Bradenton City Council member seeks second term against new candidate in Ward 5 election
A first-time candidate is challenging a first-term incumbent for a seat on the Bradenton City Council in Tuesday’s general election.
The Bradenton City Council Ward 5 race pits political newcomer Iris Thomas Garcia against Councilmember Pam Coachman. Coachman is seeking re-election for the first time after winning the seat in 2020.
Both candidates have backgrounds within the School District of Manatee County and believe their visions for Ward 5 can make a serious difference in the community. Garcia argues that she can fully focus on the City Council because she is retired, but Coachman says her four years of experience as an elected official are vital.
Ward 5 consists of neighborhoods in east Bradenton south of State Road 64 and areas between Ninth Street West and First Street between SR 64 and 26th Avenue East.
Who is Pam Coachman?
Coachman is a fourth-generation Bradenton native and a graduate of Manatee High School, where she is a member of the school’s Hall of Fame. She is the daughter of the late Jesse “Milkman” Mitchell, who “knew everyone on his milk delivery route in the black neighborhoods of Bradenton, Palmetto and Sarasota.” Her mother, Rosie “Nurse” Mitchell, worked as a caregiver at Manatee Memorial Hospital for many years.
Coachman has a master’s degree from the University of South Florida and spent the past 10 years as a speech and language pathologist for the School District of Manatee County.
She works full-time at Electa Lee Magnet Middle School. Coachman said her time in the profession directly translates into her ability to serve the public.
“I find that because of my profession, I have to listen and that has probably been the best of my assets in terms of doing anything like this because when you’re dealing with the public, you’ve got to listen and make sure you really understand what someone is saying and the intent behind it. And I think that’s probably one of my biggest strengths,” Coachman said.
Coachman said if given a second term, she’d like to parlay those listening skills into improved communication between the City Council and the public, while also working to improve infrastructure and the water management system. Her biggest advantage over her opponent, she says, is her incumbent status because she’s “already gone through the steep learning curve.”
“I feel like it’s pretty crucial right now with the things that are in front of us that we have someone that pretty much knows the ropes already,” Coachman said.
Who is Iris Thomas Garcia?
Garcia, meanwhile, says she doesn’t feel like a politician. Her late husband Rev. Lorenzo Thomas Garcia, was involved in local politics in the 1980s and 1990s. Now she says she is committed to carrying on his legacy and improving the community she lives in and loves.
Garcia was born in the Dominican Republic and began college in Puerto Rico before her family moved to Florida, where she later finished her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in educational leadership. Garcia went on to tutor Title I migrant students at Palmetto Elementary School.
As her career progressed, Garcia became dean of students at Southeast High School and later became a mental health therapist for Centerstone Behavioral Health alongside Child Protective Services.
Garcia also believes her extensive background within the school system makes her well-suited for the job. She also sees her retired status as an advantage.
“I feel that I can bring a little bit more to the table because it’s not a second job. It would be my first and only job. My opponent has a full-time job with the school system and I am completely retired, so I have all the time available,” Garcia said. “I did almost 30 years in the school system, so a lot of the families here now are my former students and people I personally know that can relate to me and I can relate to them.”
Public safety, affordable housing and bringing a grocery store to Ward 5 are some of Garcia’s top priorities, she said.
“Not having a grocery store nearby is an issue to people in my area. People should have access to basic things, especially groceries. We’re talking about low-income people who are not as privileged ... so they not only have to pay the expensive prices of groceries, they have to pay an Uber to go and get the food too,” Garcia said.
Coachman has raised over $11,000 compared to Garcia’s $3,200 ahead of the Nov. 5 election. The winner will be elected to serve a four-year term on the Bradenton City Council.
