
“I feel like if I were to quit now, I would be leaving the job partially unfinished, and I’d really like to stay on until we’ve solved the issues,” she said.
Murphy gains second term as mayor
Dan Murphy is unopposed for a second term in office in November and already has his sights on the next two years.
The mayor’s major projects include road renovation and flood management. With public works director George McKay, Murphy identified 10 areas in the city that need stormwater work.
In recent weeks, storms from Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew revealed weaknesses in the city’s new vertical filtration systems, the mayor said.
He plans to find ways to improve the system and to continue road renovations.
The city has expanded efforts in recent months to improve the quality of Anna Maria’s roads, which earned the city an increased share of Manatee County’s 5-cent gas tax for the 2016-17 fiscal year.
Also, Murphy plans to make use of the city pier park, which currently sits mostly undeveloped, but for a public bathroom.
Construction of a flagpole in the park began Oct. 3. and Murphy plans to add landscaping and shelters.
The mayor advocates making prepayments to complete the park loan early. The city currently has a $2,600,000 outstanding debt, originally taken out in 2011 to purchase the six vacant lots that became the park.
The Nov. 8 polling location for all Anna Maria voters is Roser Memorial Community Church at 512 Pine Ave. Early in-person voting will begin Oct. 24 at various locations in Manatee County and vote-by-mail ballots were being sent by the supervisor of elections in early October.
The Islander will host a Popcorn and Politics candidate forum 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, at its office, 3218 E. Bay Drive, Holmes Beach. Everyone is welcome.