BRADENTON BEACH – With mail voting now underway, Bradenton Beach voters have begun deciding the fate of five proposed amendments to the city charter.
The five charter amendment questions that appear on the Bradenton Beach ballot were proposed and supported by the majority of the city commission-appointed charter review committee and supported unanimously by the city commission.
The decisions made by Bradenton Beach voters regarding term limits and the filling of commission vacancies will impact the configuration of the Bradenton Beach City Commission for years to come.
The general election concludes with in-person voting on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Forfeiture of office
Ballot question 1 pertains to the forfeiture of office provisions that apply to the city’s elected officials and reads as follows: “Currently the city charter vests authority in three arbitrators to hold forfeiture of office proceedings against an elected official with costs to be borne by the city. Should the city revise its charter to eliminate the three arbitrator-panel procedure and replace it with the former forfeiture provision utilizing the city commission to conduct the proceedings?”
Voter approval of this proposed amendment would eliminate the current charter requirement that requires a three-person arbitration panel in order to initiate the process of removing an elected mayor or commissioner from office before their term expires. Approval of this proposed amendment would allow the city commission to initiate forfeiture of office proceedings on its own.
Commission vacancies
Ballot question 2 pertains to the filling of commission vacancies and reads as follows: “The current city charter requires a ward commissioner to reside in the ward they represent. Should the city amend its charter to establish a procedure to temporarily fill the ward seat for one term with an at-large commissioner if no ward resident is available or willing to run for office?”
Approval of this proposed amendment would allow the commission to fill a vacant commission seat with a qualified candidate who resides in any area of Bradenton Beach. The charter currently requires the appointee to live in the specific commission ward for which the commission vacancy exists.
This proposed amendment could come into play if incumbent Commissioner Marilyn Maro’s commission seat is to be vacated in November because city voters again vote to retain term limits. This matter is addressed in ballot question 4.
Ballot question 3 pertains to the length of a commission vacancy that can be filled by commission appointment rather than a special election.
Ballot question 3 reads as follows: “The current city charter requires the city to provide a special election to fill a vacancy that results in more than six months from a resignation required by Section 99.012, Florida Statues. Should the charter be amended to allow for all vacancies to be appointed by the city commission?”
Voter approval of this proposed charter amendment would eliminate the current charter provision that requires a special election to fill any commission seat to be vacated for more than six months. This would allow the city commission to fill all vacant commission seats by appointment rather than allowing the city’s registered voters to make that decision in a special election.
Term limits
Ballot question 4 may be the most significant charter amendment question to be decided by Bradenton Beach voters. It pertains to the qualifications and terms of elected office and reads as follows: “Should the city amend its charter to remove term limits and maintain two-year terms for all elected positions with an effective date of June 16, 2022, in order to allow currently seated elected officials the ability to run for office, if otherwise termed out?”
Although she’s currently running unopposed as the Ward 2 commissioner, Maro is scheduled to term limit out of office in November after serving three consecutive two-year terms in office. Mayor John Chappie and Commissioner Jake Spooner are currently scheduled to term limit out of office in November 2023. Incumbent Ward 4 commissioner Ralph Cole is also running unopposed this year and at some point, in or after 2024, he too would term limit out of office if term limits are retained.
Voter approval of the proposed term limit amendment would allow Maro to serve another two-year term and would allow Chappie and Spooner to seek reelection in 2023 if they so desire. If city voters reject this proposed charter amendment, Maro would leave office in November and that vacant seat would be filled by commission appointment or a special election, depending on the outcome of ballot question 2.
In recent years, Bradenton Beach voters have twice, by close margins, supported the retention of the city’s term limits.
Employee benefits
Ballot question 5 is logistical in nature and pertains to commission actions that require a city ordinance. Ballot question 5 reads as follows: “Currently the city charter sets forth actions requiring an ordinance. Should the city amend the charter to remove employee personnel benefits and procedures from this section and require actions of the city regarding employee personnel benefits and procedures to be adopted in a public meeting through a resolution of the commission?”
Voter approval of this proposed amendment would have minimal impact on city residents and city operations and would simply streamline the manner in which employee benefits and employee procedures are addressed.
Vote by mail
Hurricane Ian slightly delayed the mailing of the vote-by-mail ballots sent to county voters who previously requested them, according to Sharon Stief, chief deputy for the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.
“Vote by Mail ballots for the Nov. 8 general election were mailed out on Monday, Oct. 3. We had originally planned to mail them on Friday, Sept. 30. We had no hurricane impacts regarding our early voting and/or polling locations,” Stief told The Sun.
According to Stief, 356 vote-by-mail ballots were mailed to Anna Maria voters, 297 ballots were mailed to Bradenton Beach voters and 1,147 ballots were mailed to Holmes Beach voters.
