Qualifying for the Nov. 5 election begins June 10 in Bradenton Beach but already one candidate has emerged.
Scott Bear is marked “active” for the Ward 2 commission seat, according to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections.
Bear is a civil engineer originally from Pennsylvania who 12 years ago purchased a home in Bradenton Beach. He moved to the city full-time two years ago and said he chose to run because he wanted to represent the Ward 2 community.
The Ward 2 seat, held by Marilyn Maro, is the only seat up for grabs in the municipal election.
Maro was sworn into her seat in 2022 and is serving her fourth two-year term. It is not known whether she will run again.
Bear, speaking in a May 30 interview with The Islander, said he was most interested in the issues of home rule and stormwater resiliency.
“Clearly, we are seeing more storms and more drainage problems,” Bear said. “The city and the island have gone through a lot of changes in the past 12 years since we’ve been here so, just making sure we keep a handle on some of those changes.”
Usually, there are two commission seats up for election in the city but, due to ward changes implemented by the city commission in February, incumbent Ralph Cole has had an additional year added to his term in Ward 4.
The window to qualify will open at noon Monday, June 10, and runs through noon Friday, June 14.
Candidates must be registered to vote and permanently reside in the city for 12 calendar months prior to the date of qualifying.
BB city commissioners earn $400 a month.
Bradenton Beach had 592 registered voters as of May 31, according to the supervisor of elections.