Manatee commissioner admits affair, then renews push to fire administrator. Residents react | Letters to the editor
‘As the Commissioners Turn’
Good evening and welcome to another edition of “METV Presents: As the Commissioners Turn.”
On today’s episode, Kevin “You’re Fired!” Van Ostenbridge wreaks havoc throughout the county, demanding the resignation of the county administrator and her staff just 10 minutes after being elected to office. Meanwhile, back at the board meeting, rough seas are ahead as a weepy George “Carnival” Kruse admits to an affair, all the while, accusing a fellow county commissioner of blackmail and trying to sway his votes based upon a picture circulating of him and his “friend.” This is the final straw, forcing Kruse to change his vote to fire the county administrator, which he wanted to do in the first place.
Over in Parrish, James “Sunshine (Law)“ Satcher is texting away with fellow commissioners about his conservative agenda, not realizing that what he’s sending is of public record, leading to lawsuits.
With a pandemic raging, over 400,000 people dead nationally and positive COVID-19 cases rising in Manatee County and throughout the state, this is what we, as citizens of Manatee County receive from our recently elected commissioners — a soap opera.
What will happen next? Stay tuned for the next episode of “METV Presents: As the Commissioners Turn.”
Michael Polin
Bradenton
Whitmore, Coryea should resign
Some folks dig holes and use every word like a shovel to dig a deeper hole from which they will get out. What happened at the Manatee Board of County Commissioners meeting Jan. 26 was the craziest thing.
.At that meeting, for all the world to hear, at-large county Commissioner Carol Whitmore tripled down on inept comments in her defense of the indefensible. I told Whitmore that she is a “master of plausible deniability and that is generally a clever politician.” It was not a compliment.
Clever politicians make innocuous comments full of innuendo open to interpretation, knowing for which they can evade accountability. Clever politicians exercise power with “dirt.” A victim best believe that the lump under a jacket is a concealed weapon and not a candy bar.
That is the question. What was her purpose for bringing up photographs of Commissioner George Kruse and another woman? Her own words revealed the elements of the crime of extortion with only “intent” left to an investigator to determine. The public comments at the meeting, ranging from those of the far left to the far right, had the belief that Carol is not to be trusted and capable of a crime or breach of ethics in common.
Carol’s defense? “I do not commit crimes and I am ethical,” reminding me of “I did not have sex with that woman” or “I am from the government and I am here to help.”
Help whom? Help herself to gain political advantage, using lrelationships with staff to counter commissioners likely to differ with her
Both Commissioner Whitmore and Administrator Cheri Coryea, resign immediately. More likely is a 4-3 vote Feb. 17 to fire Coryea and we will suffer under a chastened Commissioner Whitmore until 2022.
Kevin W. Wright
Bradenton
Are Manatee commissioners for real?
Commissioners, a little more than a month ago I sent you an email commenting on the precipitous, arbitrary and outrageously irresponsible decision to fire County Administrator Cheri Coryea. I received responses from two of you. Mr Kruse, who ultimately changed his mind after saying he would observe Ms. Coryea over a period of time before coming to a final decision, and Ms Baugh who thanked me for my email but who never evaluated Ms. Coryea last year as required.
Mr Kruse has now observed Ms. Coryea for six weeks and has changed his mind again! What precipitated that change? A meeting she arranged for someone else! Would you say Mr Kruse’s commitment to “observe her over a period of time” was ingenuine? I certainly consider it so!
Now, he is quoted as saying, “I no longer believe that meeting quantitative benchmarks can ever give me assurance or comfort in the continuation of a fundamentally flawed system.” What the hell does that mean? And Ms Baugh says, “Am I saying Cheri is terrible? No, I’m not saying that.” But she tweeted in 2019, “our county administrator is rocking it! She is definite keeper.”
And Mr VanOstenbridge talks about “clearing the swamp and parlor games, conservative solutions to decades old problems and a conservative ideology,” along with other slogans and generalities, but no specifics. Is this all for real?
Let us assume this outlandish fiasco is carried out. Do the four of you understand you oversee an extremely complex organization with a budget of $750 million and nearly 1,900 employees? Who will you hire to replace her? A novice? A rookie? A businessman who is clueless about public organizations? Have any of the four proponents of this firing ever conducted a search for a position of this magnitude? A national search? I would guess not, and conducting such a search would just as likely produce a bad result as a good one — and have to be repeated. Especially since the four of you are novices at such things.
