Three Anna Maria city commission seats are up for grabs this November.
And the start of election season is right around the corner.
The window for qualifying to run in the city’s election is set to open at noon Monday, Aug. 14, and will close at noon Friday, Aug. 25.
To qualify to run for a commission seat, candidates must submit paperwork and fees to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office, 600 301 Blvd. W., Bradenton, including:
- A candidate oath;
- A statement of candidacy;
- Financial disclosure forms;
- A qualifying fee or certification of petition signatures equal to 1% of the voters in the municipality’s last election.
Candidates must have resided in the city for at least two years before they can qualify to run for office.
So far, only one of three incumbents has committed to the race — Commissioner Charlie Salem.
Salem was appointed by the commission in January to fill a seat vacated by Carol Carter, who moved to Sarasota County after serving nine years on the board.
Salem filed two forms July 21 with the elections office, including an appointment of campaign treasurer and designation of campaign depository form and a statement of candidacy.
While candidates cannot qualify to run in November’s election yet, they can open a campaign account and appoint a campaign treasurer at any time.
They must then file statements of candidacy within 10 days.
Salem told The Islander July 26 that he will run for his first full two-year term on the commission.
“I’m just excited to keep making progress, especially on the issues of attracting and retaining the residents of Anna Maria,” Salem said.
On the other hand, Commissioner Jonathan Crane wants to maintain some wiggle room ahead of election season.
Crane was elected to the commission in 2019 and would serve a third term on the board if reelected. He told The Islander July 26 that he would “probably” run to retain his seat but hadn’t yet made up his mind.
The third incumbent, Commissioner Robert Kingan, did not respond to a June 26 call and June 27 text message from The Islander about his potential candidacy.
Kingan was appointed to the commission in November 2021 to succeed Doug Copeland, who was commissioner 2013-19 and was appointed to serve a remaining term in July 2021.
He did not seek reelection, resulting in a commission vote to appoint a successor.
Kingan won the vote and, if reelected, will serve a second term on the commission.
City commissioners receive a $4,800 annual salary.
The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 10.