Anna Maria incumbents to run
By Ryan Paice
Islander Reporter
The incumbents are in.
Will there be any challengers?
Mayor Dan Murphy and Commissioners Amy Tripp and Mark Short will run to keep their posts in November.
The window to qualify opened June 1 and closes at noon Friday, June 12. Candidates must submit paperwork and fees to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office, 600 301 Blvd. W., Bradenton.
The three incumbents had qualified as of June 8, according to the SOE.
Murphy is seeking a fourth consecutive term as mayor and Tripp is seeking a second full two-year term after being appointed to the commission in 2018.
Short wrote in a June 1 email to The Islander that he will run for his first full term. He was appointed in September 2019 to complete the remainder of Brian Seymour’s term.
If no challengers qualify, it wouldn’t be the first election where incumbents were uncontested in Anna Maria.
Last year, incumbent Carol Carter and Jonathan Crane, a former member of the planning and zoning board, won without opposition.
No challengers stepped up in 2018 either, when Murphy, Tripp and Seymour were elected.
The mayor earns $19,400 annually, while commissioners are paid $4,800 a year.
The election assessment fee was $196 for the mayor’s seat and $48 for a commission seat.
There were 1,045 registered voters in Anna Maria as of June 1.
For more information, visit the SOE website at votemanatee.com.
Candidate qualifying opens for 2 seats in Bradenton Beach
By Ryan Paice
Islander Reporter
There isn’t much time to jump in the race for two Bradenton Beach commission seats.
The qualifying window opened June 8 and will close at noon Friday, June 12.
Ward 4 incumbent Ralph Cole picked up qualification forms June 3 from the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Cole was elected in 2015, then lost a reelection bid in 2017. However, the commission appointed Cole to fill the seat vacated by John Chappie, who was elected mayor.
Ward 4 is bordered by Sarasota Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, Cortez Road and the southern property line of Runaway Bay condominiums.
Ward 2 Commissioner Marilyn Maro did not respond to a June 1 email and a June 2 phone call from The Islander asking if she will run.
Maro won a card draw over Anne Leister in 2016 to become a commissioner and, if she runs and wins, she will serve a third and final term due to the city’s three-term limit.
Ward 2 is bordered by Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, Canasta Drive, Avenue C, 24th Street North and 25th Street North form the northern border. Ward 2 is bordered to the south by Ward 4.
To qualify, candidates must submit paperwork and fees to the SOE, 600 301 Blvd. W., Bradenton.
Only Cole qualified to run as of June 5.
Commissioners are paid $400 a month, and the fee for candidates is $48. Qualification fees must be paid from a campaign bank account.
There were 739 registered voters in the city as of June 5, according to the SOE.
Time for qualifying this week in Holmes Beach
By ChrisAnn Allen
Islander Reporter
It’s time for people to walk the walk in Holmes Beach.
City hopefuls have until noon Friday, June 12, to qualify for the Nov. 3 ballot.
The terms for the mayor’s seat, held by Judy Titsworth, and two spots on the commission, held by Pat Morton and Kim Rash, are up for election.
As of June 5, there were no challengers, according to the SOE.
The mayor serves a two-year term and is paid $26,000 annually, with $520 added each year for the increased cost of living.
Commissioners serve two-year terms and each receives $7,690 annually, with a $130 COL yearly.
Commission candidates must be registered Manatee County voters who have lived in Holmes Beach for one year as of the qualifying date.
The qualifying fee for mayoral candidates is $240, and for commission candidates is $60, or 1% of the salary, and signatures from 15 registered Holmes Beach voters in the last general election, to be verified by the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office at a cost of 10 cents per signature.
There is no fee if a candidate completes an undue burden affidavit and obtains 15 petition signatures.
As of June 5, there were 2,747 registered voters in Holmes Beach.
For more information, go to votemanatee.com.
How to qualify
Prospective candidates for city commission seats or a mayoral post on Anna Maria Island are required to file a candidate oath, statement of candidacy and financial disclosure forms, as well as pay a qualifying fee or present certification of petition signatures equal to 1% of the voters as of the last election for the municipality.