There is absolutely nothing of substance that any of the four of you have identified that would justify this action. That is especially true when almost everyone else in the county considers Ms. Coryea an exemplary employee and leader. I’m not sure you understand you represent all the people of the county, not just a chosen few. Your behavior should reflect that.
Further, this commission is the laughing stock of the county — and beyond! There’s real work to be done on behalf of the county and the four of you are embroiled in infidelity, public apologies, accusations of blackmail, extortion, Sunshine Law violations, hiring personal attorneys, etc., etc., etc.! If it wasn’t so said, it would be funny. It’s like “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight.” When I think of you overseeing $750 million and 1,900 employees, it’s scares the hell out of me! Not to say what the cost to us, the taxpayers, will be for the termination costs of Ms. Coryea’s contract plus the attorney’s fees that will result from your “no cause” termination.
In 1973, the musical “A Little Night Music” included a song so appropriate for the antics of the four of you. The song was about one of the characters reflecting on the ironies and disappointments of her life, one of which was an inappropriate affair.
The title of the song: ”Send in the Clowns.” Is that what we, the voters of Manatee County, have done. It appears so!
Richard Correnti
Bradenton
Manatee commissioners are ‘shameful’
Manatee County commissioners Vanessa Baugh, George Kruse, Kevin Van Ostenbridge, and James Satcher , aka The Infamous Four, are at it again! They are still trying to oust County Administrator Cheri Coryea, so they can quickly fill her position with one of their buddies. All the while, they piously profess their only intent is to do what’s best for the citizens of Manatee County.
In December, this foursome wanted Ms. Coryea fired for carrying out directions given by the previous board. Now, they again want her fired for scheduling a meeting that Commissioner Carol Whitmore, one of her seven bosses, told her to arrange. The Four stubbornly ignore the fact that their very own county attorney advised them that no Sunshine Laws were broken and it was a lawful meeting: Ms. Coryea was simply doing her job as instructed.
Only in Manatee County is doing your job, as directed, grounds for termination. The situation would be funny if it weren’t so absurd and embarrassing. The caliber of our four recently elected commissioners leaves much to be desired. Their childish game playing and assaults on Ms. Coryea’s work history are shameful. Manatee County residents don’t deserve the constant stream of drama, bullying, and half-baked threats these newly elected Commissioners bring to every BCC meeting.
Susan Nachand
Sarasota
Let Coryea do her job
Monday, I called the Manatee County 311 line to get help with water that has, for months, filled the ditch on our dead-end road. The 311 operator directed me to a county employee who determined the scope of the problem. She called me back that day to tell me she had referred my issue to the Public Works Department. The next day John Ward from Public Works called to say he inspected the site and talked to the property owner whose well was the source of the water. John answered my questions completely. I was impressed by his knowledge and prompt attention
That’s how this citizen experienced the efficient operation of Manatee County under the management of Cheri Coryea, county administrator.
“Kruse renews push to fire Coryea and accuses Whitmore of blackmail,” reads the Page 1A headline in Wednesday’s Bradenton Herald. This time the story includes an extra-marital affair and blackmail charges. Must the public once again rise up to fight this popular administrator’s firing with petitions, angry calls, emails and a lawsuit?
None of it has anything to do with Coryea. Enough!
Chris Kotchi
Bradenton
Don’t destroy what Coryea has done
Commissioner George Kruse’s sex life is none of my business. However, I am now concerned that he intends to show Manatee County residents the same disrespect he has shown toward his wife.
Before the four newbies on the board summarily fire Cheri Coryea, I would like to see the credentials of the person they plan to replace her with. I think local residents/voters should have the right to compare Ms. Coryea’s hands-on experience and years of service with those of her proposed replacement. We are in the middle of one of the worst disasters in this country’s history. We are, to date, weathering the storm a lot better than the rest of the state. I believe that’s a testament to Ms. Coryea and her team. Why would anyone want to destroy that?
As for the Lena Road purchase, the price seems reasonable to me in light of the gains the county will make in proactively keeping up with demand for services as the county’s population multiplies exponentially. The opioid crisis is growing in the wake of COVID-19. To expect the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office to to stay ahead of hard-core drug dealers in a cramped space that they outgrew years ago puts everyone in the county at risk. As development forces more and more wildlife out of natural habitat and into the community, along with more and more abandoned domesticated animals, expecting Animal Services to manage the escalating problems in a space designed to service a tiny retirement community is absurd.
I beg the community to think this through before we allow the unique lifestyle we have to be sacrificed. Once it’s gone, it will be gone forever.
Anna Jedrziewski
Bradenton