Longtime Manatee school board member faces challenger in runoff for District 3 seat

Dave Miner is hoping to maintain his longtime seat on the Manatee County School Board, while challenger Mary Foreman is bringing her opponent’s “watchdog” status into question.

Miner secured 20,398 votes in the August primary, or 28.5 percent of the ballots cast. Foreman trailed behind the incumbent with 18,946 votes, or 26.5 percent. The remaining votes were spread among three other candidates.

Since neither won a majority of the vote, Miner and Foreman will compete for the District 3 seat during a runoff on Nov. 3.

The theme of Miner’s re-election campaign is experience and credibility. He won the seat in 2012, served as the chairman from November 2018 to 2019, and worked as a liaison between the school district and the Florida School Boards Association.

He continues to run a law office at 523 39th St. W. in Bradenton, and Miner, a Vietnam veteran, is also a lifetime member of the Marine Corps League.

“I think it’s important to continue the progress with someone who has the institutional knowledge that I have,” he said. “I’ve not only been on the board for eight years now, but more than eight years before that I attended school board meetings, obtained documents, went to Tallahassee and Washington to familiarize myself with what affects public education.”

Foreman, a certified public accountant for more than 40 years, is no stranger to district operations. She joined the district’s independent Audit Committee during its inception in 2013, volunteering countless hours to review district audits and make recommendations to the school board.

She retired from her CPA career in 2019 and recently served as chair of the Audit Committee. Promising to ask hard questions and scrutinize a budget worth hundreds of millions of dollars, Foreman said she hopes to bring financial expertise and accountability to the District 3 seat.

Foreman also said her opponent — who was listed on the ballot as Dave “Watchdog” Miner — has lost the credibility he was known for years ago.

When he defended his seat against a challenge from Misty Servia four years ago, Miner criticized his opponent for taking money from land developers, Foreman said, pointing to Miner’s current donations.

“This election he accepted campaign donations from not only individuals and companies associated with the land developers, but also from the construction contractors and vendors that do business with the district,” Foreman said.

Miner launched a website to counter Servia in 2016, and while the page is now gone, the Bradenton Herald reviewed an archive of the website to verify Foreman’s statement about Miner and his past stance on donations.

The website, WhoWillServiaServe.com, said that Miner was “the candidate of the people,” and that Servia was “the candidate of the developers and their affluent allies.”

“Anyone familiar with the political process will tell you that to learn who a candidate will serve if elected, follow the money,” his website read.

“The developer community in Manatee County likes to get what it pays for — and it has been remarkably successful in electing pro-development candidates to the Board of County Commissioners and School Board,” the website continued.

During his current election campaign, Miner raised $32,450 through early September. At least $18,700 — or 57.6 percent of his contributions — came from organizations and people connected to land development, engineering, contracting, real estate or construction services.

His contributions include $1,000 from developer Pat Neal, along with $3,000 from organizations tied to Neal’s business address. The incumbent received a combined $4,000 from two executives at NDC Construction and their spouses, $2,000 from leaders at Willis Smith Construction and several $1,000 donations from people who listed their occupation as builder, engineer or “land.”

Miner defended the contributions in an interview on Friday morning. He said a quality school system attracted new residents and skilled workers to Manatee County, something that builders and other business people can appreciate.

“If these people feel you are going to be a good steward of public money and you’re going to be a good steward in promoting the goals of public education, and if they wish to make a donation, they ought to be applauded for their patriotic concern,” he said.

“If they choose me over Mary, well, of course she’s going to complain because she’s not getting it,” Miner continued. “That’s just wrong to suggest there’s any kind of ill motive. Should I start complaining about contributions made to her?”

Foreman raised $24,800 as of early September, including $15,030 — or 60.6 percent of the contributions — from her own pocket. She also received a $1,000 donation from Trans-United Development Corp., a business associated with developer Carlos Beruff, and a handful of smaller donations from people in real estate or engineering.

Fundraising was one of several issues raised by Foreman. From Miner’s point of view, each criticism was made not from concern, but from a desire to unseat him from the District 3 seat. He pointed to recent issues that came before the school board, assuring residents that he was the same “watchdog” from years’ past.

Miner said he spent countless hours poring over construction documents to address the historic flooding issue at Palmetto High School, along with a safety concern with the bus loop at Barbara A. Harvey Elementary School. Many nights, he said, have been spent at high school football games, student award ceremonies and other events that allow him to connect with residents.

Another four-year term would allow Miner to continue his pursuit for more energy efficient buildings and greater access to health care in local schools.

“I do that because, emotionally and theologically, I believe it’s important to invest wherever I am,” he said. “I invest my time, talent and money in Bradenton and Manatee County to help make it a better place.”

Foreman, on the other hand, said there was plenty of room for improvement in the School District of Manatee County, and that change should start in the District 3 seat.

Citing data from 2013 to 2019, she said Manatee increased the number of administrative positions from 210 to 362, a jump of 72 percent. That stood in contrast to the 24 percent bump in instructional positions over the same time period.

If elected, Foreman vowed to carefully inspect the district budget and drive money to the classroom whenever possible.

It was also unacceptable, she said, that general public comment was moved to the end of school board meetings, making it hard for some residents to attend a lengthy meeting and address the board face to face.

“It’s like they forget who they work for,” she said. “The board works for the public.”

To learn more about the candidates, including their priorities and endorsements, visit davewatchdogminer.com and mary-foreman.com.