The City of Bradenton continues to grapple with a shrinking tax base, falling revenue and spending priorities. On Nov. 3, city residents will decide three seats on the City Council, those in Wards 2, 3 and 4. Though the candidates represent a geographic ward, the election is a citywide ballot so voters will see all three races on their ballots.
Today, we look at Ward 2: Marianne Barnebey versus Lori Melton.
Marianne Barnebey
Barnebey is vice chair of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Council, serves on the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness and is a member of the Gold Star Club and Crimestoppers. She also founded Winter Wonderland, a popular family event held downtown. She worked as a child-birth educator before first winning election to Bradenton’s City Council in 1998.
@BR Body bold Lede colon:On growth: Citizens are finally catching up to the idea that higher density does not mean Bradenton will look like Fort Lauderdale, with its wall of skyscrapers. The Downtown by Design blueprint contains appropriate infill to the urban core, she says. The city must obtain citizen buy-in so residents feel like growth is part of the fabric of their lives.
The city cannot create economic development on its own and must work with the Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Council and Manatee County government.
The region must encourage tourism, sports competitions that bring in visitors, and put greater use to McKechnie Field.
@BR Body bold Lede colon:On crime: The city cannot afford to put a police officer on every corner, she says, and there are other ways to fight crime. After two recent assaults in Ward 2, Barnebey reached out to residents to promote Neighborhood Watch programs and to urge people to lock their house and car doors. Residents should get involved, know their neighbors and report suspicious and odd behavior to police, she adds. Still, Barnebey is trying to find more money to put additional officers on the street, but without raising taxes — especially since foreclosures threaten the city’s tax base.
On city priorities: Maintaining our quality of life in the face of foreclosures, unemployment and a shrinking tax base as well as improving public safety so people feel safe in their homes, she says. The city must work with other governments to devise solutions and diversify the local economy, strengthen tourism and improve health care and education.
On constituent service: Barnebey wants residents to attend city budget and planning sessions and air their concerns — especially about spending priorities. She is known to reach out to citizens with complaints against the city and try to solve problems.
Lori Melton
Melton, who has been employed in the construction industry since 2004, volunteers with the Gulfcoast Girl Scout Council and the Women’s Resource Center.
@BR Body bold Lede colon:On growth: Melton espouses smart and green growth alongside mass transit. She’d work with the EDC to lure more intellectual-oriented businesses to Bradenton and collaborate with the Chamber and the Agency for Workforce Innovation.
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