MANATEE — The voters in the three Anna Maria Island cities went to the polls Tuesday and made some changes in two of the races.
Two incumbents, one in Holmes Beach and the other in the City of Anna Maria, lost their seats to political newcomers. In Bradenton Beach, voters reelected the incumbent mayor.
The voter turnout in Anna Maria, about 60 percent of the 1,349 registered voters, may have been an indication of the contentious nature of the campaigning in the northern-most island city.
Some of the candidates campaigned on their positions on the proposed redevelopment of the business district along Gulf Drive and Pine Avenue.
Harry Stoltzfus came in third in a field of five candidates with 472 votes, or about 21 percent, to beat out incumbent Chris Tollette, who received 379 or almost 17 percent of the vote, and newcomer David Gryboski, with 335 votes, or almost 15 percent.
“I’m really pleased,” said Stoltzfus after hearing the results. “I worked hard against good odds.”
He campaigned on restricting redevelopment that would attract more businesses.
“People don’t want to see their city exploited,” Stoltzfus said.
Gryboski said this was his first try at running for elected office, and that he “looked forward to getting more involved and helping Mayor (Fran) Barford keep improving the community.”
Tollette could not be reached for comment on Tuesday evening.
The two other incumbents, John Quam and Dale Woodland received 500 and 560 votes, or about 22 and 25 percent respectively.
“I really appreciate the residents of Anna Maria,” Quam said. “They showed up to vote.”
He said he was sure it was because of the “negative campaign the opposition put on.”
For Woodland, he said he was glad the election was over and that he can get back to serving on the commission.
“I don’t belong to any group,” he said. “I just want to protect the resident’s quality of life and businesses in our community.”
For the 33 percent of the 3,236 eligible voters in Holmes Beach, the issue was taxes and the budget, and they decided to make a change on the commission.
Al Robinson, a political newcomer, came in second in a field of five candidates vying for the three seats up for election, with 530 votes or about 20 percent of the 1,060 votes cast.
Incumbents David Zaccagnino and Pat Morton took the other two seats with 715 votes, or about 26 percent, and 520 votes, or about 19 percent, respectively.
Pat Geyer, who has served as an elected official in Holmes Beach for almost 30 years, received 485, or almost 18 percent of the vote, while newcomer Andy Sheridan took 458 or about 17 percent of the vote.
Robinson said he was humbled by the turnout and the results.
“The hard work is certainly laid out for me now,” he said. “There’s some strong people on the commission and I will be honored to be working with them.”
Morton was thankful to the voters for their support and “glad the Lord will allow me to continue to do the work.”
For Sheridan, he said he would continue to go to commission meetings and “speak up and try to make things better.”
Geyer took her loss graciously, but said she could not “wait for my taxes to go down.”
Zaccagnino could not be reach Tuesday evening for comment.
In Bradenton Beach, incumbent mayor Michael Pierce defeated challenger Bill Shearon 191 to 103, or about 65 percent to 35 percent.
About 33 percent of the 905 registered voters made it to the polling station to cast their votes.
“People are happy with what we’ve been doing the last year,” Pierce said, “and I’m going to continue to work hard.”
For Shearon, the voters made their choice and “did not have the same concerns I did about how the city was spending their money or operating.”
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