This election season will be the sixth consecutive year without a contest in Anna Maria.
Two incumbents, Jonathan Crane and Charlie Salem, qualified unopposed for reelection to the city commission with the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office by the close of qualifying on Aug. 25.
Crane was elected to the commission in 2019 and will serve his third term on the board.
Salem is the commission’s most recent addition. He was appointed by the city commission in January to fill a commission seat vacated by Carol Carter, who moved from the city after serving nine years on the board.
Salem was appointed in January and will begin his first full two-year term on the board when the new term begins in November.
Without a candidate to fill Commissioner Robert Kingan’s seat when it expires in November, the vacancy will be addressed by the remaining commissioners.
But Kingan’s absence won’t be the only shortfall.
Commissioner Deanie Sebring told The Islander Aug. 24 that she will leave the board and move to Biron in southwest France by Oct. 7.
Sebring, who was appointed by the commission in November 2020 and reelected without opposition last year, will attend her final meeting in September before vacating the remainder of her term.
She said she was “very frustrated” with her time on the commission since she was unable to accomplish her goal of replacing parallel parking on Pine Avenue with bicycle lanes on both sides of the roadway.
The two vacant seats will be filled by commission appointment.
The city has appointed many newcomers over the past six years and it explored a new process in January, when Salem was appointed.
The city previously filled commission vacancies by allowing applicants to introduce themselves with five-minute speeches, then voting to appoint a new commissioner at the same meeting.
The new process involves collecting questions from the public, then holding a workshop for the candidates to introduce themselves and answer questions and, lastly, a commission meeting to vote on a winner.
At an Aug. 24 commission meeting, Crane called for the board to start considering the appointment process.
“I just noticed that we’re losing a bunch of commissioners and nobody seems to be signing up to get elected,” Crane said. “So we’re going to have to do our procedure of dragging people in and having an in-house election, and I just think we ought to be thinking about that fairly soon.”
Anna Maria commissioners receive a $4,800 annual salary.
Qualifying week opens in Bradenton Beach, too
The seats held by Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie and Commissioners Jake Spooner and Jan Vosburgh are up for election in November.
Spooner represents Ward 1 and Vosburgh represents Ward 3.
Qualifying began at noon Aug. 28 and closes at noon Friday, Sept. 1.
As of Aug. 25, no candidates/incumbents had submitted forms to the Manatee Supervisor of Elections Office for the Nov. 7 election.
Candidates for office must be registered voters and reside in Bradenton Beach for 12 calendar months prior to the date of qualifying.
Candidates also must file paperwork with the supervisor of elections, specifying a campaign account, a treasurer, as well as proof of residency and pay 4% of one year’s salary of the office sought.
Commissioners receive $400 a month, and the mayor receives $800.
Bradenton Beach has 644 registered voters.
— Robert Anderson
Qualifying week opens in Bradenton Beach, too
The seats held by Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie and Commissioners Jake Spooner and Jan Vosburgh are up for election in November.
Spooner represents Ward 1 and Vosburgh represents Ward 3.
Qualifying began at noon Aug. 28 and closes at noon Friday, Sept. 1.
As of Aug. 25, no candidates/incumbents had submitted forms to the Manatee Supervisor of Elections Office for the Nov. 7 election.
Candidates for office must be registered voters and reside in Bradenton Beach for 12 calendar months prior to the date of qualifying.
Candidates also must file paperwork with the supervisor of elections, specifying a campaign account, a treasurer, as well as proof of residency and pay 4% of one year’s salary of the office sought.
Commissioners receive $400 a month, and the mayor receives $800.
Bradenton Beach has 644 registered voters.
— Robert Anderson