BRADENTON BEACH – Following the vacancy left by the Dec. 28 resignation of Commissioner Jake Spooner, city commissioners discussed the course of action to fill his position at a Jan. 4 meeting.
The discussion also included the possible redistricting of the city’s four ward boundaries.
Spooner, a commissioner since 2015 from Ward 1, ran unopposed in 2022 and was sworn in for a two-year term in November 2023. He said he resigned because of the state’s expanded financial disclosure requirements that now apply to all Florida mayors and city commissioners holding office as of Jan. 1.
Mayor John Chappie and Commissioners Ralph Cole and Jan Vosburgh attended the Jan. 4 meeting while Commissioner Marilyn Maro and City Attorney Ricinda Perry phoned in.
“There is a process our charter dictates that we go through,” Chappie said. According to Section 8 of the City Charter, Filling of Vacancies: “Whenever there is a vacancy, the commission shall propose by nomination one or more names of willing and qualified successors for the vacancy. The commission will then vote among the nominees to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term. If a majority of the commissioners are unable to fill a vacancy or vacancies after two meetings, then the successor shall be chosen by lot by the city clerk from the nominees proposed. If no appointee can be found residing in the ward of vacancy, the commission may appoint an individual who would otherwise qualify for elective office.”
“There are two things we’re dealing with that are both dealing with this particular issue,” Perry said. “One is the changing or review of the ward boundaries and also changing the numbers of three and four so they’re sequential in our city. Right now it’s one, two, four, three.”
Perry said part of last year’s charter review process was to make sure the four wards are evenly balanced for the number of registered voters.
“This comes directly with recommendations from the Supervisor of Elections,” Perry said. “If you recall it was almost a year ago, maybe a little longer, the city formally requested from the Supervisor of Elections their data and analysis.”
The Supervisor of Elections produces maps and boundary descriptions for the four wards, she said.
“The charter review committee had recommended the city redistribute that once that data was available from the Supervisor of Elections,” Perry said. “It wasn’t until much later in the year, almost right before the deadline for the November election, that the Supervisor of Elections produced that data to the city. And at that time (City Clerk) Terri Sanclemente and I had discussions with the Supervisor of Elections as to when would be the best time for the city to take up this issue and look at redistributing the voters. “
She said Assistant Supervisor of Elections Scott Farrington had asked the city to hold off until after the elections to avoid confusion.
“Now that the election is over, this would be the time for the city commission to look at those recommendations that came from Mr. Farrington,” Perry said.
She suggested the city take up the redistricting issue first, which is done by resolution.
“Once that issue is fully addressed, then I believe the city commission can take up appointments for Mr. Spooner’s seat,” Perry said.
If no candidate steps forward from Ward 1, Perry explained the next steps.
“Then it becomes an at-large seat temporarily for the remainder of that term,” Perry said. “Until the next election cycle, then it would become a ward seat again if anyone wants to run.”
Perry said the commission would discuss the issue again on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. in the Katie Pierola Commission Chambers, 107 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach.
Prior to that meeting, Perry said she plans to reach out to Farrington to ensure the data received last year from the Supervisor of Elections has not changed.
