Van Ostenbridge accuses election opponent of corruption. Did Bower do anything wrong?
The race for the District 3 seat on the Manatee County Commission seat is heating up with a fresh allegation of corruption and wrongdoing.
Republican candidate Kevin Van Ostenbridge launched an attack against Matt Bower, who is running with no party affiliation, Friday morning, accusing the Bradenton financial advisor of “taking illicit payments and preying upon victims of drunk driving.”
The allegations stem from a 2009 case that resulted in Jeffrey Luhrsen, Bower’s former boss, being disciplined by the Florida Bar with a 30-day suspension. According to court records, Bower and his ex-wife helped Luhrsen, a personal injury lawyer, recruit new clients that were still recovering from drunk driving accidents.
Van Ostenbridge released the information in an email blast just ahead of Friday afternoon’s debate against Bower. Both candidates are running to represent District 3, which includes West Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Cortez.
“There’s a lot of similarities between us, but what really sets us apart is our ethics, principles and conscious. There was a Supreme Court case, and they were found guilty on multiple count of Florida Bar allegations,” Van Ostenbridge said during the debate. “He was herding victims of DUIs to his personal injury firm.”
Between 2000 and 2015, Bower worked as chief operating officer at the firm. He also provided accounting and office management services.
According to Bower, there was no wrongdoing in the case.
“I’m glad he brought that up because had he done his homework, it’s a good news story,” Bower responded. “I don’t have any problem talking about that scenario. My ex-boss was suspended because we helped out a client who was getting ready to get kicked out of his home.”
The complaint alleges that Luhrsen and Bower worked together to cover a client’s personal expenses and did not require them to be repaid, a violation of Florida Bar regulations. Luhrsen, who has donated $500 to Bower’s campaign, pleaded guilty to two of the charges.
Bower was named an “agent” in the case because the money loaned to the client came from Bower’s accounting services company, West Coast Management Services.
Leadership for Florida’s Future, a political action committee that has received several contributions from local developers, paid for attack mailers that were sent to District 3 voters.
“Ask yourself, if Matt Bower would be involved in preying upon victims of drunk driving for cash, what wouldn’t he do?” the fliers said.
The attack didn’t come as a surprise to Bower, who said in an interview with the Bradenton Herald that the revelation would likely “backfire” on Van Ostenbridge.
“At the end of the day, it’s just a sad moment,” Bower said. “I’ve got a lot of support, and we’re disgusted by the ads and the negativity. At the end of the day, I think it’s going to backfire on him,” Bower said.
“When you look at the way they run a campaign, you can tell how they’ll lead as a commissioner, too. It doesn’t bode well,” he added.
While Luhrsen faced discipline in 2011, a circuit court judge in 2016 awarded him more than $325,000 in legal fees in a related lawsuit where one of his former clients alleged that he had been improperly solicited for legal services.
That client engaged in a seven-year lawsuit to win back a contingency fee he paid to Luhrsen after he had been solicited for service at the hospital, but the judge concluded that there was no legal grounds to win back that payment.
According to Bower, Luhrsen did the right thing by loaning money to a client who was on the verge of eviction.
Development at issue in race
Bower has also taken a hard stance against accepting any developer support. When he launched his campaign earlier this year, he said Van Ostenbridge would be “beholden” to the developers supporting his bid for a seat on the Board of County Commissioners.
“I think it’s disingenuous to think that when a large amount of money comes to you, you’re not going to have some bias. People are smarting up, and that’s why I think we have a good chance of winning this election,” Bower said at Friday’s debate. “People understand what development has done to this community and why developers pour so much money into specific candidates.”
Van Ostenbridge denied those allegations again on Friday, arguing that he has also received donations from small businesses and other everyday residents.
“It concerns me that he is so concerned that a big donation will influence him. (Former county commissioner) Joe McClash has donated like 20 percent of his campaign money. He’s received money from the Sierra Club,” Van Ostenbridge shot back. “If that’s not a special interest, I don’t know what is. I guess you’re owned and beholden to Joe McClash and the Sierra Club, which are obviously left-wing entities.”
Friday’s debate also included discussion about how both candidates would work to improve the community if elected in November.
Bower said he looks forward to revamping Manatee County’s development guidelines so that developers pay for infrastructure improvements, trimming the county budget and protecting local water quality.
“My qualifications meet the standards we need to have on this board,” said Bower.
If elected, Van Ostenbridge promised to never raise taxes or implement any new fees. He also said he would fight to support local businesses and leverage the county’s reserves to pay for infrastructure upgrades.
“One of the first things I’m going to do is ask for a work session and bring in the department heads to justify their reserves because that money needs to be reallocated,” he said. “You’re sitting in traffic, and they’re sitting on your money. All of that is taxpayer money.”
Bower’s campaign has raised about $18,000. To learn more about his campaign, visit www.VoteForMattBower.com. Van Ostenbridge’s campaign has raised about $118,000. To learn more about his campaign, visit www.VoteKVO.com.
This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 4:19 PM.
