BRADENTON – In the upcoming City of Bradenton elections, a number of first-time candidates are vying for offices held by veteran incumbents. The non-partisan elections could shake up a local government that has seen many of the same faces go largely unopposed in recent cycles.
Bradenton native Keenan Wooten will challenge longtime incumbent Harold Byrd for the Ward 5 City Council seat. Wooten is a graduate of Southeast High School and State College of Florida, who later went on to earn a B.A. in Business Administration from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. He is currently a Student Support Specialist and Athletic Director at Lee Middle School.
In the Ward 1 City Council race, two challengers will take on veteran incumbent, Gene Gallo. Longtime Bradenton realtor Devon Davis is running on a platform of increasing government efficiency and transparency, while doing more to attract businesses that will revitalize the city. Davis, a Manatee High and SCF grad, is a volunteer mentor for Take Stock in Children and previously served on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement's Manatee County board.
Davis and Gallo are joined by Tamara Goudy. Goudy and her husband own the local business, Veritas! Pest Management. She is also a self-employed speech therapist, for which she owns her own business that contracts with the Florida Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program to treat clients who have been a victim of brain injury. Goudy earned her undergraduate degree at Virginia Wesleyan, before going on the earn two masters degrees (Primary Education and Speech-Language Pathology) from Nova-Southeastern University. She is also a former kindergarten teacher at Miller Elementary.
In the mayoral race, incumbent Wayne Poston, who has served since being elected in 2000, will face two challengers: former Deputy Chief of the Bradenton Police Department Warren Merriman and 28 year-old political newcomer Eleuterio Salazar Jr.
Merriman, who was controversially fired by the police department last year, is running on a platform that promises to return government to an enterprise concerned with its citizens, vowing to make priorities of transparency, economic development and crime reduction. A former Cryptologist in the United States Navy who served in Operation Desert Storm/Shield, Merriman was also a Corrections Officer for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
Merriman holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Saint Leo University and is an FBI National Academy graduate. He points out that the mayor also serves as the city's police commissioner and says he has an unusual amount of experience suited for that role. He currently works as a realtor.
.............Warren Merriman .........................Eleuterio Salazar Jr.
Eleuterio Salazar Jr. is a financial services professional with deep ties to the community since his time at Lakewood Ranch High School where he was a volunteer with ManaTeens, participated in the Congressional Student Leadership Conference, and served on the Board of Directors for Youth Service America. He has been a Big Brother and served on the Board of Directors for the Family Partnership Center. Salazar also served as President & Chairman for the Gulf Coast Latin Chamber of Commerce and was selected for the Citizen’s Budget Committee for the School District of Manatee County.
Salazar is a recipient of the Governor’s Point of Light Award, the 2004 Bright House Youth Service Award and was also named the Florida Association of Volunteer Centers’ Hispanic Youth of the Year. In 2005, he became the youngest Hispanic to ever receive the President’s Call to Service Award, a distinction he still holds. In late 2015, Salazar founded his own organization by the name of UNO: United Nation Organization, a group of young adults providing awareness to the community of their rights and opportunities. He expects to complete his Bachelor's Degree in January of next year.
City of Bradenton offices are non-partisan, meaning there is no party affiliation or primary. In 2012, city voters decided to do away with run-off elections. Races now appear on the November ballot and the candidate with the most votes wins, no longer needing to secure a majority of total votes cast.
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