It may take time to get a full understanding of the impact on elected officials of possible changes to the Bradenton Beach charter.
Voters could see two questions regarding terms for elected city officials on the November ballot — one dealing with term limits and another dealing with term lengths.
Earlier this spring, the city commission appointed a charter review committee to consider and propose charter changes, which could then be put before the voters at the polls.
The changes, if adopted by the city, could impact the number of consecutive terms an elected official can serve and how long a term in office will last.
Currently, elected officials in Bradenton Beach — commissioners and mayor — serve two-year terms with a limit of three consecutive terms.
The charter review committee made a series of recommendations, including one asking voters to eliminate term limits and a vote on lengthening the term from the present two years to four years.
In 2016, 2018 and 2021 voters opted to retain term limits.
David Bell, a member of the community redevelopment agency who was present at an April 26 charter review meeting, argued against the repetitive submission of term limits to the electorate.
“I hate to see it go back on the ballot because I don’t think it looks good to keep voting on this thing until you get the result you want,” Bell said.
The commissioners and mayor will consider the charter committee’s recommendations at its next meeting at noon Thursday, May 19, at city hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.
Seats held by Commissioners Ralph Cole and Marilyn Maro are up for election in November.
Although the Manatee County Supervisor of Election office shows Maro as having been elected to the commission twice, Maro has served as Ward 2 commissioner for three consecutive terms. She was appointed to a two-year term in 2016 and was elected in 2018 and in 2020.
Cole has served three terms as a city commissioner. He was elected in 2015 for Ward 3, appointed to a one-year term in 2017, elected in 2018 and again in 2020.
Cole lost his race for reelection in 2017 but was appointed by the commission to fill the seat vacated by John Chappie, who was elected mayor.
Neither Cole nor Maro has replied to The Islander as to whether they will seek reelection and it was not discussed as to how their eligibility for office would be impacted by the proposed charter changes.
In 2021, Commissioner Jake Spooner won a fourth consecutive term in office. Some of his time in office had been as an at-large commissioner —wards were eliminated by voters in 2017 — and other terms were as the Ward 1 commissioner. The ward system was restored by the electorate in 2018.
Spooner said in 2020 that he believed the change from no wards back to wards in 2018 provided an opportunity to extend his term limit but the city attorney did not respond to further inquiries and Spooner qualified and was reelected.
The Islander reached out to Cole and Maro by email but neither responded by the press deadline.
The Islander also reached out in a May 12 email to city attorney Ricinda Perry, who recommended the charter committee and guided it through the process.
She’s also set to present a report on the charter committee’s recommendations at the May 19 commission meeting.
Perry, via a May 12 email to The Islander, declined to comment, stating, “I need to get authorization from Mayor Chappie/Commission to expend the time and legal fees to respond.”
As of Islander press time, Perry had not provided a response.
Bradenton Beach has 672 registered voters.
In the 2021 mayoral election, 348 voters cast ballots.
The candidate qualifying period for the November municipal election is noon Monday, June 13, through noon Friday, June 17.