Van Ostenbridge hopes for year of civility as Manatee County Commission chair in 2022
Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge will serve as the chairman of the Manatee Board of County Commissioners starting in 2022.
First elected in 2020, it will be the first time Van Ostenbridge serves as chairman of the board.
The chairman is a rotating position chosen by fellow commissioners. The chair is tasked with conducting public meetings and signing certain documents on behalf of the board.
“It will be an honor to serve Manatee County as their chairman of the County Commission. I want to thank my colleagues for their confidence in my leadership. I look forward to a productive year of hard work in the interest of our taxpayers.”
After a year of turbulence, including the ousting of the former county administrator and the Piney Point environmental disaster, Van Ostenbridge said he hopes to rebound in 2022 with teamwork at the forefront.
“My expectations are that this will be a year filled with Accountability, Civility and Ethics at all levels of our government,” he added, referencing the county’s ACE philosophy.
Van Ostenbridge represents Manatee’s District 3, which includes Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key and West Bradenton. He takes over the board chair position from Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, who held the position throughout 2021.
“I look forward to pushing all of the board’s priorities through to completion over the course of 2022, including the closure of Piney Point and pushing $350 million in road infrastructure projects through the design phase,” Van Ostenbridge said. “We need to diligently work hard for the taxpayers and keep focused on county business.”
Commissioner Carol Whitmore moved quickly to nominate Van Ostenbridge for the position at Tuesday’s public meeting. Seconds later, Commissioner Misty Servia and Van Ostenbridge closed nominations, leading to a vote that gave Van Ostenbridge the chairmanship.
On Thursday, Baugh said she reviewed footage of the vote and expressed disappointment with the speed of the vote. She noted that other commissioners weren’t given a chance to add another name into the pool for consideration.
“Nobody had a chance to say a word. It looked orchestrated to me. I felt like it was planned,” Baugh said.
“Every year, if you watch the previous meetings, this happened,” Whitmore responded.
Reached for comment Friday evening, Van Ostenbridge said he didn’t see an issue with how the nominations were handed.
“I thought Chairwoman Baugh ran an effective meeting and if anything out of the ordinary took place, the county attorney would have spoken up,” Van Ostenbridge said.
Fellow board members voted for Commissioner James Satcher to become the vice chairman. As vice chair, Satcher will conduct meetings in Van Ostenbridge’s absence.
Commissioner George Kruse was named second vice chairman and Commissioner Whitmore will serve as third vice chairman.
Board members also held elections for positions on the Port Authority, which oversees operations at Port Manatee. Commissioner Reggie Bellamy was re-elected as chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority.
“He’s done an excellent job. It’s good to roll that position over,” Commissioner Misty Servia said of Bellamy’s role as chair of the Port Authority in 2021.
Kruse was voted in as vice chair of the port, while Servia will serve as second vice chair. Satcher will serve as third vice chairman.
Servia will continue to serve as the chair of the county’s Tourist Development Council, which recommends projects that improve tourism in Manatee County. Whitmore was chosen to serve as an alternate when Servia cannot make the meeting.
