HOLMES BEACH – Three city commission incumbents and two former candidates qualified by Friday's deadline to run for three commission seats up for election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Pat Morton is seeking his fifth term, Al Robinson, his second, and David Zaccagnino, his fourth. Jean Peelen ran unsuccessfully for a seat in 2010, and Andy Sheridan ran in 2009.
Morton, a Holmes Beach resident with his wife, Gailene, since 1994, works at CrossPointe Fellowship as campus administrator.
He served as city liaison for the Anna Maria Community Center, Anna Maria Chamber of Commerce and Keep Manatee Beautiful from 2003 to 2005. From 2005 to 2009, he served as city liaison for Waste Management, the Island Emergency Operations Center, the Manatee Emergency Operation Center and the Communities for a Lifetime program. He currently serves as city liaison for Waste Management and the city's public works department regarding emergency operations.
Robinson, who formerly owned a West Virginia coal mine and D. Coy Ducks in Holmes Beach, works in real estate and investments.
He is the city liaison for buildings and grounds, the Holmes Beach Police Department, Communities for a Lifetime (Department of Elder Affairs), the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce and the Manatee County Council of Governments.
Zaccagnino, who holds B.S. and M.B.A. degrees in chemical science from Florida State University, works with Ameriprise Financial. He previously worked at Morgan Stanley and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
He has served as the city liaison for the Police Pension Board, Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, Anna Maria Elementary School and the Island Community Center Board. He currently serves as city liaison to the Police Pension Board and the Parks and Beautification Committee, where he previously served as committee chair.
Peelen works as a consultant, writer, model, actress, workshop leader and personal coach. She was a finalist on the "Survivor" television show and is co-author of two books, "Invisible No More: The Secret Lives of Women Over 50," and "Saving the Best for Last: Creating Our Lives After 50."
She previously worked as a civil rights lawyer for the federal government and as chief of staff of the International Broadcasting Bureau and was a keynote speaker at many national conferences.
Andy Sheridan is a member of the Holmes Beach Code Enforcement Board and serves as vice president of the Key Royale Resident Owners Association.
He has previously worked as an auto sales and limo company manager, a pool technician and for Publix.
The commission consists of five at-large members, each elected for a two-year term.
Voters must register by Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m. to vote in the election.
For information on how to register, or to request an absentee ballot before the deadline of Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m., call 941-741-3823 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.