The Manatee County Commission District 2 Republican primary will see newcomer Edward Bailey challenge first-term incumbent Amanda Ballard. The winner will face former D2 Commissioner Charles Smith in November’s general election.
Ballard was elected with support from the development community and has made several highly questionable votes in the industry’s benefit. Most notably, Ballard voted in favor of removing local wetland protections in 2023, despite broad opposition from environmental groups and the public at large. She also voted to limit Manatee County’s ability to collect development impact fees, which reduces our ability to adequately fund new infrastructure necessitated by development growth.
These were two of the issues that galvanized voters to flip the board in 2024, but they remain unsolved because of preemptive legislation passed by the state legislature, further demonstrating the devastating consequences of Ballard’s votes. Furthermore, Ballard has not adequately addressed these failures, pleading ignorance of the benefits of larger wetland buffers while using the same misleading math incumbent commissioners used in 2024 to defend the impact fee giveaway.
Commissioner Ballard does bring strengths to the board. We find her intelligent and empathetic, and we find her passion for issues like the foster care system, homelessness, and addiction not only admirable but also welcome on a board that has not always been diligent in giving voice to these communities. However, as this community continues to fight to exert control over its future in terms of sustainable growth, we feel Manatee County needs someone far more willing to stand up to development interests than Ballard has proven herself to be.
In Edward Bailey, we see an exciting candidate with deep ties to the district, someone much more attuned to the needs of its constituents. Bailey has articulated a clear vision for District 2 that begins with the sort of shoe-leather constituent outreach that Ballard has often been accused of lacking.
Prior to running for the seat, Bailey served as an aide to District 5 Commissioner Bob McCann, learning the ins and outs of constituent service while gaining an impressively broad understanding of the many subject areas a commissioner must grasp. We are not only confident that he possesses the fortitude to stand up to the powerful interests that will continue to seek favor with the next board, but we also find the youthful perspective and vigor he brings to the race to be welcome attributes.
As Manatee County continues to struggle to balance growth, infrastructure, and environmental resource protection, our community will need strong representation on the BOCC. We believe that Ed Bailey will be a powerful voice for District 2 and is the best choice in this primary.
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David Daniels
Mr. Bailey is a young man that speaks thoughtfully and with a maturity much greater than his age. In the interview, he answered directly, so we know he is in tune with the overwhelming majority of voters on the key issue of overdevelopment. Amanda Ballard, on the other hand, has spent 4 years as a developer puppet and is now trying to downplay her record. TBT's endorsement mentions her vote to eliminate wetland buffers, but I think it is important to remind voters of the context of that vote. It wasn't just that there was broad opposition. At that meeting, the BoCC chambers was packed with citizens. Dozens of public speakers, one after another, spoke passionately against this obvious gift to developers. Biologists and environmental scientists spoke of study after study that conclusively found that wetland buffers reduced flooding and filtered pollutants out of our precious creeks and rivers. Not only was the chambers packed, and speakers were lined up - but there were some 500 pages of public comments submitted against the proposal. And yet, in the face of all that, Amanda Ballard (and Mike Rahn) chose Pat Neal, Anthony Pedicini and Carlos Beruff over the interest of Manatee County. As someone commented about Tony Barrett smashing his ex's head on the floor, Ballard's choice was not an "oops." That vote tells us all we need to know about Ballard's character. That vote does define what she stands for. She voted to eliminate the buffers because she wanted to stay in power and believed developer money was her ticket, just like it had got her elected in the first place. Well something happened to her calculations, citizens became informed. And unlike Charlie Bishop, voters are in charge here. We have the power to hold Ballard (and Mike Rahn) accountable. Actions have consequences. Amanda Ballard made her choice in that vote (and plenty of others) about what she really cares about.
Saturday, June 20 Report this
Manatee Watch
get rid of Ballard. just another developer shill toolbox. NO MORE OF IT
Monday, June 22 Report this
Debann
Will definitely VOTE for Edward Bailey....BALLARD IS USELESS unless it's for the developers or griping about cats urinating in people's yards...Surprised she knows how far district 2 goes as I've NEVER seen her signs on this side of the tracks...LITERALLY....UNTIL THIS election cycle....Wonder why....nevermind..WE ALL KNOW THE ANSWER...VOTE OUT ALL INCUMBENTS....
Monday, June 22 Report this