Attendance may have played a factor in the selection of Anna Maria’s newest city commissioner.
Commissioners unanimously voted Nov. 17 to appoint eight-year resident Robert Kingan — the only candidate to present his case to the commissioners at the meeting — to a two-year term on the dais.
Kingan will succeed Commissioner Doug Copeland, who served as commissioner 2013-19 and then rejoined the dais by commission appointment in July when Joe Muscatello vacated his seat to move to West Virginia.
Copeland did not seek reelection. So his term will expire in December, but his fellow officials thanked him Nov. 17 for his second stint on the commission.
Mayor Dan Murphy thanked Copeland for “stepping up to the plate and helping us throughout this period of time when we have been short one commissioner.”
Without candidates to challenge incumbent Commissioners Carol Carter and Jonathan Crane or fill Copeland’s seat in this year’s election, the open position was left up to commission appointment.
Three residents applied to fill the seat, including:
- Kingan, a resident of South Bay Boulevard with expertise in land planning, according to his application.
- Jack Bergbom, who wrote in his application: “Put residents first. More grandpas, less tourists. Put the sidewalks back on Pine Avenue.”
- Sharon Wisniewski, a member of the city’s historic preservation board who served in the U.S. military and lost out on appointment to a commission seat in 2020 to Commissioner Doris “Deanie” Sebring.
However, Wisniewski withdrew from the running without explanation a week before the vote, according to city clerk Leanne Addy.
Bergbom, who remained in the running on Nov. 17, did not attend or call into the meeting.
Kingan was given five minutes to speak to the commission about his background and candidacy.
He told commissioners he was born and raised in Ireland, went to college in England and worked in London before becoming a U.S. citizen in March 2020.
Kingan said he has worked as an appraiser and consultant with several municipalities on roadway lighting projects, adding that it was “rather appropriate” that the commission was in the process of discussing such improvements to Pine Avenue.
“I want to serve my city,” Kingan said. “I feel like I have the qualifications and, above all, the interest.”
Commissioners were given separate ballots and, to determine a winner, ranked Bergbom and Kingan as candidates one or two.
The rankings were totaled, with the candidate receiving the lowest total declared the winner.
All five commissioners ranked Kingan first and Bergbom second, resulting in totals of 5 and 10, and Kingan was declared the winner.
There was no public comment.
Commissioners receive a stipend of $4,800 a year.
Commissioners will meet next at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive, when Carter, Crane and Kingan will be sworn for their new terms. The meeting is open to the public, with masks recommended. Instructions to attend via teleconference are available at cityofannamaria.com.