Servia, Rahn fight for Manatee County Commission seat. Which Republican will win?
In the race to represent District 4 on the Manatee County Commission, both candidates have very different ideas about what it means to be a conservative Republican.
Commissioner Misty Servia is challenged by Mike Rahn, a local mortgage lender and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. Over the past few months, both candidates have been locked in a bitter battle, with Rahn accusing Servia of supporting liberal beliefs and Servia blaming Rahn for spreading lies and misinformation.
Servia, who was first elected in 2018, has a lengthy background in public service. Before joining the Board of County Commissioners, Servia worked as a project planner with Manatee County Government for several years.
“People who know me know that I’m a fiscal conservative. My opponent is putting forward lies because he wants the job, period,” said Servia, 58.
Rahn, 60, also has experience representing Manatee County Government. Since 2017, Mike Rahn has been a board member of the county’s Planning Commission, an advisory body that recommends whether certain development projects should be approved by the Manatee Board of County Commissioners.
“I believe in personal freedoms and personal liberties. Certain members on the county commission don’t believe in that. I’m a conservative Republican who believes in limited government and lower taxes,” said Rahn. “There has not been real representation for this district.”
District 4 is made up of the southern parts of Manatee County. The rough east-west boundaries of the district are the Braden River and 75th Street West. The north-south boundaries are roughly Cortez Road and University Parkway.
What are Mike Rahn’s campaign promises?
In an interview with the Bradenton Herald, Rahn explained that he plans to prioritize infrastructure, crime and homeless issues if he is elected to the board later this year. Speaking during a GOP candidate rally in July, Rahn described himself as a “true conservative Republican.”
“I represent the true values of the Republicans in District 4. I stand on the conservative values that I believe most all Republicans will stand on,” he said.
As a member and leader of several local organizations, such as the Safe Children Coalition and the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, Rahn said he hopes to use his business and military experience to move Manatee County in a positive direction.
Rahn also expressed disappointment in Servia’s approach to the job, arguing that he would get along better with most of the commissioners who are already on the board. Several board members, including Commissioners Kevin Van Ostenbridge, Vanessa Baugh and George Kruse, have publicly campaigned for Rahn.
“We need a new set of eyes with fresh ideas and the ability to work with the sitting board,” Rahn said.
What are Misty Servia’s campaign promises?
Over the past four years, Servia said she has worked to engage residents in District 4 to become involved in local government. Shortly after joining the board, Servia established a Citizens Coalition on Growth group that meets monthly to discuss issues in the community.
“I’m the best candidate for a lot of reasons,” Servia said. “Most importantly, is a 30-year background in the area of urban planning, which helps me understand a lot about growth and development. I will also say I’ve proven to be a very accessible commissioner who’s responsive and works for everyone.”
Servia also pointed to recent accomplishments in District 4, including traffic calming in high-speed neighborhoods, upgrades to how Code Enforcement works with residents, and drainage improvements in areas prone to flooding.
If re-elected, Servia said she plans to prioritize tackling growth and traffic congestion, reducing spending in the county budget, and putting money back into the county’s reserves.
“I’m running for re-election because I love this community and I’m a public servant at heart,” Servia said. “I’m just really concerned about quality-of-life and pocketbook issues.”
Servia leads Rahn in campaign finance fundraising, according to the latest records from the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections. Servia has raised more than $144,000, while Rahn has collected nearly $90,000 from supporters.
Accusations fly in District 4 race
The race between the two Republican candidates has also been marred by accusations of government overreach, racism, hate crimes and bankruptcy.
Rahn has been a vocal critic of Servia’s performance as a commissioner, arguing that she makes decisions that don’t reflect “true Republican” beliefs. Servia has been targeted by Rahn’s campaign for previous votes to enact a mask mandate, enact a local curfew and temporarily shut down public boat ramps — actions that aligned with state and federal efforts to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic at the time.
“Look at the lockdown,” Rahn argued. “She sat up there and took your personal liberties away by closing the beaches, (boat) ramps and churches.”
In July, Rahn issued a press release claiming that Servia had attacked Gov. Ron DeSantis during the vaccine controversy involving Commissioner Vanessa Baugh. His campaign shared a Fox News clip of Servia’s criticism, which was directed at Baugh at the time.
“Mike Rahn stands by the Fox News clip and Laura Ingraham’s assertion that Misty Servia accused Governor DeSantis of racism,” the release said.
Servia pushed back on those claims, noting that she was criticizing Baugh, not the governor. Baugh helped organize the event and limited vaccine availability to two ZIP codes in her own district, which were among the “whitest and richest,” ZIP codes in the county, Servia said. In response, Servia’s campaign hit Rahn with a cease and desist letter demanding an end to any accusations of racism.
A mysterious text message also prompted Servia to ask for law enforcement to become involved in the race. An unknown number of voters received a text message claiming that Servia is endorsed by the “Manatee LGBTQIA+ Alliance,” a group that does not exist.
In a report filed with the sheriff’s office, Servia believes Rahn is behind the text message but did not provide detailed evidence. She said a similar text message in a previous race involving Rahn’s political consultant falsely accused a 2020 county commission candidate of being endorsed by the Black Lives Matter organization.
“Whenever you try to create a wedge and make people angry, we don’t need that in Manatee County,” Servia said.
A sheriff’s office spokesperson said investigators have reviewed the text and did not find anything that rises to the level of a crime. Speaking with the Bradenton Herald, Rahn denied any association with those text messages.
“I had nothing to do with that. I don’t know who sent it,” Rahn said. “I didn’t know about it until somebody told me about it.”
A political action committee is also targeting Rahn by highlighting his history of divorce and bankruptcy filings. A website includes a video and court documents that attack Rahn for his history of divorce and bankruptcy filings.
When asked about the website, Servia said she was not involved in its creation. The Bradenton Herald’s review of campaign finance documents found that Citizens for Clean Government, the PAC that created the website, has received payments from the same political consulting group that Servia has paid for “media buys” and “mailers” in the 2022 campaign cycle.
Rahn said he isn’t ashamed of his bankruptcy and criticized the use of the marriage settlement in a political attack. The website has documents that show Rahn’s divorce attorney arguing he shouldn’t be forced to pay child support, even though his salary was four times higher than his ex-wife.
“I did file bankruptcy during the great collapse. The market fell apart, which happened to a lot of people. A lot of people in Manatee County were affected by those horrible times,” Rahn said. “Attacking family is off-limits.”
What to know about the District 4 election
Because there is at least one write-in candidate in the District 4 race, only registered Republicans that live in District 4 will be able to participate.
The winner will advance to the General Election where they will face Daniel Hansen and Timothy Norwood.
- Early voting has begun and runs until Saturday, Aug. 20.
- Primary Election Day is on Tuesday, Aug. 23.
- Visit www.VoteManatee.com to learn more about your voting location.
This story was originally published August 17, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
