School Board to Welcome New Member, Reorganize on Tuesday

BRADENTON – The Manatee School Board with hold a swearing-in ceremony at its Tuesday meeting, with Gina Messenger set to take the seat of now-retired, long-serving board member Bob Gause, along with a potential reshuffling of its Chair and Vice Chair positions.

A long-time Manatee County public schools educator and first-time political seat-holder, Messenger edged out a tie with fellow candidate Ed Viltz before winning in a landslide in the general election. She will join a cast of board members whose tenure–with the exception of current Chair Karen Carpenter, who has served on the school board since 2010–have either served two years or less, or were just re-elected this year.

With his victory in a hotly contested race against local planner and first-time candidate Misty Servia, Dave Miner will be sworn in for the second time on Tuesday.

Following the swearing in of both candidates, the board will take its annual vote on a Chair and Vice Chair. The school board typically leans toward electing a member who has at least two years of board tenure to Chair, and has not served as Chair for the prior year.

That could mean Miner, who has not yet served in the position and acts as Chair of the Central Florida School Board Coalition, moving to the gavel seat. It could also mean Charlie Kennedy, who won his first election in 2014, moving to Chair after serving as Vice Chair for the past year.

John Colon, who was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the late Mary Cantrell's seat after her death in July of 2015, went unopposed in the August primary and so will serve for another four years. While his position as the school board's District 5 member is still young, Colon's possible election to Chair for the coming year doesn't seem out of reach, as he has substantial prior experience on other boards under his belt.

The meeting will start at 5:45 p.m. in the board chambers, located at 215 Manatee Avenue West in Bradenton.