Bob Carter and Dick York are Anna Maria’s 2019 citizens of the year.
And in no small part because they are unabashed supporters of home rule.
They are no strangers to the fight against the federal and state government when it comes to determining what is best for a local municipality, in this case, Anna Maria.
A citizen recognition committee, consisting of Kathy Patten, Alan Tripp — husband of Commissioner Amy Tripp — and Debbie Haynes was appointed by the city commission to decide the recipient of the award.
On Jan. 23 the committee unanimously decided to name two recipients — Carter and York.
Deputy clerk Debbie Hayes announced the committee’s decision and explained York could not attend the Jan. 23 ceremony, held before a regular city commission meeting.
The clerk then introduced Carter to a round of applause from about two dozen people gathered at city hall.
“For as long as we can, we all want Anna Maria to be as good as it can be,” Carter said. “Thanks so much for this. I’ll honor it.”
Recognizing Bob Carter
Carter, the husband of Commissioner Carol Carter, is a philanthropist and chairman of Sarasota-based Carter, a corporation of 30 consultants who advise nonprofits around the world on strategic planning, governance and fundraising campaigns.
Most recently, Carter has been active in preserving home rule by serving on the planning and zoning board, providing input on issues such as the city’s comprehensive plan and funding two public presentations by prominent authors/speakers Peter Kageyama and John Englander.
“Through his efforts, Carter has provided a foundation for not only improving the quality of life for our community but also provided valuable insight into shaping our planning efforts in the future,” read Carter’s anonymous nomination. “For these reasons and more I recommend Carter as the Anna Maria resident of the year.”
Recognizing Dick York
York is a retired president and CEO of an information technology firm. He and his wife Sally are actively involved in the community. He believes strongly in local municipalities maintaining the ability to govern themselves as they see fit and has personally funded and maintained a website dedicated to this effort with Carter.
“Each legislative year for the past eight years, York has updated, expanded and improved the website, transforming it into the most effective web presence in the state of Florida to address the issue of the erosion of home rule,” read York’s anonymous nomination. “By providing this effective tool to the residents of our island community and citizens throughout our state, York has been instrumental in stopping the erosion of home rule and making known the concerns of grass-roots constituents. He has become a principal crusader in maintaining the rights of cities to determine their own destiny.”
About home rule
For more information about home rule and the local campaign to protect home rule, go online to homerulefl.com.
Great Great man he was always so nice to me when i worked there