The contest for an empty Anna Maria commission seat has two candidates.
Residents Charlie Salem and Brian Seymour presented their cases for the position Jan. 19 to commissioners and members of the public as a part of the city’s new appointment process.
The pair are vying for the seat vacated by Carol Carter, who moved to Sarasota County last December after serving nine years on the board, including three years as chair.
Carter’s term won’t expire until November 2023, creating a vacancy to be filled by remaining commissioners.
The city previously filled commission vacancies by allowing applicants to introduce themselves with short speeches, then voting to appoint a new commissioner at the same meeting.
However, Mayor Dan Murphy established a new process in an effort to increase public involvement.
As a part of the new process, the city asked for questions from the public for applicants to address at the Jan. 19 workshop.
After introducing themselves, Salem and Seymour answered 24 questions provided in a meeting packet, discussing topics such as planned work on Pine Avenue, Mote Marine Laboratory’s proposed educational outreach center on the T-end of the city pier, as well as the city’s millage rate and core objectives.
Salem moved to Anna Maria with his husband in 2017, then became a board member of the Center of Anna Maria Island in 2019 and a member of the planning and zoning board in 2021 in an effort to become more involved in the community.
Salem said he moved from Washington, D.C., where he most recently worked as Microsoft’s managing director of public policy.
Before that, Salem worked as special counsel in Tallahassee for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget in 1991 and eventually the chief of staff and legislative director for U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Indiana, in Washington from 1999 to 2010.
Seymour has spent 14 years in Anna Maria and owns the Anna Maria General Store, 503 Pine Ave., as well as operates the City Pier Grill and Bait Shop on the new pier.
Seymour also has spent time on the city commission. He was first elected to the board in 2016, became chair in 2018 and served in that role until he resigned for personal reasons in August 2019.
Seymour said he applied for the open seat because he wanted to again become involved and he saw few others with the interest or time to give to the job.
“I felt it was a much better time in my life now, to get back involved in a more full-time basis,” Seymour said.
Here’s how the applicants responded to some of the questions.
Bike lanes vs. parallel parking
The question: “As it stands now, there can either be a bike path or parallel parking as part of the Reimagining Pine Avenue improvements … Which do you support?”
Both candidates asked the same question in response: “Why not both?”
Salem said he did not understand why the city was forced to choose bike lanes or parallel parking and would like to learn more about the project before choosing one or the other.
Seymour said he also preferred both bike lanes and parallel parking but, if he had to immediately choose, he’d keep the parallel parking.
“Whether it’s residents, visitors or workers … they use that parking as a convenience,” Seymour said. “Eliminating all parallel parking up and down the ROR district along Pine Avenue would create a delivery nightmare.
Seymour suggested that if the city kept parallel parking over adding bike lanes, it could extend the multiuse lane along Gulf Drive down Spring Avenue.
Tax rate
The question: “Do you support maintaining the current 2.05 millage rate and would you support increasing or decreasing the current millage rate or leaving it as is?”
Seymour said the city’s 2.05 millage rate was “very fair” as the lowest of the island’s three cities but he would keep his mind open and support lowering or raising it in the future.
Salem said he supports collecting “the least amount of revenue needed to provide essential services,” adding the tax rate is “appropriate where it is.”
Mote outreach center
The question: “What are your thoughts on the Mote Marine educational outreach center being installed on the City Pier?”
Salem expressed support for the center. He said that while some may be frustrated with the lack of progress on the project, it has the potential to be a “great addition” to the pier.
Seymour, on the other hand, said he is “struggling” with the lack of progress Mote has made since the city reached a lease with Mote to fill the empty T-end building in September 2021.
He said that, despite Mote receiving a construction permit from the city in December and an April 7 deadline to complete the work, nothing had been added to the inside of the empty T-end building.
Nevertheless, Seymour said his business on the pier will be a “great business partner” to Mote if they pull through.
Core objectives
The question: “Today the city’s top three core objectives are paving, stormwater drainage and Pine Ave. Would you agree these should be the top three priorities? Or would you change them and, if so, what would you add or delete?”
Seymour said he would replace Pine Avenue as one of the three core objectives with overall infrastructure improvements, including utilities, due to ongoing struggles with properties losing power in the city.
“I think this island and our city as a whole has a significant problem with utility infrastructure,” Seymour said. “Half a dozen to a dozen times a year, at least in my block … We’re losing power for hours/days.
Salem said he agreed in the most part to the objectives but would add preservation of municipal home rule as one of the three.
Salem said his primary reason for running was to protect the city’s municipal home rule against legislative attacks, including those by Rep. Will Robinson Jr., R-Bradenton, who represents the island in Tallahassee. Robinson has proposed a bill to usurp Holmes Beach’s ban on parking garages and also will request state funding for a study on island consolidation.
“Especially, given the events of the last few days, I’m really concerned about our permanent resident population and the ability of our citizens to be able to govern ourselves,” Salem said. “That’s really why I’m interested in the role.”
There was no public comment throughout the workshop.
Commissioners are paid $4,800 a year.
The commission will vote on its fifth member at its next meeting, at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive.
Directions to attend via Zoom can be found on the city’s website, cityofannamaria.com.