Candidate Profile: Steve Jonsson (Manatee County Commission, District 3)

Steve Jonsson is a real estate consultant and co-founder of the defunct Bradenton-based Flagship National Bank.

In a Business Observer article from March, Jonsson says that experience such as his 2009 bank closure by the FDIC gave him experience that will prepare him for the campaign and for being an elected official.

At 65, Jonsson says he has lived in Manatee County for 39 years. He says he is not a politician, has always been a businessman and is concerned about where Manatee County is going.

When asked about his banking history, Jonsson told the Bradenton Herald, "It was a bad economic time back then and we got caught up with it."

Jonsson is an economics graduate of Lehigh University. He says he brings an outsider's perspective to the campaign by bringing a fresh set of eyes to problems.

Jonsson is running as a Republican. He faces Matt Bower and David Zaccagnino, who are running as independent NPA (no-party-affaliate).