Maybe a side effect of COVID-19 is apathy.
In the only contested battle for a city seat on Anna Maria Island, four people are vying for two spots on the Holmes Beach commission.
The city elections coincide with the general election on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Incumbent Commissioners Pat Morton and Kim Rash are seeking reelection, along with challengers Rick Hurst and Jayne Christenson.
Morton has served 18 years on the city commission.
Rash was elected to his first term in 2018.
Hurst held office 2017-19, losing his 2019 bid for reelection.
Christenson is a former planning commissioner.
Incumbent Mayor Judy Titsworth qualified and, lacking a challenger, is automatically returned to office.
There were 2,747 registered voters in Holmes Beach as of June 12, according to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.
In Anna Maria, three incumbents qualified and there were no challengers.
Mayor Dan Murphy is uncontested for a fourth consecutive term.
Commissioner Amy Tripp is set to serve a full two-year term after being appointed in 2018.
Commissioner Mark Short, appointed in September 2019 to complete the remainder of Brian Seymour’s term, qualified for his first full term.
This marks the third consecutive year with no contested races in the city.
There were 1,045 registered voters in Anna Maria as of June 12.
The island’s southernmost city also lacks challenges.
Bradenton Beach’s two incumbent commissioners — Ralph Cole and Marilyn Maro — qualified to run without opposition.
Cole became commissioner in 2015. He lost a reelection bid in 2017 but was appointed by the commission to complete the remainder of a term vacated by John Chappie when he was elected mayor.
Maro will serve her third and final consecutive term due to the city’s term limits. She gained office when the commission deadlocked on an appointment, and she won a card draw over Anne Leister in 2016.
Bradenton Beach is the only city on the island with term limits.
There were 739 registered voters in the city as of June 12, according to the SOE.
3 challengers step up for WMFR commission seat
There’s no shortage on interest in the open District 5 commission seat for West Manatee Fire Rescue.
Commissioner Randy Cooper decided not to seek reelection after 12 years on the board and three Bradenton residents — Steven Pontious, Robert Bennett and Derrick Warner — qualified by the June 12 deadline to run for the position.
Pontious ran in 2008, but lost to Cooper.
Warner is a retired Illinois firefighter who has voiced comments at commission meetings.
Bennett grew up on Anna Maria Island and began his a firefighter/paramedic career at the Anna Maria Fire District. He was named Florida’s Paramedic of the Year in 1994 and, in 2011, was named battalion chief at the Sarasota County Fire Department. He also worked for WMFR as a part-time training officer.
Incumbent Commissioner Larry Jennis was the only candidate to qualify to in WMFR District 3. He was first elected to the commission in 2012.
— Ryan Paice
