Manatee commissioners are an embarrassment. And they are putting us at risk | Opinion

Manatee County is on the cusp of becoming a place most residents are embarrassed to live in. County commissioners are changing the once problem-solving, embracing county into a land of irresponsible, extremist leadership that rejects the public will to get things done for broad community good.

A few years ago, Stephen King and John Grisham donated their time to help the community by raising over $500,000 for the county library system. In partnership with matching funds from the county, the $500,000 was used to upgrade the library’s operational software system and to provide the libraries with funds to address our community’s literacy crisis more aggressively. Notably, then state Rep. Jim Boyd, served as honorary chair of both events, I headed the Manatee Library Foundation’s Board, and a group of dedicated citizens made Manatee proud and did good. That effort even drew international attention and applause. We focused on targeted, achievable goals and needs and did not engage in political purity tests.

Today, I doubt neither Messrs. King nor Grisham would help our county, which is boldly ignoring key governmental responsibilities, such as:

• Continuing to protect county residents and employees from COVID. The recent deaths in its IT department and the county administration building shutdown showcase the ongoing COVID threats.
• The environmental crisis. Only part of the issue is phosphate dumping, most recently showcased at Piney Point, with expanding red tide and blue-green algae side effects. It is bad for our human health and business.
• Children’s needs. We have a foster care crisis and scary youth pregnancy rates that create costly human issues.
• Affordable housing. Teachers, police, firefighters and service personnel need places to live.
• Health and safety of all residents. See point 1. Protection is not merely for those in affluent neighborhoods. COVID, storms, and ongoing health problems loom.
• Adequate animal shelters.

Commissioners have cost the county money and loss of respect for its suggestion it might not build a new animal shelter in the eastern part of the county. The Bishop Foundation, which once offered free its updated animal shelter, has now announced it won’t proceed with the county.

Violating its own commitment to provide vaccinations to all, a commissioner enabled selective vaccination of residents only in Lakewood Ranch, generating nationwide outrage and press, and again pitting wealthy residents against all others.

Mainstream Manatee residents are concerned about the clear anti-woman animus the commissioners have recently demonstrated. Immediately following their election, they moved to remove a competent county administrator with years of county experience, and replaced her with a man on a temporary basis. In three months, they decided to keep him on as a permanent replacement without that promised national search AND gave that man a raise, making his salary higher than the woman who had just held that job. As a former businesswoman and HR consultant, such moves undermine organizational trust.

Commissioner James Satcher just succeeded in gaining county authorization to spend precious county money to pursue legislation it has no authority to create or need to address women’s control of their bodies. (Noteworthy, this same commissioner refused to follow County regulations to wear a mask saying, “How dare government tell him what he should with his body.” Obviously, his body is more precious than women’s.)

If developers funded these commissioners’ successful election, perhaps they want to rethink the cost to them and the rest of us if the commissioners continue to turn Manatee County into a laughingstock.

Jane Plitt of Bradenton is a former chair of the Manatee Library Foundation Board and a former chair of the Realize Bradenton Downtown Revitalization Committee.

This story was originally published June 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM.