School Board incumbent Dave Miner out front on many issues
Candy Stanley doesn’t think Dave Miner has been our “Watchdog.” The facts prove otherwise.
When the school district wanted to sell McKelvey Park for a quick buck and allow a strip mall to be constructed next to Miller Elementary, our Watchdog was there. He took a stand against destroying the only green space on Manatee Avenue between downtown and the Palma Sola Causeway. The district backed down.
When the district wanted to hire armed guards who lacked proper training to substitute for sworn law enforcement officers in our schools, our Watchdog was there and took a stand against potentially endangering our students. The district backed down.
When the district retaliated against our Watchdog and others who disagreed with former Superintendent Rick Mills by improperly using an unqualified professional standards investigator to purge those who dared to speak the truth, our Watchdog was there. The Watchdog exposed Troy Pumphrey’s dishonesty and Rick Mills’ manipulations. That started a process that eventually convinced a majority of the board to non-renew Pumphrey’s contract and conclude that Mills was wrong for our district.
When the district wanted to cut impact fees by 50 percent if the half percent sales tax extension passed, depriving our classrooms of needed funding, our Watchdog was there. He took a stand against the reduced impact fees and eventually convinced the board to unanimously drop the impact fee link from the sales tax proposal.
Being a leader isn’t pretty. Being out front on issues can be difficult and ruffle a few feathers. The Watchdog may not win points on style, but he is always with the children of Manatee County on the substantive issues.
If you care only about style, bankrolled by the very same developers who would have benefited most if Miner failed to take a stand on these issues, vote for his opponent.
Scott Bassett
Bradenton
This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 9:47 AM with the headline "School Board incumbent Dave Miner out front on many issues."