Manatee School Board members officially welcome Mary Foreman. They elect a new chairman

Mary Foreman has officially replaced Dave Miner on the School Board of Manatee County. Her swearing-in was followed by the election of a new chair and vice chair during Tuesday’s reorganization meeting.

Foreman assumed the District 3 seat on Tuesday evening, after outpacing Miner by nearly 18 percentage points in the Nov. 3 election. Her district includes Manatee High School, along with King, Lee and Sugg middle schools. It also includes seven elementary schools: Anna Maria, Miller, Moody, Palma Sola, Prine, Seabreeze and Stewart.

The board also voted to elect Charlie Kennedy as the chair and James Golden as the vice chair. Kennedy previously served twice as the vice chair and once as the board chair after his election in 2014, while Golden had yet to serve in a chair position since his election in 2018.

Judge Renee Inman oversaw the swearing-in ceremony for Foreman on Tuesday evening.

“I do solemnly swear that I will support, protect and defend the Constitution and government of the United States and of the state of Florida,” Foreman said, standing alongside her husband, Gary.

Foreman was a certified public accountant for several decades before she retired last year. Her top priorities include greater oversight of the district budget and greater input from Manatee County residents.

Judge Inman also conducted the swearing-in for Gina Messenger, who won a bid for re-election during the primary in August. Messenger, who was first elected in 2016, led the board as its chair for the past year.

Golden nominated Messenger to continue as the board’s chairwoman Tuesday evening. He said Messenger did an admirable job when the board faced not only a pandemic, but also the complex issues that always exist in education.

Whether it be a pandemic, large construction projects or a campaign to renew the district’s one-mill tax referendum, Golden feared that a change in leadership would derail the efforts that were already in motion.

His compliments were followed by concerns from board member Scott Hopes, who nominated Kennedy for the chair position. Hopes said the board received no training under the past two chairs — the kind of training that helps board members interact with each other and the public.

He also shared concerns about the state of public comment at school board meetings. The board moved general public comment to the end of meetings in late 2019, and it had capacity restrictions that left dozens of people stuck outside in late October.

District leaders said the capacity restriction was a measure to promote social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The board room has since reopened to full capacity, though temperature checks and mask requirements were still in place.

“For some reason, the past few years we appear to have disenfranchised the public,” Hopes said, calling for fresh leadership.

Hopes’ nomination succeeded with a 3-2 vote. Kennedy voted for himself, and he was supported by Hopes and Foreman, the board’s newest member.

“You have been an excellent chair the past year,” Kennedy said, addressing Messenger. “I hate to say that I’m voting against you because that’s not what it is at all. I’m not sure how much more time I have left on this board, and this may be my last chance to be chair one more time.”

Board members then elected a vice chair, the position held by Kennedy over the past year. Foreman nominated Hopes, while Messenger nominated Golden.

With a 3-2 vote, Messenger’s nomination succeeded and Golden became the new vice chair. Hopes and Foreman cast the dissenting votes.

“I will do the best that I can — I can promise that,” Golden said. “Thank you so very much.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 8:16 PM.