Bradenton Beach seeks to fill a seat on the dais.
City commissioners reviewed the process on Jan. 15 for filling the vacant Ward 4 seat and postponed any nominations until February, citing limited information and a lack of applicants.
The city charter requires a step-by-step appointment process: The city solicits applicants to fill a seat, in this case, one held by Jan Vosburgh. Commissioners then may nominate and vote to appoint a candidate for the seat. If no nomination is made, the commission considers additional Ward 4 applications at a second meeting. The vacancy opens to at-large applicants if there’s still no nomination, followed by additional meetings. If there’s still no appointment, the charter calls for the city clerk to draw lots from a pool of applicants.
The commission, as of Jan. 15, received an application from Ward 4 resident Robert Talham, who did not attend the meeting. Commissioners then raised concerns about Talham’s availability and commitment.
Commissioners directed staff to schedule a discussion on the vacancy at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, at Bradenton Beach City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.
Ward system
A discussion also can be expected this year on the ward system.
Mayor John Chappie encouraged commissioners to consider whether the ward structure remains viable.
As of Dec. 5, 2025, Ward 4 had 91 registered voters, according to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections. Ward 1 had 136 voters, Ward 2 had 118 and Ward 3 had 139.
“I like the wards,” Chappie said. “But things have changed. We don’t have the population we had years ago with 1,400 people.”