Published: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009

Updated: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009

Candidate enters District 4 race for commission

MANATEE — The candidate field for the District 4 seat Manatee County Commissioner Ron Getman is vacating next year has gotten a little more crowded.

Bayshore Gardens resident Tim Norwood has registered with the Supervisor of Elections Office to run as a Republican for the seat.

“I can’t sit on the sidelines anymore,” said the self-described conservative “Tea Party” Republican. “I have to get involved and engage myself in the process.”

Norwood, 47, an architect, said bringing jobs to the area would be one of his top priorities and he said he has the background to do it. “We have to stop the factories from closing down,” he said.

Norwood said he has experience in going into businesses that have problems and solving them.

Also, Norwood said the county needs to offer incentives to bring in new industries.

Two other Republicans also are in the race, Robin DiSabatino and Norm Luppino. Democrat Roger Galle also is running. The winners of the Aug. 24 party primaries will face off in the November 2010 general election.

The other candidates all said creating jobs was their top priority and having Norwood in the race would not change their strategies.

DiSabatino, a Realtor, said she welcomed Norwood.

“It’s good to have different views,” she said. “We’re all coming from different perspectives.” She said all the candidates want to make Manatee County more business-friendly.

Luppino said he wanted to change the economic engine of the county.

“I want to bring in business with good-paying jobs so we don’t have to depend on construction,” said the former planner, who was laid off in May after 23 years with the county.

He also wants to preserve the county’s neighborhoods and keep them safe.

Public safety was on Norwood’s and DiSabatino’s priority list also.

Norwood said a lot of the crime is due to the high unemployment rate in the county.

And DiSabatino said it was important to protect the children in the neighborhoods.

For the lone Democrat, Galle said he was not sitting back and waiting until a Republican opponent is chosen.

“I’m starting to kick off my campaign now,” he said.

Galle, a painting company owner, said he was keeping his eye on all three of the Republican candidates and “hopefully when all is said and done, we’ll have a good campaign and the best candidate wins the job.”