Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Board Receive New Members

BRADENTON — During a land use meeting on Thursday, Manatee County Commissioners appointed four citizens to fill vacancies on the Manatee County Planning Commission and the Historic Preservation Board.

The county’s Planning Commission is a statutorily required advisory board established to act as the Local Planning Agency. It is composed of seven members.

Planning Commissioners Paul Rutledge and Richard Bedford’s four-year terms ended in October. Both submitted applications for reappointment but were not selected from a deep field of qualified applicants.

More than 25 citizens applied for the open positions, but it was Matt Bower and Alyssa Gay who made it through the nomination process and gained enough votes from county commissioners to receive the appointments.

Bower will be a familiar face on the Planning Commission, having served on the board previously from 2013-2017. He applied to serve a second term when his first ended but failed to gain the support of then-commissioners for a reappointment.

Bower—a sustainable growth advocate who first came to local politics as a public activist during the hearings for the controversial Long Bar Pointe development—is a Manatee County native and graduate of Bayshore High School. He is also a Certified Financial Planner, a former candidate for the Manatee County Commission, and a US Army Veteran.

The second appointment to the Planning Commission went to Gay, another Manatee County native, and a successful small business owner.

Gay served on the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) from 2019 to 2023 and was a recent candidate for the Florida House of Representatives District 72. Her bid for the house seat ended in the Republican Primary where Bill Connerly (a former planning commissioner, himself) managed to come out ahead in the crowded party race.

Gray graduated with summa cum laude honors from the University of Florida and in 2020 was named in Business Observer’s 2020 ‘40 Under 40’ list. In 2021, she was recognized by SRQ Magazine’s ‘35 Under 35’ which highlights notable young professionals of the Gulf Coast.

Both Bower and Gay are alumni of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce Leadership Manatee program. 

The county’s Historic Preservation Board required appointments to fill seats previously served by Ed Valley and Lucy Lawliss whose four-year terms ended in October. Neither Valley nor Lawliss sought reappointment. 

While the Historic Preservation Board drew fewer applicants, Cathy Slusser and Phillip Travis were appointed to the positions from among the roughly half-dozen interested and qualified candidates.

Slusser was a 36-year employee of the Manatee County Clerk of Court and Comptroller’s Office where she served as the Director of Historical Resources until her retirement in 2020.

During public comments, Slusser shared with commissioners that during her time with the Clerk’s Office, she played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Historic Preservation Board, including the writing of the county’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. 

Slusser earned a Bachelor's in History from Furman University before going on to complete a Master of Arts in History at the University of South Florida. She brings to the advisory board extensive professional experience and knowledge in the areas of Florida history, Manatee County history, and historical preservation, restoration, and education.

Like Bower and Gay, Slusser is also a graduate of Leadership Manatee.

Travis—who joins Slusser—is a Professor of History at the State College of Florida. He completed his PhD in US History at Washington State University.

The professional historian is a resident of Manatee County's District 3. 

Throughout his professional career, Travis has authored several peer-reviewed academic articles as well as a book. He is also a volunteer with a wildlife rescue nonprofit, Wildlife Inc., located on Bradenton Beach.

Each of the appointees will serve four-year terms on their respective boards.

Citizen advisory boards, committees, and commissions cover a range of topics including affordable housing, children's services, environmental land preservation, libraries, and more. 

Manatee County residents may volunteer their time and service to the local government and community by serving on an advisory board. Advisory boards offer residents the opportunity to help guide the county government's decision-making process. Volunteer appointees are determined through an application process followed by a nomination and final appointment by a vote of county commissioners.

To replay the advisory board nomination and voting process, including public comment and deliberations, click the video below.