Matt Bower, a lifelong resident of West Bradenton, and still a registered Republican, is running with no party affiliation (NPA) in the November race for Manatee County Commission District 3. The army vet faces Kevin Van Ostenbridge for the seat that covers west Bradenton and the islands.
Originally, Bower collected the signatures required to run in the Republican primary. However, when a last-minute write-in candidate used the loophole to close the election to only Republicans, Bower decided to run as an NPA. This change, which gave all voters in the district an opportunity to participate in the election, meant having to run without the designation of his Republican party affiliation on the ballot. The ballot will now have NPA next to his name.
Bower has been a longtime activist for smart and sustainable growth practices in Manatee County. He served four years on Manatee County's Planning Commission and earned a reputation for asking the hard questions of politically-connected developers, which led to Manatee County Commissioners essentially firing him from the position.
Bowers's passions include fishing, golfing, and surfing. Bower, a Republican, calls himself a true conservative and promises he will keep taxes low while ensuring the community receives the services it requires.
Bowers's primary concerns include the increasing traffic from developments approved without the required infrastructure, our ailing infrastructure, and the destruction of our wetlands and impacts on our coastal waters and estuaries.
If elected, Bower says he will represent his real constituents, citizens of Manatee County, and not the deep-pocketed developers who currently enjoy much influence among board members.
"How people run for office and who they accept contributions from sets the tone for the way they will serve and, more importantly, who they will serve," says Bower. As such, he has decided to not accept any campaign donations from developers.
"Developers gather together and decide who will be serving their interest, then proceed to raise excessive donations, including funding those political PACs," says Bower. "They often use several companies they control using a loophole to exceed individual campaign contributions. To them, it's a business decision, but, to the rest of us, it comes at the expense of what we value."
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