BRADENTON BEACH – Voters will soon decide whether incumbent John Chappie or challenger David Galuszka serves as the city’s next mayor.
The mayor’s race will conclude with in-person voting at the Bradenton Beach Fire Hall, 201 Second St. N., on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The deadline to register to vote in the 2021 elections was Monday, Oct. 4. Vote by mail voting in the mayor’s race is already underway and Saturday, Oct. 23 is the deadline to request a vote by mail ballot.
Commissioners Jan Vosburgh and Jake Spooner are running unopposed and will automatically earn additional two-year terms in office.
Candidate interviews
The Sun recently interviewed both mayoral candidates at their Bradenton Beach homes.
Chappie has lived in Bradenton Beach for the past 48 years. He spent nearly 20 years in the construction business, working his way up to a foreman for Westra Construction, where he led a crew whose duties included repair work and testing water and sewer lines.
Chappie seeks his third consecutive term as mayor and his sixth mayoral term overall. After serving three full or partial terms as mayor, Chappie served two four-year terms as a Manatee County commissioner. He returned to the city commission in 2016, was elected mayor in 2017 and, running unopposed, was reelected in 2019.
Galuszka has lived in Bradenton Beach for about two and a half years. He’s a retired air traffic controller whose career began as a member of the United States Air Force and continued as an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Galuszka retired from the Air Force in 2005 and retired from the FAA in 2019.
Why do you want to serve as the Bradenton Beach Mayor?
Galuszka: “I think it’s time for a change. I’ve had many voters encourage me to run for that specific reason. I may not have a political science degree, but what I do have is the desire, the energy and the commitment to serve the people of Bradenton Beach to the best of my abilities. I would bring a fresh perspective, new ideas and a long history of public service. I was a public servant as an air traffic controller and of course as a member of the military.”
Chappie: “It’s my hometown. I love serving. I want to help out where I can with the neighbors and with our community. I fell in love with Bradenton Beach in 1974 and decided this was where I wanted to live the rest of my life. I’ve served the community on various boards for 37 continuous years. Working together, we’ve been able to make a difference. Through those years, I’ve learned so much more about the community – and that doesn’t happen overnight.”
Why should Bradenton Beach voters vote for you?
Chappie: “I’m in my 48th year as a resident. I know the community and they know me. They know if I say something I mean it. Promises made, promises kept. Over the years, I’ve developed friendships and developed a tremendous number of contacts on the local level, with the other Island cities, at the county level and at the state level. I know who to go to, and that’s key to getting things done for our community and our residents. You just can’t get that overnight. That takes experience and longevity; and it’s proven beneficial with all the funds and appropriations and grants we’re getting – about $8 million in recent years.”
Galuszka: “Just because you have a long résumé, that doesn’t make you a better leader. As an air traffic manager, I had 12 employees working under me. I had to negotiate with the union, I was the quality assurance rep, I had to schedule medical exams. That was similar to running a small city. I want to improve on some things, like the imbalance of single-family homes and annual rentals versus vacation rentals. Maybe we need to look at general obligation bonds, using the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) and TIFF funds and working with private investors to address the affordable housing shortage. Overall, some residents feel their voices aren’t being heard, and, of course, parking is an issue.”
What are some of the most important issues the city faces now and over the next two years?
Chappie: “It hasn’t changed in the last several years: Tallahassee’s home rule attacks and how the state Legislature’s actions have changed the course of every city, especially tourist communities like we have on Anna Maria Island. It’s destroyed our residential neighborhoods. We thought our residential areas were protected, but Tallahassee doesn’t consider a party house to be a business. You can build them in residential areas and the state ties your hands with regards to how you regulate them. You can’t single the party houses out. Undergrounding our utility lines and continuing our drainage improvements are also very important.”
Galuszka: “Affordable housing, parking, traffic, drainage and expediting the city’s permitting process and the time it takes to permit a simple project like putting in some stairs. I have to resort back to the affordable housing, especially for the service industry employees. Most of them can’t afford to live here. I realized there’s limited space, but I still believe there’s something we can do about that.”
What are your thoughts on the city’s past and ongoing efforts to improve drainage?
Galuszka: “I believe drainage should be a priority. I see big improvements in that area with the projects the city’s doing now and I support what they’re doing. But on an island, it’s inherent that we do more. The area by me, on Highland Avenue, sometimes looks like a lake.”
Chappie: “We currently have a little more than $3 million for stormwater projects. We’re going to be addressing the areas in most dire need: the end of Avenue A, where 20th and 21st Place meet. That whole area is going to be addressed. One of the top priorities is that the water’s not going to run back onto those properties. The engineers are working on that now. We may also be able to possibly do all of Avenue B to 26th Street North, where the Sandpiper (mobile home community) is.”
The city’s comprehensive plan and land development code prohibit standalone parking garages. What else can be done to improve parking in Bradenton Beach?
Chappie: “We have time limits on Bridge Street. If our police department and code enforcement officer recognize people are there all day long (for beach parking) they will issue warnings and try to get them to move. I helped secure an after-hours parking agreement with the post office and we’ve improved our parking areas at Lou Barolo Park. The CRA is doing the parking trams that pick up people along Cortez Beach and near Coquina Beach. The city has presented the board of county commissioners with conceptual drawings for what we could do in the Cortez Beach parking area to improve safety, and to also add parking areas just south of Coquina North boat ramp – including a secured area that could be used strictly for employees, with the trams bringing them to and from the Bridge Street area. The county seemed open to doing this. The only reason it’s on hold is because the county will be replacing their sewer lines from Sixth Street South to 13th Street South.”
Galuszka: “The city should consider hiring a parking consultant to do a study on what possible solutions there are for our parking problems. We’re limited on space, so there’s not much room for parking, but that’s where the creativity comes in and asking the experts to come up with some solutions. A paid public parking lot would be a great way to generate revenue while also helping with the parking issue. I would be in favor of the city purchasing property for a paid parking lot.”
How would you rate the success of the CRA-funded Old Town Tram parking shuttle program?
Chappie: “I would probably give it a C. I’m willing to continue with the pilot program. I was not willing to sign a deal that would go for up to five years. The trams need to be more regular in their running and their routes. They need to have a few designated stops. People need that regularity and certainty and the drivers need to stick with the designated route. There can be exceptions, but for customer service you need consistency. People need to know if they wait 10 minutes somebody’s going to come around. It’s not near as good as I think it can be and needs to be.”
Galuszka: “I think it’s a great idea, but I don’t think it’s working as advertised. With the parking area right down the street from me by the police station, I see the trams going back and forth daily and I would have to say it’s in the 90th percentile that they’re empty. I think we need better signage. The sign at the intersection of Gulf Drive and Cortez Road advertises the free tram, but it just has an arrow pointing south. I think we could be more descriptive in directing people to park at Cortez Beach. I think we can do a better job there. I also believe some people don’t realize the parking tram is free. I’m in favor of the CRA funding it for another year. I think it’s a good idea, but I don’t think it’s working as advertised.”
Note: During their recent interviews, the mayoral candidates discussed several other city issues and further expounded on their desires to serve as Bradenton Beach’s next mayor. These matters will be addressed in a future story or stories as the mayor’s race continues toward its November conclusion.
