Anna Maria set for 1st election contest in 7 years
By Ryan Paice
Islander Reporter
A former chair of the Anna Maria City Commission will square off with its current chair for the municipality’s mayoral post in November.
Mayor Dan Murphy did not seek reelection, bringing his fifth two-year term to a close in December.
In his stead, former Commission Chair Brian Seymour and current Commission Chair Mark Short qualified with the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office by the June 14 deadline — sparking the city’s first race since 2017.
Seymour owns the Anna Maria General Store, 503 Pine Ave., and was operating the City Pier Grill and Bait Shop on a city contract at the Anna Maria City Pier before Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged the pier.
He also was elected to the city commission in 2016, became chair in 2018 and served in that role until he resigned in August 2019, citing personal reasons.
Short is a retired accountant and originally a member of the city’s 2019 charter review committee. He was appointed to the commission later the same year and reelected without opposition in 2020 and 2022.
Short became chair of the city commission in 2022 and remains in that role until a new commission is sworn into office.
In the meantime, this year’s charter review chair, Christopher Arendt, qualified to run for a seat on the commission.
Commissioner Gary McMullen also qualified to run. He was appointed by commissioners in January to serve the remainder of a term expiring in December.
Since Arendt and McMullen were the only candidates for the two available seats, they will serve two-year terms.
The Anna Maria mayor earns a $19,600 annual salary, while commissioners receive $4,800 a year.
Both offices are two-year terms.
Anna Maria’s registered voters — 831 as of Oct. 7, according to the election supervisor — will cast votes at a new polling location on Nov. 5, the Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach.
No contest in Bradenton Beach, new commissioner
By Robert Anderson
Islander Reporter
There’s a “Bear” ready to serve in Bradenton Beach, where the city is preparing to swear in a new Ward 2 commissioner in November.
Scott Bear, a civil engineer and Bradenton Beach resident for the past two years was the only person to qualify for the ballot in the Nov. 5 city election.
Scott said his decision to run stemmed from a desire to advocate for the Ward 2 community, particularly on issues of home rule and stormwater resiliency.
He’ll automatically take the seat held by Marilyn Maro, who did not another term in office.
The Islander has no current phone number for Maro and she could not be reached for comment.
She most recently was sworn into her seat in 2022 for a fourth two-year term. However, she has been absent from the majority of meetings this year.
Usually, two seats are up for election each cycle in Bradenton Beach.
However, due to ward boundary modifications, Commissioner Ralph Cole will keep his seat until 2025. The ward changes were implemented by the commission in February and they granted Cole an additional year on the commission.
Bradenton Beach commissioners receive an annual salary of $4,800.
While there will not be a municipal election on the Nov. 5 ballot, Bradenton Beach voters will go to the polls for county, state and federal contests.
There were 581 registered voters in Bradenton Beach as of Oct. 7, according to the SOE.
6 candidates vie for office in Holmes Beach
By Ryan Paice
Islander Reporter
Interest this year among Holmes Beach residents in serving the city is high.
Six candidates qualified with the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office to run for mayor and two city commission seats in the upcoming city election.
Squaring off for the mayor’s seat are incumbent Mayor Judy Titsworth and political newcomer Michael “Mike” Roth.
Titsworth — granddaughter of the city’s namesake John Holmes Sr. — first served on the city commission and then was elected mayor in 2018 and reelected without opposition in 2020 and 2022.
Titsworth is a life-long resident of the city. Roth previously owned a vacation home in the city and resided in Tampa, but now claims his primary residence in Holmes Beach.
He spent 34 years in in the U.S. Army and the Florida National Guard.
He currently works as the West Florida area executive and corporate group manager for City National Bank.
Also, four candidates qualified to compete for two spots on the city commission that are currently held by Dan Diggins and Greg Kerchner.
While Kerchner did not seek reelection, Diggins — who was elected to the commission in 2022 — qualified to run for a second term on the board.
Both offices are two-year terms.
Diggins may be the only incumbent in the race for commissioner, but he will not be competing against newcomers.
All three of the other candidates have experience on the city’s dais.
Carol Whitmore, a former city commissioner and mayor, as well as a former county commissioner, qualified to run.
Planning commissioner Steven Oelfke and Clean Water Committee member Bill Romberger also qualified to run.
Due to renovations following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the election supervisor has changed the polling location for Holmes Beach.
Voters Nov. 5 will go to the Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, to cast ballots.
At the close of registration for the Nov. 7 election, Oct. 7, Holmes Beach had 2,452 voters, according to the SOE.