Palmetto's at-large Commissioner Tamara Cornwell files for re-election

PALMETTO -- Entering her 20th year on the Palmetto dais, longtime at-large Commissioner Tamara Cornwell filed for re-election Thursday.

The fifth-generation Manatee County resident holds a doctorate in educational leadership and is vice principal at R. Dan Nolan Middle School in Bradenton.

First elected in the late 1990s, the veteran commissioner said she understands the government pace is not always as quick as people would like it, but can be effective nonetheless.

"I'm really excited because, when I first ran, we were talking about recycling and water reuse," said Cornwell. "Some things take a long time to see them getting into action, but we've gone from having to once pay fines for dumping water into the Manatee River

to becoming one of the most predominant cities in water reuse. And now we are getting ready to open our aquifer storage recovery as well. What an amazing accomplishment for a small city."

Cornwell said water will become one of the largest commodities for Florida citizens and Palmetto has staged itself for long-term support.

"It's been amazing to see something so negative turn into something so positive with all of what we are doing for the city," said Cornwell. "I'm very proud of that and it's exciting to see those things come to fruition that were part of my platform when I first ran. Now we are working on a community swimming pool because we have no facility for our young people to take swimming lessons. That's really important because it comes down to being a safety issue for our children."

The city quest for a community pool is in the early stages, but several sites are being considered. Cornwell said she's just happy to see it moving forward.

The city's next big challenge is to coordinate efforts to accommodate baby boomer and millennial generations, "and the things they want within their hometown. I'm a very data-driven kind of decision maker. We want that small-town feel, but also we want fun things to do. So we are looking at growing the town in a way to keep the hometown feel and yet want to have people choose to call Palmetto home."

With Cornwell's entrance into November election cycle, Palmetto's field of candidates remain unchallenged.

Incumbent Mayor Shirley Groover has filed for re-election and Lawrence Andress has filed to replace outgoing at-large Commissioner Jonathan Davis, who will give up his city seat to run for the Manatee County Commission. The term for city commissioners and mayor is four years.

Mark Young, Herald urban affairs reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7041 or follow him on Twitter @urbanmark2014.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 11:41 PM with the headline "Palmetto's at-large Commissioner Tamara Cornwell files for re-election ."