Candidate Profile: County Commission District 2: Michael Gallen

Candidate: Michael Gallen

Age: 36

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Occupation: Michael teaches American Government and American History at Lakewood Ranch High School and practices law independently.

Annual income: $63,000

Biography: Michael was born and raised in Manatee County. He has been married to Alexandra Gallen since 2004, and they have three children; Linda, Juliette and baby Thomas.

Education: He graduated from Manatee High School and attended Manatee Community College. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Georgia and received his Law Degree from Nova Southeastern University School of Law.

Experience: Gallen worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in the office of General Counsel and worked for the Florida House of Representatives as staff attorney for the Committee on Business Regulation during the 2003 and 2004 legislative sessions.

He believes his experience, education and devotion to Manatee County will help create a better quality of life for his children and the citizens of Manatee County.

”I want to restore integrity to the District 2 seat,“ he said.

Michael feels that the problems that are facing the county stem from an undiversified job market.

”There are two types of jobs in the county -- construction and tourism. The result has been what I refer to as a "brain drain", where children go off to college, but then don’t come back,“ he said.

Michael thinks that more research and development aimed at providing incentives to bring in green technology and green building would create jobs that appeal to local graduates. He would also like to see more opportunities for internships and externships to solve the problem. The result would be a new generation of people investing time in the community and motive for them to stay in the area.

Michael also has a plan for teenage crime prevention that would utilize schools as community centers for children. He would like to see them stay open until the evening and provide after-school programs aimed at averting youths from doing drugs or participating in criminal activities. Older students could acquire necessary community service hours for graduation by tutoring younger students.

”If one of my students wants to play basketball on school grounds after hours, they will get arrested. I would like to see programs similar to the ones that were present in the 1940’s and 1950’s. It would help families and costs would be minimal,“ he said.

Community Involvement: He is a member of the Florida Bar, the Manatee County Bar Association, the Sierra Club, the Manatee League of Women Voters and a graduate of Leadership Manatee.

Monetary Contributions: Michael has raised $5,665 for his campaign, which has been mostly donated by individuals. To see the full report, click here.

Quote he lives by: ”Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world – indeed it is the only thing that ever has.“ – Margaret Mead