Palmetto mayor, two commissioners retake oath of office

It was an emotional Monday night for Palmetto’s incumbent officials who took the oath of office to serve another four years in their respective seats. The Palmetto City Hall chambers was standing-room-only as friends and family gathered to celebrate and wish them well as they lead the city into the next four years.

Judge Thomas Gallen administered the oath of office. All three of the incumbents were unopposed in this election cycle and secured their seats in the August primaries. But for Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant, it was clearly a humbling night.

Bryant thanked her commission, city staff, employees, family, friends and the community. Though she cited the success the city has seen since she first took office in 2008, she was quick not to take all the credit.

“I want to make everybody mindful of the passing of many of our city leaders,” said Bryant. “Not all leaders are elected officials and there are so many that have lived in our community who have done so much for our community. These citizens were city leaders over the years and always remember that they all helped make Palmetto what it is today and make it have a better and brighter future.”

Bryant enters her third term at the helm of a city on the verge of change. In her first eight years, property taxes remain one of the lowest in Manatee County, crime has been reduced, infrastructure projects are on the move, improvements to the Riverside Park West boat ramp were completed, phase one of Sutton Park improvements were completed, Fifth Street West improvements were completed and was the first “Green Street” in Manatee County.

Goals for her third term include phase 2 of Sutton Park, the city’s multimodal projects, complete Martin Luther King Jr. Park improvements, and much more, which Bryant said couldn’t be done “Without the community’s confidence in us. I can’t thank the community enough. They have been so cooperative through our growing pains, but most importantly I want to thank my family. I couldn’t do what I do without each and everyone of you who support me.”

The city also saw its two at-large commission seats come up for reelection. Commissioners Jonathan Davis and Tamara Cornwell also were unopposed. Davis initially did not file to run for reelection for the city, opting instead to run for a county commission seat, but withdrew and filed to retain his city seat. Both Davis and Cornwell secured their seats in the August primaries after initially having opponents, who both eventually withdrew.

Davis begins his second, four-year term while Cornwell has already served the city for 20 years and looks forward to another four. She was recently honored by the Florida League of Cities for her two decades of public service.

This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 9:07 PM with the headline "Palmetto mayor, two commissioners retake oath of office."